Leonard Blavatnik’s interest in buying Sportfive was reported by German Frankfurter Allgemeine Zeitung.
Photo: Valery Levitin
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Blavatnik to Acquire Europe’s Soccer Rights
Leonard Blavatnik, co-owner of SUAL and chief of Access Industries, is eyeing Europe’s major sports marketing agency - Sportfive. The deal budget could exceed ˆ1 billion. But it won’t be money that will end sport hopes of Blavatnik. His rival is Legardere of France, which is likely to acquire Sportfive in the end.
Among different businesses, Sportfive is selling rights for TV broadcast of 2008 European Soccer Championships. The company cooperates with teams of 56 soccer leagues, including the Italian and Spanish squads. It also represents sport starts of Vladimir Klitschko's rank. The U.S. Advent holds 65 percent in Sportfive, German RTL owns a blocking stake and Sportfive managers have 10 percent.
Blavatnik’s interest in buying Sportfive was reported by German Frankfurter Allgemeine Zeitung. According to newspaper, Blavatnik and former chief of Adidas Robert Louis Dreyfus offered around ˆ1 billion for Sportfive.
Leonard Blavatnik couldn’t be reached for comment yesterday. Access didn’t comment either. Of interest is that Blavatnik’s business partner, Viktor Vekselberg, joined the sport business past July. His Renova Group bought the rights to arrange broadcasting of 24 warm-up matches of Argentina’s soccer team, having paid $18 million for it.
www.kommersant.com
All the Article in Russian as of Nov. 17, 2006
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