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Survivors of the cataclysm: Russians continue to finance sports abroad
Until February 2022, successful Russian entrepreneurs owned many sports clubs, as well as "factories, newspapers and ships" abroad. However, after the introduction of sanctions, most domestic oligarchs left this business either of their own free will or at the request of regulators. DP Research Who continues to invest in foreign sports?
However, Hartwall Arena (aka Helsinki Hall) still belongs to Timchenko and the Rotenbergs. And the Finnish authorities persistently asked (or demanded) the Russian hockey businessmen, who are subject to EU sanctions from 2022, to sell the main hockey stadium to the municipality or a private owner at the “recommended price”. But they did not find an answer.
This was not Savvidi's first attempt to enter the football business. In his homeland, he was the president of FC Rostov and owned Rostov SKA. But if in the capital of the Don football was a greater social burden for him, then in Hellas the businessman was genuinely interested in it. He immediately paid off all the club's debts (9 million euros) and contributed an additional 9.9 million dollars to the capital. And gradually we increased our investment to 80 million dollars. Local fans love their new sponsor. They came to club matches with his portrait and called him "God from Russia". In fact, the Thessaloniki club only won once in Savvidi in the 2018/19 season.
In 2004, he tried to buy English Premier League team Everton for £20 million. But the deal fell through at the last minute. But the dream of Foggy Albion still remains. Eight years later, Zingarevich Jr. finally has his own club. He bought half of Reading's more modest shares. But in 2014, he sold his share to Thai businessmen.
The island nation is home to a significant Russian-speaking community: Limassol, with a population of 150,000, has around 40,000 Russians. So it’s understandable that the city is home to two clubs owned by Russian businessmen. One is called Karmiotissa. It was acquired in 2022 by Dmitry Punin, the owner of the Punin Wine alcohol company and former head of the Pin Up bookmaker. But so far, his team hasn’t distinguished itself in any way. Punin’s idea made headlines in February 2023, when former Zenit and Russian national team striker Alexander Kerzhakov was invited to take over as coach. Two months later, he was fired amid a scandal.