January 14 – The antics of Nottingham Forest Football Club owner, Kuwaiti businessman Fawaz Al Hassawi, in the protracted (attempted) sale of one of England’s oldest clubs, are taking on ludicrous proportions.
Originally approached by the owners of Greek mega-club Olympiacos FC – multiple champions themselves – Fawaz prevaricated and kept moving the goal-posts until the Greeks called it a day and moved on.
A group of Americans then came into the picture, apparently made substantial progress, only to be ultimately forced out by the Kuwaiti as well. The sale tactics are peculiar and seem to be more focussed on driving the club into the ground rather than up the league. The American buyers were reportedly astounded by the positions taken by Fawaz.
With both suitors gone the Kuwaiti continues to look a somewhat estranged ‘sheriff’ in Nottingham. A real estate developer by trade, and blessed by the Kuwaiti Government, he currently lives a somewhat charmed life.
When the Kuwait Football Association was effectively taken over by the Kuwaiti Government – much to the displeasure of the AFC and FIFA who banned them – the government appointed interim managers to run both football and the national Olympic committee.
Already participating in English football via his buy in to the tradition and history of Nottingham Forest, Fawaz is the Government appointed Chairman of the committee tasked with a resuscitation of Kuwaiti football. But he is heading an interim organisation that was created through government interference, which in turn resulted in Kuwait being banned by FIFA and the AFC from all football until such time as the Kuwait Football Association is reinstalled as an independent non-governmental body. The ban is still in effect.
Fawaz’s involvement in non-sanctioned football in Kuwait raises questions about his involvement with an English club that it is unclear whether he wants to sell or not.
A Director and shareholder of the Kuwaiti Real Estate Center Company, he actually does have some footballing background, too: he played for Qadsia SC between 1980 and 1986 before he joined the Club’s Board from 1997-2012. He is the Club’s deputy Chairman and majority owns/chairs Nottingham Forest Football Club as well. But the question is now being asked as to whether, with his real estate background, he only bought Nottingham Forest for purposes that had more to do with real estate development and nothing to do with football?
Kuwait continues to be banned from international sport after a new law dissolved the existing the Kuwait Football Association (KFA). In a letter to the KFA “Interim Committee” chair Fawaz Mubarak Abdulaziz aI-Hassawi, FIFA secretary general Fatma Samoura found strong words to condemn the creation of the rival body by the government.
She made it clear that the appointment of this interim body violates FIFA Statutes and FIFA threatened at the end of last year to pursue damages if the alleged “illegal acts” (such as kicking clubs out of the KFA) were not remedied. Nothing has changed since, and the man in charge of the demise of a nation into football security now looks set to dismantle one of England’s most historic club. There seems to be no Robin Hood in the Forest story.
Contact the writer of this story at moc.l1734932648labto1734932648ofdlr1734932648owedi1734932648sni@o1734932648fni1734932648