S.A.F.C. - the future

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On that note - anybody know how exposed Sartori is to all this? With his family connections they may suddenly need the liquidity from the sale of his stake…
It doesn't look like Rybolovlev is on the EU's list of individuals to be sanctioned but the US appear to be interested in him. Looks like he's not as close to the Russian regime as some other football club owners might be.

https://www.france24.com/en/live-news/20220302-spotlight-shines-on-monaco-s-russian-owner-rybolovlev
 
Stewart Donald says he would like to return to a role with National League side Eastleigh if he can sell his stake in League One club Sunderland.

Donald led a consortium which took over Sunderland from Ellis Short in May 2018 and was featured in the Netflix series 'Sunderland 'Til I Die'.

But under his stewardship the former Premier League club failed to get promoted out of the third tier.

Donald sold a controlling stake in the club to Kyril Louis-Dreyfus a year ago.

"I left a lot of friends behind at Eastleigh and it wasn't a finished project at the time," Donald told BBC Radio Solent.

"So if I can organise myself in Sunderland in a way that worked for everybody, that frees me up so that I could go back to Eastleigh and finish the job that I started those years ago, then I think that would be a wonderful way for me to get my football fix."

According to reports Donald still has a 34% stake in the club, with Swiss billionaire Dreyfus holding a 41% share.

Uruguayan businessman Juan Sartori and Charlie Methven, who were part of Donald's consortium when he took control of Sunderland, retain stakes of 20% and 5% respectively.

"First and foremost I've got to sort the Sunderland situation out and make sure that whatever I do there is right for Sunderland," said Donald, who financed Eastleigh's promotion to the National League in 2014.

"But the big issue for me is I've owned a football club and gone to games ever since I can remember, and I'm missing that. So I don't think there's any doubt that that's what I want to get back to.

"There is no doubt that Eastleigh is unfinished business, so I need to do everything in the right order.

Donald added: "I think it's quite common knowledge within the game because I've had a couple of other clubs come to me and ask what the situation is, because they know ultimately my shareholding in Sunderland is probably going to go.

"So I'll just have to weigh up my options, but Eastleigh is miles ahead of any other club emotionally for me, so I suppose it's watch this space really."
 
Fingers crossed we can move in from this, one thing is for certain and needs to explained to any owner is Sunderland should never break even unless we are in the top ten of the premier league as an absolute minimum, for any owner to think being sustainable at a club like us any other position is a massive massive error.

Football is not a business it is a hobby like any other that costs fans and owners a lot of money and anyone not prepared to get on board with that can **** right off.
 
Did the meeting actually happen?
We are hearing nothing from RAWA that it actually took place
Good question. I somehow recall it being put back a further week so it would be 2 weeks after the Steve Davison one.

Edit: this is 2 weeks after the original meeting!
 
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