Special Feature: Top 10 takeovers in club football – Part 2
Sokratis Kokkalis is one more figure in club football which has been a takeover tycoon. This business man took over Greek club Olympiakos in 1993. Despite the fact that Sokratis has been impatient as far as managers are concerned, his impact and effect on the team’s fortunes has been immense to say the least. This effect has not been limited to the teams on field performances but off the field as well. At present, Olympiakos is one of the most successful teams in the Greek football league. This has all come about because of Sokratis’ reign as the club’s chairman.
Back in 1993 when Kokkalis took over Olympiakos, the club was in turmoil. They were in danger of getting relegated to lower divisions of league football in Greece and off the field, the club was ridden with debt. Nonetheless, Sokratis worked his magic as he heavily invested in the team. In doing so, he paid off the club’s debt and also turned around their performances with newly bought squad players.
In the 1996/97 Greek football season, Olympiakos won their first league title under Kokkalis’ chairmanship but it didn’t end there. During a time space of around 14 years from 1996 to the summer of 2010, Olympiakos went onto win 11 league titles. In the summer of 2010, Kokkalis sold his shares to Vangelis Marinakis but he retained his position as the club’s chairman.
Another takeover success story comes from the Iberian shores of Spanish football. Real Betis was a club in the Spanish Segunda Division of football in 1992. The club was on its way down to the third tier of Spanish league football but Manuel Ruiz de Lopera came to Betis’ rescue. Lopera decided upon his take over at Real, that the best way to deal with Betis’ problems was to invest heavily in a new set of players for his football team.
For the next 6 years, Manuel spent heavily for Betis but this expenditure reached a new height in 1998 as Betis paid an impressive 21.5 million pound fee for the Brazilian winger, Denilson. With Denilson leading the offensive charge, Betis qualified for the UEFA Champions League in 2005. It was a memorable season of football for Real Betis as they also won the Copa Del Rey competition in 2005 for the second time in their history. In the summer of 2010, Manuel decided he had done enough for Betis and decided to sell his shares to a sports company but this decision was challenged in court as Lopera became a target of a case which accused him of financial misdealing during his tenure as the club’s chairman.
Sam Hammam is one more businessman turned football enthusiast, who saw a volatile run of 7 years in club football for Wimbledon. Sam Hammam took over at Wimbledon in 1981. The reason for his takeover of the football club was as idiotic as his leadership style at the club. Sam bought most of Wimbledon’s shares because he loved the sport of tennis and the club gained its name from the area of Wimbledon in London.
Sam took Wimbledon from relegated fodder to a legendary F.A Cup win in 1988 over English football’s most successful team, Liverpool F.C It was an upset for the ages as Wimbledon won against Liverpool but what happened next was absolutely heart breaking for the club. Sam Hammam, Wimbledon’s chairman decided that the squad at the club was not good enough to win anything after they had defeated Liverpool in the final of the F.A Cup in 1988. Sam put up the entire Wimbledon squad for sale as a result. It was an embarrassing display of mishandling by Hammam, who later took over at Cardiff City football club in Wales and wrecked havoc over there.
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