Latest news with #TomokiIwata
Straits Times
2 days ago
- Entertainment
- Straits Times
From Snoop Dogg to Tom Brady, stars flock to English second-tier clubs
Sign up now: Get ST's newsletters delivered to your inbox Birmingham City's Japanese midfielder Tomoki Iwata celebrates with English striker Jay Stansfield after scoring against Newcastle in an FA Cup match. LONDON – When Snoop Dogg sang the praises of Swansea City, it signalled the unlikely arrival of the latest celebrity owner in the once unfashionable Championship, English football's second tier. The American rapper has joined the Welsh club's ownership structure, investing an undisclosed sum to rub shoulders with former Real Madrid stalwart Luka Modric, who has also sunk his money into the club. 'The story of the club and the area really struck a chord with me. This is a proud, working-class city and club. An underdog that bites back, just like me,' Snoop said in an introductory video. In North Wales, Wrexham are dreaming of an extraordinary promotion to the Premier League this season on the back of the lucrative support of Hollywood star Ryan Reynolds and fellow actor Rob McElhenney. Meanwhile, former Super Bowl-winning quarterback Tom Brady has a minority stake in Birmingham City, very much the second club in England's second city after Premier League outfit Aston Villa. Brady says his is a 'visionary role' and he tries – not always successfully – to pass on his experience of winning seven Super Bowl winner's rings to the Birmingham players and their young manager, Chris Davies. But why do so many celebrities want to invest a slice of their fortunes into the Championship? Top stories Swipe. Select. Stay informed. Singapore No service on Sengkang-Punggol LRT due to power fault: SBS Transit Singapore Owners call for stronger management rules in ageing condos, but seek to avoid being overburdened Asia Johor seizes four Singapore-registered vehicles for illegal e-hailing Singapore More families in Singapore using childminding and elder-minding services Business US Treasuries a draw as yield gap with S'pore govt bonds widens, but analysts urge caution Asia Attack on my son is a 'warning' to silence me, says Malaysian MP Rafizi Ramli World Trump says Putin ready to make deal on Ukraine as leaders prepare for Alaska meeting Singapore From quiet introvert to self-confident student: How this vulnerable, shy teen gets help to develop and discover her strength Christopher Winn, course leader at the University Campus of Football Business (UCFB), told AFP the principal reason was because they see it as an attractive investment – with the carrot of the Premier League's riches if the team can gain promotion proving irresistible. 'There is the notion of long-term returns, in other words buying low (in a lower league) and selling high,' he said. 'While on-field success and subsequent off-field returns are no guarantee, should the promised land of the Premier League be reached, a significant profit would likely be generated on any future sale of the club, in other words generating returns for investors well beyond their initial investment and operational outlay. 'Granted, that does not mean the investors are all out to make a return – football can often be a game of utility maximisation after all, and for some a personally funded passion project.' Brady's friend and co-owner at Birmingham, the New York-based investor Tom Wagner, reveals they originally tried to buy a Premier League team but the deal fell through. Then the chance to snap up Birmingham presented itself. 'We thought we could make some money, have a good return, which is our ultimate objective, so we just couldn't pass it up,' Wagner says. In Wagner and Brady's first season, Birmingham crashed down into League One, or England's third division, but with Davies in charge they emphatically secured promotion to the Championship this year, romping away with the League One title with a record points total. That was largely due to the Americans' injection of funds for new players such as forward Jay Stansfield, acquired from Premier League club Fulham for £15 million, a huge fee for League One. Celebrities are active behind the scenes at other Championship clubs. Birmingham kicked off the season last week with a 1-1 home draw against Ipswich Town, who count multi-million-selling music star Ed Sheeran among their financial backers. Ipswich confirmed last year that Sheeran had bought a 1.4 per cent stake in his local club and he has been the shirt sponsor for the last four years – although in a cautionary tale for other star owners, his involvement did not stop Ipswich being relegated from the Premier League last season. AFP
The National
3 days ago
- Sport
- The National
Watch as Kyogo scores first goal since leaving Celtic
The striker joined Rennes in January, although after failing to net in six appearances for the French club amid managerial change, he signed for Birmingham City this summer. They welcomed Walsall to St Andrew's this evening in the EFL Cup, and Furuhashi opened the scoring five minutes in, tapping in from close range after a defensive error. His first goal in royal blue 🤩 🇯🇵 Let's go, @Kyogo_Furuhashi! — Birmingham City FC (@BCFC) August 13, 2025 Furuhashi scored 85 times across 165 Celtic appearances. Read more: He is currently at Birmingham with his ex-Parkhead colleague and fellow countryman, Tomoki Iwata. Chris Davies, Brendan Rodgers' former assistant, is in charge of the club. They are aiming for promotion to the Premier League after winning English League One last season. Furuhashi's goals could be key to their success this campaign. The centre-forward will be hoping his strike this evening is the first of many in Birmingham colours. Recently opening up about his struggles at Rennes, he said: "I found the French league more physical than in Scotland with Celtic. "The manager told me I had to adapt and find a way around it. "But when I am frustrated in Japan, I have people I can talk to. In France, there was no one. "I didn't have an interpreter like I was used to and that didn't help either. I studied French for six months, but I don't think I got anywhere with it. "It's so important for me to be playing games now with the World Cup less than a year away. It will come around quickly."
Daily Record
07-07-2025
- Sport
- Daily Record
Kyogo has no Celtic transfer exit regrets as he shows his true colours by directly addressing Rennes nightmare
The Japanese frontman wants to kickstart his career with Birmingham City after a miserable stint in France Kyogo insists he has no regrets about quitting Celtic in January - despite enduring a nightmare six months at Rennes. The Japanese striker called time on his prolific three-and-a-half years at Parkhead to test himself in a bigger league. But his £10million switch to Ligue 1 proved a disaster, failing to score in six appearances and finding himself bombed out of the squad. The 30-year-old will team up with ex-Hoops teammate and fellow countryman Tomoki Iwata at St Andrew's. And as he begins the next chapter of his career in England, Kyogo admits he'll always cherish his time at Celtic Park, where he lifted eight domestic trophies. In an interview with Blues+, he said: "I have good memories (from Celtic) with lots of titles, so it was a wonderful three and a half, four years. "Lots of fans still say hello to me, so I felt I was really lucky. But this is a new place, and I'd like to do my best here. "There might be more pressure, but we will enjoy playing together on the pitch and fighting. "I'm happy to be able to play with Tomoki again, and he said the same too. So we'd like to aim to be in the Premier League together." On his miserable stint in France, Kyogo added: "It was a difficult time for me, but I don't have any regrets going there. "I've gained some experience, so I'd like to use that here." Follow Record Sport on Twitter, Facebook and Instagram for all of the up-to-the-minute breaking news, video and audio on the SPFL, the Scotland national team and beyond. You can get all the news you need on our dedicated Rangers and Celtic pages, and sign up to our newsletters to make sure you never miss a beat throughout the season. We're also WhatsApp, where we bring all the latest breaking news and transfer gossip directly to your phone. Join our Rangers community here and our Celtic community here.
BBC News
06-07-2025
- Sport
- BBC News
Birmingham sign Japanese midfielder Fujimoto
Birmingham City have completed the signing of Japanese midfielder Kanya Fujimoto on a three-year 26-year-old arrives at St Andrew's @ Knighthead Park on a free transfer following the expiry of his contract at Portuguese top-flight side Gil has spent the past four seasons with Gil Vicente, and made 10 goal contributions in 30 appearances as they finished 13th in the Primeira Liga last former Japan Under-20 international joins compatriots Tomoki Iwata and Kyogu Furuhashi at Celtic forward Furuhashi joined Birmingham on Saturday, following the earlier arrivals of Nigeria full-back Bright Osayi-Samuel and Jamaica winger Demarai Gray on permanent deals and the loan signings of Wolves midfielder Tommy Doyle and England Euro Under-21 winning goalkeeper James who won the League One title last season with an English Football League record 111 points, begin their campaign back in the Championship at home to relegated Ipswich Town on Friday, 8 August.
The National
24-06-2025
- Sport
- The National
Teammate of ex-Celtic star Kyogo quizzed over transfer links
The £10m striker has fallen out of favour at Rennes since his January switch from Glasgow. Things have not gone to plan at all for the 30-year-old in France, and the Ligue 1 club look set to cut their losses early. Last week, reports emerged linking the ex-Hoops hero with a move to Birmingham City. Premier League side Bournemouth have also been suggested as a potential destination for the frontman, who will be keen to get his career back on track. A move to either Birmingham or Bournemouth would see Kyogo reunited with Tomoki Iwata or Ryan Christie, whom he played with at Parkhead. Read more: Another player who could have insight on Kyogo's future is current teammate, and former Birmingham star Jordan James. The Wales international, 20, made a £4m switch to Rennes a year ago. Fans of the Blues took to social media site X to ask James about Kyogo's future. He responded, saying: "Just to make it clear don't have a clue about (the) Kyogo rumours , what a legend though."
