Source: SKY_Sports
Storrie - Al Fahim in denial
Portsmouth chief executive Peter Storrie has said former owner Sulaiman Al-Fahim was frustrating to deal with.
Al-Fahim completed a deal on Monday to sell 90 per cent of his shares in the Fratton Park club to Saudi businessman Ali Al-Faraj, after the former owner was unable to transfer the funds needed to pay the players' wages for September.
While Storrie admits that Al-Fahim did have Pompey's best interests at heart, he has revealed it was difficult to deal with a man who had little knowledge of English football.
He said: "When he did the takeover deal on 29th August, I said, 'we're going to have great difficulty completing things and getting players in by the transfer deadline'.
"He said, 'can't you get them to extend the deadline?' That gives you a bit of an idea of what he's like.
Honest"He genuinely had, and still has, a regard for the club and genuinely thought he could bring all these things in. But he just thought he could keep putting things back and I know it's hard to understand, but that was how he thought.
"It was very difficult at times to get over to him that when salaries are due, they've got to be paid. Unfortunately for him, he wasn't used to that type of basis."
Storrie also revealed that he had to break the news to the players regarding the unpaid wages, and said Al-Fahim was in denial about being able to solve the problems at the club.
"I like Sulaiman and I think he had a genuine belief he could deliver," he added. "That was the problem - it was almost like a denial.
"You can't get much more serious than not being able to pay the players. I went and spoke to all the players in the dressing room and I apologised to them personally.
"I'm not the owner of the club, I'm the chief executive. But I felt personally responsible because they're a good bunch of guys."
