Abu Dhabi: Arabian Gulf Investments, an Abu Dhabi-based group, has entered into talks with a German club, SpVgg Unterhaching, to take full control of the third-division club.
Speaking to the media at the company's premises, Khalifa Saif Al Muhairbi, chairman of Arabian Gulf Investments, said he was keen to complete the takeover of the club which had a lot of history around it.
The German club's chief, Anton Schrobenhauser, a former first-division goalkeeper with Bavaria and now an entrepreneur, was also present yesterday. "We are right now getting the club valued. Once that is over, we will be making a trip to the club and then we should be completing the deal," Al Muhairbi said, refusing to divulge any financial details of the impending transaction.
Schrobenhauser, whose father was a patron of the club which was formed in 1925, took control of SpVgg Unterhaching, and the club moved up the ranks to the Bundesliga.
Historic
SpVgg Unterhaching played German's highest league for two seasons between 1999 and 2001. The club is based in Unterhaching, a semi-rural municipality on the southern outskirts of the Bavarian capital Munich.
"The club has a lot of history and we have one of the biggest junior programmes. We have over 50 coaches involved in this programme in which around 600 youth are involved," Schrobenhauser said, presenting the club's jerseys and mementoes to the UAE group officials.
Al Muhairbi, who played club football in the UAE and is a keen supporter of Bani Yas Club, said he was looking for such an opportunity and was impressed with SpVgg Unterhaching as it had a long history. "The aim is to try and boost the club and bring it back to the first division," he said.
