Portsmouth speak out in ownership row
Portsmouth are adamant there is no dispute over Alexandre Gaydamak’s ownership of the club and say they are “surprised” the Premier League have decided to seek further clarification of the matter.
The Premier League, whose rules contain the clause that people in charge of clubs must pass a “fit and proper persons” test and submit an annual declaration to that effect, are contacting Portsmouth again on the issue following media reports in Israel, where Gaydamak, 32, and his father Arkadi are residents.
Since January 2006 when Serb-American businessman Milan Mandaric – now at Leicester – sold his control of Pompey the club have always maintained that Gaydamak, known as ’Sacha’, was the buyer and main benefactor despite rumours that his father, a reputed billionaire and controversial political figure, was really the man providing the cash.
At that time there was an international arrest warrant issued by French magistrates who wanted to question Arkadi, the owner of Israeli champions Beitar Jerusalem, about alleged illicit arms trading to Angola during the 1990s.
And now a tabloid newspaper in Israel called Yedioth Aharonot have published a report which cites Portsmouth as one of the 56-year-old Arkadi’s assets.
But a Pompey spokesman said: “Alexandre Gaydamak is the 100% owner of the club and his father has never had any dealings with it.”
The spokesman also pointed out that Arkadi’s representatives have confirmed that while the Israeli newspaper’s published list of the Gaydamak assets are accurate, it is a fact that some of them are owned by other members of the family and that “there is no connection between Arkadi and Portsmouth Football Club which his son owns”.
Portsmouth have also confirmed they are happy to again provide full documentation to the Premier League over ownership but their spokesman insisted: “We are a little surprised that this issue has come up again because Alexandre Gaydamak owns the club 100% and nothing has changed.”
