In a bold move for someone who is the relative of a team owner and not the owner himself the brother of Portsmouth owner Ali Al-Faraj is taking his case to the British press.
Basically, Ahmed Al-Faraj is saying that his brother is throwing money at Portsmouth only to be hounded by the fans and the press for being a degenerate owner.
I can understand Al-Faraj’s frustration. His brother, he believes, truly loves the team and is doing everything in his power to keep it afloat only to be ridiculed by the fans and media because of the money problems the club is facing.
There seems to be a misunderstanding going on with this club. Faraj has said in the past that he would like to sell the club for a profit and now they are claiming that new investors need to be brought in because:
“How could you make a profit out of Portsmouth right now?”
While that’s true I think that there is some part of the Faraj family that simply wants to sell this team and bail. Could you blame them?
If you’re stuck with this team that is not recouping anythign through revenues and you’re being destroyed by the press and the fans why would you want to stay on?
Ahmed Al-Faraj claims that the family has a love for the club and that they are looking to stick this dry spell out, but I’m wondering how long that can last. We have numerous examples of owners who were “over it” selling just to get away and hoping that the next owner can fix what they couldn’t. If Portsmouth was sold tomorrow I wouldn’t be surprised, but I do believe Faraj when he says that their family wants to make this work.
Once again, this is a refreshing stance for anyone close to ownership to make. Telling everyone who will listen that you’re trying your best and hoping to right the ship when no one believes you can. If only other owners of sports clubs felt the same way.
I think this final statement from Ahmed speaks to what his heart is for this club. Portsmouth fans should take heart. As bad as it is I trust that this man and his family want to do right by you and your team.
“We were not happy when the staff could not be paid. But there were other bills and we had to get the money there first. We have the money, though. We are trying to clear everything… The most important thing for the club to stay in the Premier League is to get players in to keep us there. It is the No 1 task. All other financial problems will be sorted.”
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