Thought it would be right to open a topic for this consortium and not one for Mr. Richard Lee who is just a representative of this consortium. I saw a thread for Mr. Bee and thought the Chinese deserved one too so here goes.
Here's what we know so far:
Richard Lee
The above picture was from a game in mid-October. He was rumored to be in the San Siro to look for partnerships in Asia at that time. He came back three months later with some of the most powerful Chinese business men and also has the government of China invested in this consortium.
Here's a little bit about Richard Lee.
"A wealthy Hong Kong businessman known for importing luxury sports cars is reported to be heading a Chinese consortium bidding to take over Italian soccer giants AC Milan.
Richard Lee Man-fai has been in negotiations with club owner and two-time Italian prime minister Silvio Berlusconi as head of a group with close links to the Beijing government, the respected La Gazzetta dello Sport reported.
Lee, whose former company Auto Italia is the largest distributor of Ferrari and Maserati cars in China, was not available for comment. A long-time friend of Lee was unable to confirm the deal, but told the South China Morning Post the reports were highly plausible."
Now we shall talk about who are rumored to be in this consortium.
Zong Qinghou
With a net worth of $20.8 billion (source = Hurun, 2015) he is rumored to be the head of this consortium. He has publicly denied interest in Milan but rumors are still flying around that he's involved. His company, Wahaha, is one of the largest companies in the world in the beverage industry. He was the richest man in China in 2013 and second richest in 2014.
Mr. Pink
Rarely do people call him by his real name, Poe Qui Ying Wangsuo. His net worth is around $1 bn. He also is in the beverage industries and his company is making global strides in the energy drinks industry.
Xiao Wunan
He is the executive vice chairman of the Asia Pacific Exchange and Cooperation Foundation. The APECF are rumored to be one of the major players in this consortium and they are partly owned by the government. President of China, Xi Jinping, seems to have given his personal backing for this deal and wants it to happen.
The Chinese see Milan as an opportunity to improve the standard of football in China. They have always had larger than life ambitions and President Xi's latest ambition is not different - he wants China to host the World Cup and win it. If you went thirty years back and heard China say we want to become an important player in the economy of the world, we would've laughed at them and guess who's laughing thirty years later? Yep. They see Milan as a perfect opportunity to have a presence in Europe and China has been investing heavily in Italy in recent years, so this large investment in Italy wouldn't be a one-off or the first of it's kind. Milan for them is not just a football club that'll be treated like a fun project, no not at all. They see this deal as a very important step for the culture of the Chinese people, they have said that this deal is a lot more than just football. They recognize the opportunity they have in marketing this club in the far east and it could truly turn out to be as one of the best investments in recent history, if managed correctly.
Now I'll return to this pic, which in my opinion, will become legendary.
This picture says a lot when you read more into it.
Sitting to Silvio's right is Mr. Xiao Wunan, the vice president of the APECF. Sitting to his left is Mr. Pink. Standing on the far right of the picture is said to be one of the people under the CFO of Finninvest.
Just knowing that should be enough to know that something is really cooking. This picture was released a few months ago. These documents most likely for the due diligence phase which the Chinese consortium will take two months to analyze Milan's books and to study the opportunity and to come back with an offer.
Mr. Bee leads the other consortium which also consists of 80% Chinese and 20% Arab investors. They are expected to meet Berlusconi this week and present their final offers. This week Milan also had their board meeting where they have announced great losses in the balance sheet for the past year. We also have major news coming very soon regarding the land for the stadium.
Milan's future hinges on this week.
Here's what we know so far:
Richard Lee
The above picture was from a game in mid-October. He was rumored to be in the San Siro to look for partnerships in Asia at that time. He came back three months later with some of the most powerful Chinese business men and also has the government of China invested in this consortium.
Here's a little bit about Richard Lee.
"A wealthy Hong Kong businessman known for importing luxury sports cars is reported to be heading a Chinese consortium bidding to take over Italian soccer giants AC Milan.
Richard Lee Man-fai has been in negotiations with club owner and two-time Italian prime minister Silvio Berlusconi as head of a group with close links to the Beijing government, the respected La Gazzetta dello Sport reported.
Lee, whose former company Auto Italia is the largest distributor of Ferrari and Maserati cars in China, was not available for comment. A long-time friend of Lee was unable to confirm the deal, but told the South China Morning Post the reports were highly plausible."
Now we shall talk about who are rumored to be in this consortium.
Zong Qinghou
With a net worth of $20.8 billion (source = Hurun, 2015) he is rumored to be the head of this consortium. He has publicly denied interest in Milan but rumors are still flying around that he's involved. His company, Wahaha, is one of the largest companies in the world in the beverage industry. He was the richest man in China in 2013 and second richest in 2014.
Mr. Pink
Rarely do people call him by his real name, Poe Qui Ying Wangsuo. His net worth is around $1 bn. He also is in the beverage industries and his company is making global strides in the energy drinks industry.
Xiao Wunan
He is the executive vice chairman of the Asia Pacific Exchange and Cooperation Foundation. The APECF are rumored to be one of the major players in this consortium and they are partly owned by the government. President of China, Xi Jinping, seems to have given his personal backing for this deal and wants it to happen.
The Chinese see Milan as an opportunity to improve the standard of football in China. They have always had larger than life ambitions and President Xi's latest ambition is not different - he wants China to host the World Cup and win it. If you went thirty years back and heard China say we want to become an important player in the economy of the world, we would've laughed at them and guess who's laughing thirty years later? Yep. They see Milan as a perfect opportunity to have a presence in Europe and China has been investing heavily in Italy in recent years, so this large investment in Italy wouldn't be a one-off or the first of it's kind. Milan for them is not just a football club that'll be treated like a fun project, no not at all. They see this deal as a very important step for the culture of the Chinese people, they have said that this deal is a lot more than just football. They recognize the opportunity they have in marketing this club in the far east and it could truly turn out to be as one of the best investments in recent history, if managed correctly.
Now I'll return to this pic, which in my opinion, will become legendary.
This picture says a lot when you read more into it.
Sitting to Silvio's right is Mr. Xiao Wunan, the vice president of the APECF. Sitting to his left is Mr. Pink. Standing on the far right of the picture is said to be one of the people under the CFO of Finninvest.
Just knowing that should be enough to know that something is really cooking. This picture was released a few months ago. These documents most likely for the due diligence phase which the Chinese consortium will take two months to analyze Milan's books and to study the opportunity and to come back with an offer.
Mr. Bee leads the other consortium which also consists of 80% Chinese and 20% Arab investors. They are expected to meet Berlusconi this week and present their final offers. This week Milan also had their board meeting where they have announced great losses in the balance sheet for the past year. We also have major news coming very soon regarding the land for the stadium.
Milan's future hinges on this week.