Source: Telegraph
Portsmouth deny Thaksin Shinawatra involvement in takeover
It had been suggested that Thaksin had been introduced to Portsmouth's chief executive, Peter Storrie, by Sir Dave Richards, the chairman of the Premier League, and was helping to fund Al-Fahim's bid to buy out current owner Alexandre Gaydamak.
But a statement released by the club on Saturday insisted that neither Thaksin nor his aide, Pairoj Piempongsant, were 'involved in funding… the bid to buy the club.'
A representative of Dr Sulaiman Al-Fahim met with Premier League officials last week and confirmed he is the sole purchaser of the football club and this will be verified by his lawyers,' it continued.
'Sir Dave Richards has had no role to play other than providing advice in his role as chairman of the Premier League and to suggest otherwise undermines the excellent work he does in his position.'
Richards, though, admitted on Saturday that the League would seek further assurances that Thaksin, whose British visa was revoked last November, is not the man behind the Al-Fahim bid. Thaksin was convicted in absentia of corruption by a Thai court last October and sentenced to two years in jail. He now lives in exile.
Richards said: 'At this stage the Premier League don't know if he is involved. The Premier League have made it very clear we want to know who the shareholders are in the possible takeover. Before that can happen the people involved have to meet the fit and proper persons test.
'There has been a suggestion that possibly Dr Thaksin is involved, and if that is the case, the takeover will not be allowed to go through.'
Should that prove to be the case, it would come as a serious blow for Portsmouth. Gaydamak is no longer prepared to bankroll the club and a takeover remains Portsmouth's only hope of leaving Fratton Park for a new stadium and keeping hold of the majority of their squad.
Failure to build their long-awaited new stadium would come as a serious blow to the south coast's hopes of hosting games as part of any bid for the 2018 World Cup. With Southampton languishing in the third tier of the game, it is unlikely any stadium in the area would boast the 40,000 capacity necessary to be named one of the chosen venues.
The news on Saturday that both Liverpool and Chelsea had made bids, believed to be in the region of £18million, for the Portsmouth's England international Glen Johnson is likely to be a harbinger of things to come should Al-Fahim's takeover bid fail.
Manchester City are believed to have made an inquiry as to the full-back's availability, but Storrie said the club would only allow Johnson to leave 'for the right price' should he wish to play Champions League football.
Rafael Benitez made a £12million bid for Johnson in January, as revealed in The Sunday Telegraph, and any move to Liverpool is likely to be part-funded by an agreement to write off the £7million Portsmouth still owe the Anfield club following Peter Crouch's move last year. Sources close to Johnson suggest his personal preference may be a return to Stamford Bridge.
