Red Rom vs Sheikh Mo

zocoss SG

MEGA-WEALTHY Sheikh Mohammed swept all before him with his amazing Godolphin racing stable.

Now he is going head-to-head with Chelsea owner Roman Abramovich in the greatest race of all to dominate world football. Sheikh Mohammed bin Rashid Al Maktoum is one of the worlds richest men and the power behind the group involved in Liverpool £450million takeover talks. He also:

Has a personal fortune of £7billion.
Pockets up to £1bn on his investments.
Has the backing of the United Arab Emirates, where he is the Prime Minister.
Red Rom now has a fight on his hands in making Chelsea the worlds most feared club.

Philip Beresford, the financial analyst who compiles the famous Sunday Times rich list, said: Its Arab oil money v Russian oil money. If the Maktoums do for Liverpool what they have done for horse racing, then Liverpool will shoot up the Premiership table. They will also challenge Chelsea for every big-name signing.

Sheikh Mo, 57, became ruler of Dubai and Prime Minister of the UAE in January on the death of his elder brother. He has two wives and 16 children.

zocoss SG

Financial insiders insist his first love is horse racing. Sheikh Mo has won virtually every major Flat race and also sponsors the worlds richest race, the Dubai World Cup. But he is also a huge camel racing enthusiast.

In September, he removed all the child jockeys from the UAE after being hit with a lawsuit in the USA accusing him and his brother of the enslavement of 30,000 children.

His Dubai International Capital Group (DIC) has paid £800m to buy the Tussauds entertainment empire and a further £675m in August this year for the Travelodge hotel chain. They are also major stakeholders in the Daimler-Chrysler car group and are currently constructing the tallest building in the world in Dubai. So the £450m needed for a Liverpool buy-out will be loose change for the oil-rich DIC.

The £450m package would include £170m to take controlling interest of the club from the Moores family, £80m to cover existing debts and £200m towards a new 60,000-seat stadium in Stanley Park.

And the Sheikhs fortune would give Reds boss Rafa Benitez unlimited spending power in the transfer market. The company sees a Liverpool takeover as the ideal way of putting Dubais name on the sporting map. It would also boost Sheikh Mos ambitions of hosting the World Cup and Olympics in the UAE.

They have shown a full understanding and respect for the clubs values and heritage. DIC share our passion for success and in investing in the businesses it acquires. This is very important in terms of the proposed new stadium.

iveco SG

Al-Maktoum's family also has control of the UAE's national airline, which is the sponsor of Arsenal FC.

I think they also own the Grand Prix circuit in Dubai.

zocoss SG

Well... he is a Sheikh and he is the Ruler of Dubai and the Prime Minister of UAE... what do you expect...

He is... what you would call filthy rich... they already said the £450m needed for a Liverpool buy-out will be loose change. Rolling Eyes

Looks like next year, half the present pool first team could be bench warmers... Neutral

iveco SG

Sekali LFC bring in all the MidEast players when Al-Maktoum takes over.

R3SsH|n SG

sadly…if the take over was to happen…i think the great tradition of LFC will go down the drain.

iveco SG

Hell, yeah.

BTW, the Magnusson group @ WHFC are trying to snare SWP. Hope the Hammers' fortunes can improve in the second half of the season.

zocoss SG

Well... if it can get them back to winning titles, t guess the younger fans probably won't care too much about traditional stuff. Neutral

zocoss SG

Rafa hit jackpot

Ah Ben: could find himself with a transfer kitty of up to £100m.
No wonder he look so happy... Laughing

RAFA BENITEZ will hit the jackpot after Sheikh Mohammed rode into town as Liverpools saviour.

The super-rich racehorse owner, worth £7BILLION, has opened talks about a takeover at Anfield.

Financial analyst Philip Beresford said: This will have Liverpool challenging Chelsea for every big-name signing. Its Arab oil money v Russian oil money.

Kop boss Benitez could now find himself with a transfer kitty of up to £100m as part of the £450m deal.

The Kop boss said: I have talked to our chairman David Moores and chief executive Rick Parry about this and I was pleased with what I heard. "It is always good for a club to have more money and more possibilities.

Shaun Wright-Phillips, out in the cold at Chelsea, is a huge favourite of Benitez. Seville full-back Daniel Alves could be another target while there may be a move for Spanish hitman David Villa, who played for Benitez at Valencia.