By Paul Nicholson
September 2 – Russia’s Gazprom is reported to be the most likely buyer of Serbian club Crvena Zvezda FC (Red Star Belgrade). Gazprom is owner of Zenit St Petersburg (acquired in 2005) and a major sponsor of the UEFA Champions League.
The deal for Red Star is reckoned to be priced at $132 million and includes ownership of the 55,000 capacity stadium and the land on which it is located.
Gazprom first became involved with the Belgrade giants in 2010 when it became the club’s main sponsor in a five-year deal.
The transition to ownership of the club would see €40 million paid to the Serbian government, €20 million to the city of and €40 million to repay the football club’s debts.
As well as being the main sponsors of Red Star and Zenit, Gazprom is also a sponsor of Chelsea in England’s Premier League (Chelsea owner Roman Abramovic sold his Sibneft energy company to Gazprom), and Germany’s Schalke.
Red Star Belgrade is Serbia most successful ever club and the only Serbian and ex-Yugoslav football club to win the UEFA Champions League, in 1991. It is also the only club from South-Eastern and Eastern Europe to win the Intercontinental Cup, also in 1991.
Founded in 1945, it has won 26 national championships.
This Friday Red Star will play Spartak Moscow in the official inauguration match in the newly-built 42,000 capacity Otkritie-Arena on September 5. The new Spartak arena will be one of the stadia used for the 2018 World Cup in Russia.
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