A wealthy Nigerian businessman worth seven billion dollars has received backlash ahead of his attempted takeover of Sheffield United Football Club.
Dozy Mmobousi, the owner of Tingo Airlines, is currently being assessed by the EFL’s Owner’s and Director’s Test, which will determine whether his takeover of the Blades will be successful.
United are currently flying high in the Championship, sitting in second place, and are through to the Fifth round of the FA Cup, but a transfer embargo has recently been placed over their heads due to unresolved payments from previous transfers, leading to some worries about the future of the club.
All Things Sheffield United, a Twitter fan account, has had their doubts about the sincerity of Mr Mmobousi’s proposal saying: “I think it seems a little bit suspicious as there’s no evidence that he actually has the money, and I’ve seen stories that say his airline company was a scam.”
It has been rumoured the airline company Mmobousi set up has recently dissolved, and never actually held a commercial flight, as it was started just before the COVID 19 Pandemic’s impact began, leading to more worries about whether the Nigerian will be able to stump up the money required to buy the club.
In a press conference, Mmobousi said there were “misconceptions” made about his finances, and that the failure of Tingo Airlines was entirely due to the pandemic, meaning he had to “redirect his resources into other areas of the business.”
If the takeover were to go through, ‘All Things Sheffield United’ could see some positive outcomes of a future under the tech and travel tycoon: “It would be great to finally become a sustainable football club, which will hopefully happen if we secure promotion this year.
“We’ve always been known as a skint club, always trying to do things on the cheap, so I would welcome McCabe and Abdullah handing over the reigns to someone with more ambition, and hopefully Mmobousi has that, even though I am sceptical.”
Kevin McCabe and Prince Abdullah bin Musaid Al Saud have been joint owners of Sheffield United since 2013, with the former first buying the club back in 2006, and many Blades fans have been encouraging new ownership and a new era, hopefully with a return to the Premier League.
Andrew McMath, a Season Ticket holder at Bramall Lane had faith that Mmobousi’s interest is genuine: ” I’m looking forward to a fresh start to be honest, as long as we spend the money well.
“With the current embargo in place, I think the sooner it is sorted out the better for the current squad to focus on getting the job done and securing promotion.”
United supporters will want as smooth a transition as possible in terms of ownership, and will be hoping the EFL soon provides clarity and updates to aid the long-term future of the club.
Photo Credit: Mark Hawksworth