Sep 2010
In this issue:
Restless natives
The antics of NOX’s favourite fake playboy, Suleiman al-Fahim, are under more scrutiny – this time among fans of Portsmouth FC
Issue: Oct, 2009
Type in the search term “al-Fahim, Portsmouth, takeover” into Google and the first three results returned kind of say it all: “Portsmouth takeover is complete”, “Al-Fahim takeover on brink of collapse” and “Al-Fahim yet to complete Portsmouth takeover”. The on-off, will-he-won’t-he purchase of Premiership club Portsmouth by Abu Dhabi playboy Suleiman al-Fahim, the latest high-profile, Arab-financed swoop for a slice of English footy, has now reached farcical levels.
And as Portsmouth languish at the foot of the Premiership, with a total of zero points from seven games, and with manager Paul Hart already starting to pack his kitbag in anticipation of the chop, the locals are far from happy.
While Manchester City get billions in international talent from their Gulfi backers and fourth-tier Notts County even manage to get an ex-England manager on their payroll, Portsmouth are left with a penniless gameshow host with a taste for paparazzi shots. NOX asked a few local fans, and delved around the fan forums, to catch a glimpse of the reaction on the South Coast of England to the man they have come to know as “SAF”. And their answers required a lot of editing – and a good deal of censorship.
Fans we know
“Obviously this al-Fahim guy isn’t for real. And the whole sitting in the stands thing is all a bit sh*t, isn’t it? He’s obviously in it for glory but doesn’t have the money to back it up. He still hasn’t bought us, and still hasn’t put any money in.”
Warren Mason New York
“He seems to be the only Arab in the world that’s not willing to spend his cash – if he has any. Pompey are in the same crap state as before, only minus the decent players. Will this al-Fahim guy still be here when we’re down? Buying in next transfer window will be too late for us, and I think he’ll just think, ‘no way’ and go. Arabs seem to be quite liked by other clubs as long as they are splashing the cash. But us? No, run by a bunch of w*nkers...” Nigel Clark Portsmouth
Fans in the forums
“Suleiman is going to have to come up with the goods for real this time – and substantial goods at that. If not, he will surely be regarded as a joke by Premier chairman/owners and, I would imagine, his peers in the Emirates would cross to the other side of the desert to avoid speaking or being seen with him.”Blue In The Midlands
“SAF’s handling of the whole takeover has been pretty inept... I shouldn’t have to go trawling Arabic internet sites to find out what the owner of my club is planning. There has been far too much BS from him so far and lack of proper information. I think the fans have been very tolerant of his antics – probably out of our own desperation – so if he does turn things around, he should still apologise to us for pissing us about.” SJS Pompey
“The only Arab on the planet with no money... just our luck.” Timhk
