home · Installation · After Abramovich: Russians at the head of football clubs. All Russian owners of foreign clubs: from Abramovich to Rybolovlev

After Abramovich: Russians at the head of football clubs. All Russian owners of foreign clubs: from Abramovich to Rybolovlev

At the end of last year, the Ukrainian sports community was shocked that the president of Kharkov Metalist sold the team.

A friend of Akhmetov, the richest man in Ukraine, whom he brought into the “football life,” found himself in a difficult situation. It would seem that a person with such influence can really be forced to abandon his own football club? But in his farewell speech, Yaroslavsky said that against the backdrop of incomprehensible claims and unprecedented psychological pressure, he was forced to make such a decision.

It’s hard to believe that in a couple of days, without preliminary agreements, you can find a new owner for a club with a budget of $50 million. But I admit that the laws of the world of big capital allow such large transactions to be completed very quickly. Yaroslavsky announced the sale of Metalist after statements from the mayor of Kharkov appeared in the media that the city would take the stadium away from the club. Of course, claims regarding the stadium alone are unlikely to cause the sale of the club with all the players and infrastructure. For reference: the mayor of the city is a deputy from the Party of Regions, Yaroslavsky was previously a member of the Verkhovna Rada from the Our Ukraine bloc.

So, the 27-year-old billionaire Kurchenko became the new owner of the Kharkov residents. Little is known about him, but some call him “a brilliant lawyer, a genius and the gas king of the country.” The acquaintance of football fans with the new owner is ahead, but it is obvious that Kurchenko has become the youngest owner of a top division club not only in Ukraine, but also in all countries of the ex-USSR. He “joined” the company of the son of a Russian “paper” tycoon, an Australian businessman and a couple of British teenagers... Since youth and wealth merged into Kurchenko’s person, let’s remember all the youngest, as well as billionaires who invest their money in football.

Let's start with the richest. Let us note that not a single Qatari billionaire was included in our rating - the data on income and assets is too vague - it is extremely difficult for the Middle Eastern rich to separate personal property from family property, the royal treasury from the state budget. Therefore, our list will not include the boss of Man City, Sheikh Mansour, or the owner of Malaga, Al-Thani, or the owners of PSG, whose interests are represented by the state corporation Qatar Investment Authority.

1. Amancio Ortega (Spain, clothing production)

Net worth: $37.5 billion, club: Deportivo

If you have ever bought anything at Zara, Massimo Dutti or Pull & Bear, then part of the money you spent went to Depor. But it’s not clear which one it is? Most likely, Ortega, along with other projects, supports the club as a wealthy resident of A Coruña. Judging by the team's results, this is very likely, because his favorite sport is horse racing.

2. Lakshmi Mittal (India, metallurgy)

Net worth: $20.7 billion, club: Queens Park Rangers

The owner of the largest steel corporation Arcelor Mittal is not a football fan. But his son-in-law Amit Bhatia convinced his father-in-law to “invest” in football. And they chipped in with racing bosses Ecclestone and Briatore to buy QPR. Then Bernie and Flavio left, and the Indian was left with 33% of the shares and with a new partner, Malaysian Tony Fernandez.

3. Alisher Usmanov (Russia, co-owner of the holding"Metalloinvest")

Net worth: $18.1 billion, club: Arsenal (London)

Russia's richest private investor in football has long been trying to acquire a controlling stake in Arsenal. The position of the other shareholders and directors of the club is “only over our corpse.” When the Russian started buying shares, fans decided that this was not really a business, because Usmanov bought shares at the peak of their value - £10,500 per share. After some time, the price dropped to £7,500, and the oligarch’s losses reached £20 million.

4. Rinat Akhmetov(Ukraine, owner of the SCM corporation, owning controlling stakes in more than 100 enterprises operating in the mining, metallurgical, telecommunications, banking and insurance industries)

Net worth: $16 billion, club: Shakhtar

The richest man in Ukraine is truly passionate about football. It is believed that Akhmetov spent $1.5 billion on his club over 15 years, and the Donetsk club went from “eternally second” behind Dynamo to the leader of the Ukrainian championship. Akhmetov is credited with many things, but the Ukrainian oligarch is certainly not to blame for everything. Whether he actually rules Ukraine or not - we don’t undertake to judge. But we would venture to suggest that no - Rinat Leonidovich is responsible for Shakhtar, which is now in complete order. If he really ruled the whole country.... You can continue the analogy yourself.

5. Paul Allen (USA, IT)

Net worth: $14.2 billion, club: Seattle Sounders

Together with Bill Gates, he founded Microsoft; after a serious illness, he gradually moved away from direct management of the company, remaining its shareholder and consultant. To manage his finances, he created the company Vulcan. In addition to the NBA and NFL clubs, he owns a stake in the new MLS franchise Seattle Sounders. The combination allows for savings - soccer and American football not only share a stadium in Seattle, but are also served by a common commercial and financial department. So half the staff works for both clubs.

6. Francois Pinault and family (France, retail)

Net worth: $13 billion, club: Rennes

The Pinault family owns the PPR concern, which controls Gucci, Yves Saint Laurent and many other famous brands. Engaged in retail in the luxury segment, trade in books/cinema/music - the Fnac network. They are native residents of Rennes and have supported the club since 1998. True, after the transfer boom of the 2000s, when €21 million was spent on the purchase of the Brazilian Lucas Severino, Monsieur Francois stopped wasting money. Now Rennes has a renovated stadium and a club strategy that grows talent for those who do not count money.

7. Roman Abramovich (Russia, metallurgy, investment business)

Net worth: $12.1 billion, club: Chelsea

A lot has already been said about Roman Arkadyevich. Once, after attending one of the most dramatic matches in the history of the Champions League, Real Madrid - Manchester United, Abramovich bought Chelsea in order to win this League. It took £820 million and nine years. At the same time, the oligarch financed the National Football Academy, Moscow CSKA, and paid for Guus Hiddink’s contract. So at that time, in both English and Russian football, the same person was in charge. Blues fans composed a chant addressed to their eternal rivals Arsenal: “We are the fucking rich. We got Abramovich. Hey Ars, isn’t life a bitch?”

Now let's move on to the youngest football bosses.

1.Simon Jordan, "Crystal Palace"

In 2000, 32-year-old Simon Jordan, who made his fortune selling commonplace mobile phones, bought first-division side Crystal Palace for $58 million. By the way, in order to scrape together the necessary amount, he had to sell his share in the business. Simon said that the club would compete in the elite, and he kept his promise. Four years later, the team made it to the top team, but was relegated at the end of the season. And by the end of the decade, it became clear that Jordan had not calculated his financial capabilities; there was even talk of removing the “glaziers” from participating in the English championships. In 2010, the businessman sold the club.

2.Nathan Tinker, Newcastle United

But 32-year-old Nathan Tinker bought the club Newcastle in 2010. An Australian got rich by investing in the mining industry. At the time of purchase, his fortune was estimated at $1.2 billion. By the way, so as not to be sad, Nathan also bought the Newcastle Knights Jets rugby club. The Hunter Sports Group, a company founded specifically for this purpose, began to handle the affairs of the clubs. Tinker increased the price of tickets, and also signed a contract with the medical center, according to which a certain amount was transferred to the institution’s account after each goal scored by “Georgie”.

3. Anton Zingarevich, Reading

Thames Sports Investment, owned by 30-year-old Russian businessman Anton Zingarevich, has bought a controlling stake in Reading, which has been balancing between the first and second English leagues over the past few years. In 2012, The Royals entered the Premier League. It’s interesting that the young owner views football as a business, which is why he bought a not-so-noticeable team - it has room to develop.

4.Chris Oyukoko, "Julius Berger"

A 19-year-old Nigerian created one of the country's largest investment companies - Transition Holdings. In 2011, he bought not only the club, but also its entire infrastructure. Since "Julius Berger" is still known only to residents of Lagos, and plays in the lower leagues of Nigeria, the young owner wants to change this. First of all, through investments - Oyukoko intends to invest about $60 million, part of which will be used for the construction of a new modern stadium.

5. Tom and Josh Mitchell Dorchester Town

In 2009, the two Mitchell brothers became England's youngest club bosses. Tom was 21 at the time, Josh was 18. Dorchester Town, which plays in the Southern Football Conference, was inherited by the brothers from their father. The brothers had no experience in managing a club, except perhaps virtual, well, they still played “Football Manager”...

Special Correspondent Valery Kovalevich

They are successful businessmen, founders of numerous companies, earn millions and do not deny themselves anything. If earlier buying a sports club was just a whim of millionaires, now it is a whole business. Today we have prepared a ranking of the richest owners of sports clubs in the world.

Joe Lewis, 78

The British businessman's fortune is $5.3 billion. Today he owns more than 150 companies, 135 restaurants and the English Premier League football club Tottenham Hotspur, which he acquired in 2001 for $33 million.
It is noteworthy that while still a teenager, he worked as a waiter in a small catering company owned by his father. Later, when the family business passed into his hands, the young businessman sold everything and took up foreign exchange transactions and investing. Despite the fact that Joe did not graduate from school, he is a good connoisseur of painting. His personal collection includes paintings by great artists such as Pablo Picasso, Henri Matisse, Lucian Freud And Francis Bacon. The billionaire currently lives on Bahamas.

Mickey Arison, 66


​ In 1995, an Israeli-American businessman acquired the National Basketball Association team (NBA) Miami Heat for $33 million.The team under his leadership became champions three times NBA. In addition, he is the CEO of the world's largest cruise operator Carnival Corporation. According to the magazine's rating Forbes, his fortune as of 2011 was $5.9 billion.

Richard M. Devos 89


Entrepreneur Richard M. Devos is one of the richest people in the world. Together with your partner Jay Van Andel he founded the Amway company, which sells personal care products, household chemicals, dietary supplements and much more. In 2012, his fortune was $5 billion. The American businessman is also not indifferent to sports, namely basketball. In 1991, Devos purchased the team Orlando Magic for $85 million, today the price has increased several times, and the club is already valued at $247 million.

Silvio Berlusconi, 78


Politician and businessman Silvio Berlusconi, like all Italians, is obsessed with football. Entrepreneur owns a football club Milan. In 2015, Forbes magazine ranked him as the 14th richest person in the world. The billionaire's capital is $8 billion. And he once worked as a singer on a cruise ship to pay for his university studies. Today Berlusconi also a famous insurance tycoon who owns a large number of banks and media outlets.

Philip Anschutz, 76


An industrial tycoon who made a billion-dollar fortune from oil. Then the businessman opened a company AEG (Anschutz Entertainment Group), which owns famous entertainment centers Staples Center, Nokia Theater, London O2 and others.
The entrepreneur also invested part of his fortune in sports teams. Anschutz is a co-owner of a famous basketball club Los Angeles Lakers, which was valued at more than $1 billion in 2013, and football clubs such as Los Angeles Galaxy, S an Jose Earthquakes, and others. The businessman became famous thanks to the contract of the legendary David Beckham (40) with his club Los Angeles Galaxy. In 2015 the magazine Forbes included him in the honorary list of the richest people in the world. Anschutz's wealth was $13.5 billion.

Roman Abramovich, 48

Russian businessman Roman Abramovich makes money not only in the oil sector, but also in sports. Since 2003 he has owned the English club Premier League Chelsea, which was purchased for $230 million. Today the club's value is $1.37 billion.In 2012, the team won for the first time in its history UEFA Champions League, beating in the final Bayern Munich in the penalty shootout. The billionaire also owns yachts, planes and luxury mansions. By 2015, Abramovich's fortune was about $9.1 billion.

Mikhail Prokhorov, 50


Another Russian oligarch is partial to sports - Prokhorov loves basketball and owns a club NBA Brooklyn Nets. He purchased the sports club in 2010 for $223 million and became the team's first foreign owner NBA. Mikhail graduated from the Moscow Financial Institute with honors and began working in the financial sector, eventually amassing a huge fortune. The billionaire is known as the owner and board member MMC Norilsk Nickel. Since 2012, Prokhorov has been the leader of the party. "Civic Platform". The businessman’s net worth as of 2015 is $9 billion.

Paul Allen, 62

In 1975, together with his school friend Bill Gates(59) he founded a corporation Microsoft. After leaving Microsoft entrepreneur started investing. He financed the creation of the first private suborbital spacecraft SpaceShipOne, which has survived two successful civilian space launches. Billionaire owns a basketball club NBA Portland Trail Blazers, acquired for $70 million, as well as the Seattle Seahawks football team. The businessman's fortune is $17.4 billion.

Rinat Akhmetov, 48


Ukrainian tycoon - founder and president of a diversified financial and industrial group System Capital Management. Akhmetov has been the owner and president of a football club since 1996 "Miner". Under his leadership, the team became the national champion nine times, and also won the cup for the first time in the history of Ukraine. UEFA in 2009. Akhmetov's net worth is $6.9 billion.

Mukesh Ambani, 58


Indian tycoon, executive director of the largest holding company Reliance Industries, an asset manager, is the owner of a football team Mumbai Indians, which cost him $111.9 million. In 2013, he was recognized as the richest person in India. Mukesh's net worth is $20.8 billion.

At one time, K. Malofeev could become a co-owner of the Moscow Spartak.

I didn't. He became the general producer of the Tsargrad television channel. Let’s not talk about the degree of odiousness of this television project - after all, the “Fanzone” program is broadcast there, and we always treat the work of colleagues who talk about football with attention. Some striking statements by Konstantin Malofeev made as part of the latest issue of this program are below.

HOLIDAY WITH GRAY AT THE TEMPLES

How long have you been a fan of Spartak?

A long time ago. Owing to my family, as well as my student days, I entered Moscow State University in 1991. We had a lot of fans of different teams back then. Some, being students of the Moscow State University Law Faculty, even managed to create “golden seasons” for themselves based on away matches. Maybe they studied worse, but they achieved success here. Nevertheless, I was seriously interested in football, I remember the match between Spartak and Bayern in 1994. Unfortunately, I couldn’t be at Fedor Cherenkov’s farewell game... When I got married, in my 4th year at the institute, my wife’s grandfather (and they lived in Sokolniki) asked me the only question: who are you rooting for? Having heard what Spartak was, he apparently decided: we had to take it.

What can you say about Spartak’s championship last year?

This is a holiday. With gray hair at the temples, if you like. And with tears in my eyes. I was at the “golden match”. He didn’t run out onto the field, but stood with a scarf in the general formation, as expected. Nearby there were men with gray hairs at their temples, remembering how they last celebrated this 16 years ago. And with them stood their sons who had never seen Spartak as a champion. It is difficult to overestimate the significance of this victory, and we will remember this joy for a long time. In my opinion, at the beginning of last season we were missing three important people. Captain, head coach and general director. Before Glushakov, we did not have a leader in the locker room. With all due respect to Alenichev the player, with such a quiet voice, I can’t imagine how to command. And we didn’t have a general director, because Rodionov repeats every word Fedun says and doesn’t have his own opinion. And should. So the championship was a feat.

STATE CORPORATIONS ARE CORRUPTING FOOTBALL

What is happening with Spartak now?

It is obvious that all lines of Spartak are suffering. First, the midfield, which has so many injuries, is a disaster. In attack, Zé Luis is injured, and it’s unclear what’s wrong with Promes. Spartak's defense has never been an authoritative line. And now the coaching staff is rushing between two goalkeepers, choosing who to play. In the last game, we again saw Rebrov’s signature style, who feels confident on the goal line and tries not to move away from the line... The purchases were somewhat strange - not the one who was needed, and not the ones where they were needed...

Could you really become the owner of Spartak?

This is a very expensive toy. When it was relevant (and I cannot comment on the negotiations), we were united in them with Petr Aven (Chairman of the Board of Directors of Alfa-Bank) - perhaps because he and I have a joint box at the stadium. But if we bought the club, it would mean taking on all the costs. And this is a huge “minus” from a business point of view. I know Fedun, and I know how much it costs him to maintain the club. Spending that much on football is quite a feat. The problem is that in our football television rights are worthless. Not like in Europe, where the club gets up to 40% of its income from this. This is the result of both the 90s and 2000s, and the huge investments of state-owned companies in football, which corrupt it. As a result, the fan does not want to watch matches for money.

FOOTBALL IS SHOW BUSINESS

How much do you think Spartak is worth now?

Football cannot be approached from a business point of view, as many people think. This is show business. It does not bring any profit (and not only Spartak, but not a single Russian club). And football cannot be treated by business standards. Perhaps CSKA had some successful seasons when the club earned something. But in general, this is a planned unprofitable event. Look at Zenit or Lokomotiv. The cost of the club, in this case, is not calculated based on what can be earned. It is considered a brand. Just like in show business.

How much does the Bolshoi Theater cost? As much as you like. This is, if you like, an object of public property that is priceless. And you can’t even count the stadiums here. For example, Fedun’s stadium is part of a microdistrict. And the neighborhood will have to recoup the costs of the stadium. So there is always a “hidden value” to a football club that owning it gives you. And then there will always be the next, relatively speaking, crazy person who wants to own the club and will pay you an incredible amount. Maybe because you want (as is now happening in Europe) to go from your Thailand or China to Europe and buy something that has existed for a hundred, if not more, years. With our clubs everything is simple. As a business, they cost zero. But from a brand point of view, this is a matter of evaluation. This is why sports management exists. Who evaluates it this way: if there were ideal conditions, if TV rights were worth money, if the commercial direction worked... Then you could earn “so much.” “Spartak”, of course, is the number one brand in Russia. This is definitely true.

ON THE PATH OF XI JINGPING

Why then do Russian oligarchs buy European clubs?

Exactly for the same reason. For show business. Some marry models, and some buy clubs. In order to enter this establishment. This is a ticket to a rather closed community. Some people, by the way, are lucky - those who invest in America. Like Prokhorov - I’m sure this is his business. In America there are very clear “financial fair play” laws, there are salary ceilings, and income can be predicted there. A phantasmagoria is happening in Europe. Oligarchs from all over the developing world are coming to London; an explosive fashion for football has also begun in China, connected, by the way, with the fact that Xi Jingping himself played as a child. Now football is in vogue there. Now the Milan derby is a derby between two Chinese-owned teams. Arab sheikhs buy clubs in addition to yachts and planes... If our clubs did not have the heavy burden of state corporations and regional budgets, if everyone was managed the way Giner, Fedun and Galitsky do, perhaps we too would already have Chinese owners who would invest in the brand. We are closer to China. But, unfortunately, we lost a lot in the battle between state corporations and regions.

Should we understand that Chinese owners are a blessing?

The owner is not significant at all. I support Spartak not because Fedun manages it. Before him there was Chervichenko, and before him Romantsev. And I supported Spartak in the same way. And if tomorrow it is not Fedun who owns it, I will root for Spartak in the same way. Shareholders are part of show business. But the fans are not. Remember the English proverb: you can change your wife, but you can never change your favorite team.

Mukesh Ambani

Club: Mumbai Indians (cricket, Indian Premier League)

Net worth: $21.5 billion

Nationality: India

The 55-year-old founder and CEO of India's largest industrial conglomerate is deeply involved in one of Mumbai's most popular sports clubs. In 2011, the team won one of the most prestigious cricket tournaments - the Twenty20 Champions League.

Rinat Akhmetov

Club: Shakhtar (football, Ukrainian Premier League)

Net worth: $15.4 billion

Citizenship: Ukraine

The richest man in Ukraine, ranked 47th in the Forbes world rankings, has been developing football infrastructure in his native Donetsk since the mid-1990s. Over the years, Shakhtar acquired its own modern stadium for 50,000 spectators (in 2012, the arena hosted the semi-finals of the European Football Championship), was the first Ukrainian club to win the UEFA Cup and took away the title of the most popular team in the country from Dynamo Kiev. In the near future, the Donetsk project may become one of the pillars of a new ambitious venture by the shareholders of St. Petersburg Zenit - a united championship of Russia and Ukraine, to which Gazprom and other lobbyists for the initiative are promising a fantastic budget of $1 billion.

Paul Allen

Clubs: Seattle Seahawks (American football, NFL); Portland Trail Blazers (basketball, NBA)

Net worth: $15 billion

Citizenship: USA

Microsoft co-founder and renowned philanthropist Paul Allen is both an avid sports fan and a major investor in the industry. In addition to direct ownership of clubs in the NFL and NBA, the billionaire has a stake in the Seattle Sounders football team.

Mikhail Prokhorov

Club: Brooklyn Nets (basketball, NBA)

Net worth: $13 billion

Citizenship: Russia

Thanks to generous investments in the NBA club, the cover hero has become a recognizable public figure in the United States. Under Prokhorov, the Nets moved from New Jersey to New York to the state-of-the-art Barclays Center arena (Prokhorov also owns a stake in the sports facility), assembled a star-studded roster and became one of the most talked about projects in the league. The Russian billionaire will bring the capitalization of the club, for which he paid $200 million for control, to $1 billion.

Roman Abramovich

Club: Chelsea (football, English Premier League)

Net worth: $10.2 billion

Citizenship: Russia

The former governor of Chukotka consistently won all possible trophies with the London club, first on the domestic stage, and last year on the European arena: Chelsea added to the collection of awards with the title of winner of the UEFA Champions League. Forbes calculated last year that in 8 years the Russian owner, and ahead is the costly construction of a new stadium and the ongoing budget race, which is spurred on by generous football fans from the oil dynasties of the Middle East.

Phil Anschutz

Clubs: Los Angeles Galaxy (soccer, MLS); Los Angeles Kings (hockey, NHL)

Net worth: $10 billion

Citizenship: USA

The 73-year-old owner of sports Los Angeles made his fortune in oil, railroads and telecoms, but today makes his money in the entertainment industry. Anschutz's business empire, Anschutz Entertainment Group, is valued at $8 billion in case of sale. Popular sports clubs (the Kings won the Stanley Cup again last season) are only one of the components of the company's success. Its other divisions manage large concert arenas, organize tours for stars like Justin Bieber and Jennifer Lopez, produce Hollywood blockbusters, etc. Anschutz plans to add a National Football League club to his sports portfolio. The billionaire is ready to invest up to $1 billion in the construction of a stadium for the team in Los Angeles, but has not yet decided which team is worthy of such an impressive investment.

Silvio Berlusconi

Club: AC Milan (football, Italian Serie A)

Net worth: $6.2 billion

Citizenship: Italy

One of the world's most eccentric politicians and businessmen has long and successfully invested in the Milanese club, which during the Berlusconi era managed to win all possible trophies and survive the corruption scandal in Italian football without any reputational costs. Today the team is in a difficult financial situation - unlike Russian billionaires and Arab sheikhs, Berlusconi prefers not to waste money in order to achieve immediate results. There are more and more persistent conversations about the possible sale of the club by the structures of the former Italian prime minister.

Marguerite Louis-Dreyfus

Club: Olympique Marseille (football, French Ligue 1)

Net worth: $6 billion

Citizenship: Switzerland

A native of Leningrad (nee Bogdanova), the widow of French billionaire Robert Louis-Dreyfus inherited from her late husband not only numerous business assets, but also the Marseille football club. Under the new owner, the team has not yet won titles, and with the arrival of generous investors from Qatar in PSG in Paris, Olympique’s chances of winning the domestic championship have become even less.

Charles Johnson

Club: San Francisco Giants (baseball, MLB)

Net worth: $5.7 billion

Citizenship: USA

One of the most private American billionaires runs the investment empire Franklin Resources, which manages assets worth $781 billion. The club from San Francisco is a true baseball legend, the record holder for the number of titles won and matches, as well as the number of players represented in the Hall of Fame. The last time Johnson made a rare appearance in public was in October last year - the billionaire attended a festive parade on the occasion of another Giants victory in the World Series.

Miki Arison

Club: Miami Heat (basketball, NBA)

Net worth: $5.7 billion

Citizenship: USA

The success of the Miami club in the NBA (the team won the championship title in 2012) is helping the billionaire survive a difficult period in the activities of his main business - Carnival Cruises, the world's largest operator of tourist cruises. Due to the Costa Concordia disaster, the company's shares fell by 20% last year, and the reputation of Arison's empire was seriously shaken. Against this background, Heat’s value has increased by almost 40% over the year; the club’s capitalization is now estimated at $625 million.

Richard Devos

Club: Orlando Magic (basketball, NBA)

Net worth: $5.1 billion

Citizenship: USA

One of the founders of the network marketing giant Amway (revenue in 2011 - $10.9 billion) bought the Orlando club in 1991 for a modest $85 million. After the NBA signed a new collective bargaining agreement in 2012, the capitalization of the Devos team soared to a record level of $470 million.

Stan Kroenke

Clubs: St. Louis Rams (American football, NFL); Arsenal (football, English Premier League); Denver Nuggets (basketball, NBA); Colorado Avalanche (hockey, NHL)

Net worth: $5 billion

Citizenship: USA

The 65-year-old wife of one of the heirs of the Wal-Mart empire, Anne Walton, is often called. The billionaire owns four well-known clubs in the richest leagues in the US and Europe, the total value of which is approaching $2 billion. The most difficult investment for Kroenke was in Arsenal - hopes of gaining control of the London team, which owns a 30 percent stake. Last year, Russia's richest businessman preached austerity of resources. The result of the tight-fisted policy is a constant outflow of star players from the team and a protracted period of failure both in English tournaments and in European competitions. The club has not won a title since 2005, but has grown into a profitable business venture.

Malcolm Glaser and family

Clubs: Manchester United (football, English Premier League); Tampa Bay Buccaneers (American football, NFL)

Net worth: $4.4 billion

Citizenship: USA

In January 2013, the Manchester club became the first in the history of sports teams to overcome the capitalization bar of $3 billion. In August 2012, the Glazers held an IPO of the club and raised $100 million from investors, retaining 98% of the voting shares. Over six months, the club’s quotes rose by 33%. The businessman's other sports asset, the Tampa Bay Buccaneers, has not won an NFL title since 2002.

Today I will briefly talk about the companies that own Russian clubs.
We will only talk about the top eight clubs.

First in line, of course, is the owner of Russian Railways FC Lokomotiv (Moscow)

JSC Russian Railways is a Russian state-owned company, one of the world's largest transport companies, owner of infrastructure, a significant part of the rolling stock and the most important operator of the Russian railway network.
The head of the company - Vladimir Yakunin .
The sole shareholder of the company is the Russian Federation.
▲Turnover 1154.46 billion rubles. (2009, IFRS)
▲Operating profit RUB 154.8 billion
(2009, IFRS)
▲Net profit RUB 152.2 billion
(2009, IFRS)
Affiliated companies: CJSC TransTeleCom, OJSC First Freight Company and a dozen other smaller companies.
Since November 2009, TransTeleCom has owned about 95% of the shares FC Lokomotiv.

The next bank will be the owner FC Dynamo (Moscow).

OJSC Bank VTB- - Russian commercial bank. The second largest bank in the country in terms of assets (after Sberbank) and the first in terms of authorized capital. VTB ranks 236th in the 2011 ranking of the 500 largest companies in the world according to the Financial Times.
Chairman of the Board- Kostin Andrey Leonidovich.
The main shareholder of VTB is the Government of the Russian Federation, which owns 75.5% of the share capital.
Affiliated companies: "VTB 24 Bank", OJSC "Bank of Moscow", VTB Bank (Austria) AG and others.
Bank assets- 6,337.0 billion (IFRS as of September 30, 2011)
Equity- 598.3 billion (IFRS as of September 30, 2011)
▲Net profit- 72.6 billion rubles. (IFRS as at 30 September 2011)
Owner of the Dynamo Moscow football club since 2008.

Now about the largest company in Russia owning "FC Zenit"

Gazprom"- Russian gas production and gas distribution company, the largest company in Russia, the largest gas company in the world, owns the longest gas transportation system (more than 160,000 km).
Governing body:
Alexey Borisovich Miller- Chairman of the Board
Alexander Georgievich Ananenkov - First Deputy Chairman of the Board.
Subsidiaries: Gazprom Neft, Gazprom Avia, Gazprombank and several dozen others.
Turnover
▲ RUB 3,597.1 billion (2010, IFRS)
Operating profit
▲ RUB 1,113.8 billion (2010, IFRS)
Net profit
▲ RUB 998.0 billion (2010, IFRS)
Gazprom owns a controlling stake in the Zenit football club (St. Petersburg); in addition, the company is the title sponsor of the Schalke 04 club, which plays in the Bundesliga. Since November 2010, she became a partner of the Volga football club in Nizhny Novgorod, as well as the Sakhalin football club in Yuzhno-Sakhalinsk.

Last in line is the general sponsor FC Rubin .

TAIF Group of Companies- a large Russian holding that controls 96% of the chemical, petrochemical and oil and gas refining industries of Tatarstan.
Owners and management: 11.4% of the company belongs to the son of the former President of Tatarstan Mintimer Shaimiev, Radik Shaimiev, 4.5% - to Deputy General Director of TAIF Guzelia Safina, the remaining shareholders are not disclosed.
CEO - Albert Kashafovich Shigabutdinov.
Turnover
RUB 340 billion (2011, IFRS)
Net profit
RUB 21.3 billion (2007, IFRS)
Affiliated companies:TV and radio company “New Century”, OJSC “Nizhnekamskneftekhim”, LLC “Karsar”, etc.

My first blog, please do not judge too harshly, I think many will be interested.
All information was taken from Wikipedia.