From Russia with cash
By Mark Orlovac
Portsmouth fans are daring to dream that Alexandre Gaydamak's takeover
of the club could do for them what Roman Abramovich has done for
Chelsea.
The 30-year-old businessman, the son of a Russian billionaire and
apparently known to his friends as Sacha, is to become joint owner of
the Premiership outfit alongside chairman Milan Mandaric.
And the Fratton Park faithful are already planning how manager Harry
Redknapp will spend the £100m that will reportedly be made available
for new signings.
But who is the man who has allegedly promised to make Portsmouth a
Premiership giant?
Little is known about the younger Gaydamak, apart from the fact that
he is based in London and has Russian and French citizenship.
However more is known about his father Arcadi, despite the 53-year-old
being regarded as a media-shy tycoon.
Arcadi left Russia when he was 20 and after spending time in Israel,
he moved to France where he built his fortune.
ARCADI GAYDAMAK FACTFILE
1952: Born in Moscow
1972: Emigrates to Israel, then France
1976: Opens translation bureau in Paris
1982: Gaydamak Translations opens Canada bureau
2000: International arrest warrent issued, denies any wrongdoing
2002: Returns to live in Moscow
2005: Buys Israeli club Beitar Jerusalem
After working as a gardener and bricklayer, Arcadi opened a
translation bureau in Paris in 1976 which went on to become a highly
successful trade-brokering company - allowing him to develop a host of
French business contacts.
Although not in the same league as Abramovich, Arcadi still has an
estimated fortune of up £1bn.
However in 2000, he was the subject of an international arrest warrant
issued by Paris magistrates investigating alleged arms-for-oil deal
with Angola in the early 1990s.
He has denied any wrongdoing, saying he worked on behalf of the French
and Angolan governments.
Jean-Christophe Mitterand, the son of the late former French president
Francois Mitterand, was found guilty of tax evasion in relation to the
scandal.
He currently lives in Moscow, where he has been since 2002, with a
medium-sized bank and a brokerage company among his interests.
Last year he became proprietor of the Moskovskie Novosti newspaper
while in September 2005 he bought Israeli top-flight side Beitar
Jerusalem.
Mandaric and Redknapp are hoping for better days at Portsmouth
According to his spokesman, Arcadi and Alexandre are "crazy" about
football and Beitar have recently beat Marseille for the signing of
Lens midfielder Jerome Leroy.
Arcadi holds four passports, Russian, Israeli, Canadian and Angolan,
and is reportedly driven around Moscow in a Bentley with Angolan
diplomatic number plates.
Although he is noted as a contributor to various charities, including
a $1m pledge to New York's fund for the victims and families of those
affected by the 11 September terrorist attacks, scandal has continued
to follow him. Last year he was questioned by Israeli police in
connection with allegations of money laundering but Arcadi denied any
wrongdoing and was quickly released.
"I'm not behind any accounts which supposedly belong to offshore
companies," he said.
As well as managing his business empire, Arcadi has also been elected
Congress of Jewish Religious Communities and Organisations of Russia.
It is unclear how much son Alexandre is worth, or how much he is
prepared to bring to the table, but for the time being at least,
Redknapp's position looks safe.
THE FOREIGN LEGION
Overseas owners of British clubs
Chelsea: Roman Abramovich
Man Utd: Malcolm Glazer
Mohammed Al Fayed: Fulham
Milan Mandaric: Portsmouth
Sam Hammam: Cardiff
A Portsmouth statement said: "Harry will have the full backing of Mr
Alexandre Gaydamak and will continue to enjoy the full support of
Milan Mandaric."
And if the promises of vast amounts of transfer money come to
fruition, Redknapp - the famous wheeler and dealer, could have more
money at his disposal than he has ever had previously.
When Redknapp left Portsmouth in November 2004, Mandaric revealed that
in the previous 30 months the manager had spent just £11.5m on
transfer fees, loan fees and appearance payments for 25 players.
He may now be able to spend that sum at once and on just one player.
Some of Gaydamak's cash will also be earmarked for the development of
Fratton Park and the contruction of a Chelsea-style 'Pompey village'
with apartments, restaurants and shops.
And with Portsmouth struggling at the wrong end of the table, Pompey
fans will be hoping the money will be able to keep them in the
Premiership.
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