New owners for Brisbane Roar?

[FFC Mariner]

http://www.news.com.au/couriermail/story/0,20797,26715656-5003412,00.html?from=public_rss

BRISBANE Roar directors are in negotiations with a mystery Arab billionaire who is eyeing up to 90 per cent of shares in the embattled A-League club.

Roar owners Emmanuel Drivas, Emmanuel Kokoris and Serge and Claude Baradel are keen to ease their own financial bleeding by offloading the majority of their shares to a business consortium backed by the Dubai-based Sheik.

The Roar have suffered million-dollar losses, with Football Federation Australia having been forced to step in and prop up the ailing club.

Under the ownership change, Drivas and Kokoris (The Coffee Club), and the Baradels (Luxury Paints), would retain at least 10 per cent of shares in the Roar as part of a compromise to ensure they remain as club sponsors.

 

[dibo]

This could be the 'Clive Palmer effect' in reverse. Foreign owners buying in as a way of achieving market exposure in this country. Our clubs are cheap to buy - you could probably snap up the Mariners lock stock for a seven digit figure. With 'deep pockets' investment you could probably grow them quickly too.

While crowds are 'steadying' after the initial novelty of the league, because they're still close to startup we're not at the point where diminishing returns rend additional investment pointless.

I'm sure each club could benefit from marketing and promotion for a start, and that's before we get to simple things like improved office space, better training facilities, more comfortable travel arrangements (especially in this league), more/better back office staff, investment in club stores to boost direct merchandise sales...

 

[midfielder]

You make some good points Dibo ... while I am not against overseas owners .. and if you watch a team who cares who owns it ..Look at Man U ERRRRR ... maybe you do care who owns you...

I remember when Rangers took over the Northern Spirit they stuffed up everything by trying to re badge the NS into another Rangers side ...

On the positive side with an Arab on board in the A-League it may help in some small way for Australia to get more acceptance in the Asian Confederation .. or maybe less who knows..

Powerful rich owners do not have a great track record in Australia.... lets look at them... Con, Clive, even Frank Lowy at SFC... very hard for these guys not to try and get involved they are successful at what they do and think they can do the same at their new club...

Got some mates who live in Queensland who say football is very popular in Brisbane, and as Dibo said lack of marketing and management has a fair bit to do with it... also the lack of media does not assist..

Big bucks is OK but every coin has two sides ...