Latest news with #AlanPace
Yahoo
18 hours ago
- Business
- Yahoo
Burnley in line to join multi-club scene after owner bids for stake in Espanyol
Burnley's owner is in advanced negotiations about buying a stake in the Spanish club Espanyol in what would become the Premier League's latest multi-club operation. Espanyol would be the second club owned by ALK Capital, the investment company operated by Burnley's owner, Alan Pace, whose website says its ambition is to establish a multi-club sports platform. The American businessman previously owned Real Salt Lake in Major League Soccer before selling up to buy Burnley, paying £170m for 84% of the club in December 2020. Advertisement Related: Woody Johnson makes £190m bid for Textor's Crystal Palace shares as Uefa delays decision ALK Capital has held talks with several Spanish clubs about a potential investment over the past few months and an offer is understood to have been made for Espanyol, the second club in Barcelona. The size and price of the proposal is unclear. Espanyol are owned by the Chinese company Rastar Group, which specialises in toy car production, and have been on the market since they were relegated from La Liga two years ago, with a valuation of about £110m. They were promoted via the playoffs the following season and stayed in the top flight, finishing 14th. Burnley's investment would give them preferential access to young European and South American players, and is part of a growing trend of Premier League clubs trying to invest in Spain. Advertisement The country's longstanding ties with South America, proximity to north Africa and liberal player registration rules make it a natural entry point for youth talent from outside the EU. Many South American players obtain dual citizenship in Spain, making them easier to sell on to other European clubs. City Football Group was the first Premier League-linked group to buy a Spanish club with its 2017 purchase of Girona, who were subsequently promoted to La Liga and qualified for the Champions League for the first time by finishing third in 2024. Last year Aston Villa's owner, V Sports, bought a stake in Real Unión, who were relegated from the third tier in May. This year Brentford's owner, Matthew Benham, bought Mérida AD, who are in the third division. Liverpool's owner, Fenway Sports Group, had talks this season about buying a stake in the second division club Málaga but has not completed the transaction. Multi-club ownership has exploded in recent years, although Burnley's proposed investment in Espanyol comes at a time when the model is facing scrutiny because Crystal Palace could be prohibited by Uefa from taking part in the Europa League because their co-owner John Textor is the majority shareholder at Lyon, who have also qualified. In 2020 fewer than 60 clubs were part of multi-club operations but that number is now more than 400. Burnley declined to comment.
New York Times
2 days ago
- Business
- New York Times
Burnley owners ALK Capital in talks over buying Espanyol stake
Burnley's owners are in talks over buying a stake in Spanish top flight club Espanyol. If a deal can be reached, Espanyol would be the second club linked to ALK Capital, the investment vehicle run by Burnley's owner Alan Pace. A source with knowledge of the situation, speaking on the condition of anonymity to protect relationships, confirmed that ALK had been exploring investment opportunities at clubs in Europe for some time. Advertisement ALK already have a 'strategic partnership' with Scottish side Dundee, while they explored an investment in Belgian club Kortrijk when former Belgium international Vincent Kompany was head coach. Espanyol are currently owned by the Chinese company Rastar Group, which specialises in toy car production, and have been on the market since their relegation from La Liga two years ago. They immediately returned to the top-flight via the play-offs and finished 14th last season — avoiding the drop after beating Real Valladolid on the final day of the campaign. A deal would see Burnley become the latest Premier League side to pursue a multi-club model, and invest in Spain. Manchester City's owners, City Football Group, bought Spanish club Girona in 2017, while V Sports, the owners of Aston Villa, own a stake in third tier side Real Union. Brentford's holding company Best Intentions Analytics, run by the west London club owner Matthew Benham, bought third-tier Spanish side Merida AD in April this year. Pace has links to Barcelona, having completed an MBA in the Spanish city, according to his LinkedIn profile. ALK completed a takeover of Burnley in a £170million ($231m at current rates) deal via a leveraged buyout in December 2020. JJ Watt, the former NFL star, became a minority investor in the Lancashire club in May 2023. They were relegated from the Premier League under Kompany in 2023-24 but returned to the top flight at the first time of asking after finishing runners-up to Leeds United in the Championship last season, level on 100 points. By The Athletic's La Liga correspondent Dermott Corrigan Since its foundation in 1900, Barcelona-based Espanyol was controlled by local businessmen, until China's Rastar Group bought over 56 per cent of the shares in January 2016. The following August Rastar Group — whose main business back in China is making toy cars and video games — increased that stake to almost 100 per cent. Advertisement Rastar's majority shareholder Chen Yansheng is Espanyol's club president. Including the president's son Chen Chuanghuang, all its other board members are Chinese, except legendary former player Rafa Maranon. In November 2024 the club announced a new share issue which will take Rastar's total investment since 2016 to an estimated €163m. Yet, poor decisions in football and business have hurt. For the current campaign La Liga set Espanyol's (nominal) salary limit at €8.8m, due to the club having made losses in each of the last four seasons, even while selling key players such as Cesar Montes and Sergi Darder. During Chen's presidency, they have bounced between Primera and Segunda — they were promoted back to La Liga for 2024-25, then needed a final day victory to stay up on the final day of the season. President Chen spoke via TV link at the club's most recent AGM last December, admitting that the club's current strategic plan involved 'adapting to its current realities'. CEO, Mao Ye Wu also spoke of an intention of 'sustainable growth' into the future. The ownership has often been criticised by fans groups and the remaining few minority shareholders. However Chen has regularly denied any intention to sell and said at the AGM that 'our commitment remains as strong as ever'.
The Guardian
2 days ago
- Business
- The Guardian
Burnley in line to join multi-club scene after owner bids for stake in Espanyol
Burnley's owner is in advanced negotiations about buying a stake in the Spanish club Espanyol in what would become the Premier League's latest multi-club operation. Espanyol would be the second club owned by ALK Capital, the investment company operated by Burnley's owner, Alan Pace, whose website says its ambition is to establish a multi-club sports platform. The American businessman previously owned Real Salt Lake in Major League Soccer before selling up to buy Burnley, paying £170m for 84% of the club in December 2020. ALK Capital has held talks with several Spanish clubs about a potential investment over the past few months and an offer is understood to have been made for Espanyol, the second club in Barcelona. The size and price of the proposal is unclear. Espanyol are owned by the Chinese company Rastar Group, which specialises in toy car production, and have been on the market since they were relegated from La Liga two years ago, with a valuation of about £110m. They were promoted via the playoffs the following season and stayed in the top flight, finishing 14th. Burnley's investment would give them preferential access to young European and South American players, and is part of a growing trend of Premier League clubs trying to invest in Spain. The country's longstanding ties with South America, proximity to north Africa and liberal player registration rules make it a natural entry point for youth talent from outside the EU. Many South American players obtain dual citizenship in Spain, making them easier to sell on to other European clubs. City Football Group was the first Premier League-linked group to buy a Spanish club with its 2017 purchase of Girona, who were subsequently promoted to La Liga and qualified for the Champions League for the first time by finishing third in 2024. Aston Villa's owner, V Sports, last year bought a stake in Real Unión, who were relegated from the third tier in May. This year Brentford's owner, Matthew Benham, bought Mérida AD, who are in the third division. Liverpool's owner, Fenway Sports Group, had talks this season about buying a stake in the second division club Málaga but has not completed the transaction. Multi-club ownership has exploded in recent years, although Burnley's proposed investment in Espanyol comes at a time when the model is facing scrutiny because Crystal Palace could be prohibited by Uefa from taking part in the Europa League because their co-owner John Textor is the majority shareholder at Lyon, who have also qualified. In 2020 fewer than 60 clubs were part of multi-club operations but that number is now more than 400. Sign up to Football Daily Kick off your evenings with the Guardian's take on the world of football after newsletter promotion Burnley declined to comment.
Yahoo
26-04-2025
- Sport
- Yahoo
Pitch invaders trash LED boards and 'swear at manager' as investigation launched
Two men are facing bans as an investigation is launched after Burnley Football Club's stadium, Turf Moor, was damaged by pitch invaders. Burnley FC has condemned the actions of a 'minority of fans' who invaded the pitch following Easter Monday's 2-1 win over Sheffield United, which saw the club seal promotion to the Premier League. Monday's pitch invasion has resulted in 'costly damage to LED boards around the perimeter of the pitch' and a video shows Blades manager Chris Wilder being sworn at, while opposition players were also antagonised by Clarets fans. READ MORE: Burnley FC players celebrate in Royal Dyche after league promotion The club said it 'appreciates emotions were high' as supporters celebrated promotion to the Premier League, but incidents such as this have 'far-reaching consequences both for the safety of those involved and financially for the football club'. Burnley FC is now trying to identify the fans who committed the damage to digital advertising hoardings, and recover all costs incurred directly from them. The incident has also led to an FA investigation. As part of this investigation, the club are scouring CCTV and can confirm anybody identified as entering the field of play will be subject to a stadium ban, and in some cases police action. The club said some fans have already been handed criminal records for their behaviour at games this season. The club will also be contacting all supporters who are located in the stands that have access to the pitch, and we will be issuing an appeal for any information or evidence relating to the incident be sent to the club, which will be shared with the police for further investigation. At the time of writing, a man has been arrested for pitch encroachment and breaching a football banning order at Monday's game. He has been charged with both offences and will appear at Blackburn Magistrates' Courrt on May 16. He will also be issued with a stadium ban by Burnley FC. The club has identified a man who was on the pitch with a flare. He was detained by a steward and the individual who posted a video on social media of himself running past opposition manager Chris Wilder and swearing at him. Both individuals have been passed on to the police and will be issued with stadium bans by the club. Clarets chair Alan Pace said: 'As a club we are hugely grateful for the incredible support we receive. "The atmosphere created at Turf Moor at Monday's game was fantastic; it played a vital role in what made the game and celebrations so memorable. 'However, alongside the FA investigation, we are also looking into what happened at the final whistle, and we are taking our own course as needed to make sure that the individuals involved face the appropriate sanctions. "I want to make this clear, this includes identifying the fans who committed the damage to recover all costs incurred directly from them. 'Ahead of the game against Millwall, we want to reiterate for the safety of everybody, that the pitch is for players, managers and officials, and the stands for supporters to support the team. "We do not want the actions of the minority to spoil the game for all.' More police and stewards will be present at the Burnley vs Millwall game on May 3, to ensure the safety and security of players, officials and all supporters who will be attending the game, which is the final match of the season. The Clarets showed no signs of a promotion hangover this lunchtime, dispatching QPR 5-0 away at Loftus Road to go back top of the Championship, with fellow promoted side Leeds United not playing until Monday night.
