Aston Villa minority stakeholder Atairos injected £50million in equity into the club last week, increasing its overall stake to 31.1 per cent.
Last December, the U.S. investment company announced a deal to become a minority partner in V Sports, the holding company jointly owned by Villa’s owners Nassef Sawiris and Wes Edens.
Under Sawiris and Edens, V Sports has had full control of Villa since 2019 and includes a network of clubs under its umbrella, including Portuguese side Vitoria S.C., and partnerships with teams in Spain, Japan and Egypt.
The £50million ($65.5m) that was injected into Villa from V Sports on October 3 was provided solely by Atairos. This increased the American firm’s overall stake to 31.1 per cent, with Edens and Sawiris owning 34.4 per cent each.
Atairos had increased its stake from 21.3 per cent to 26.5 per cent in August, having issued £44m worth of new shares.
Launched in 2016, Atairos is an independent strategic investment company that says it is focused on “supporting growth-oriented businesses across a wide range of industries.” This is achieved through partnerships in project strategies and providing long-term capital. As of December 2023, the company had $6.5billion ($8.5bn) of equity capital.
From V Sports’ perspective, the purpose of Atairos’ additional investment is to improve the structure of the multi-club type model, with resources going into infrastructure and development. The additional capital would largely be used to fund growth within V Sports. The deal for them to become minority owners of Villa was ratified in March.
V Sports continued to own 100 per cent of Villa and remained in control of all club-related decisions — with the day-to-day running of the club unchanged — but the agreement with Atairos brought greater investment and stake in V Sports.
“V Sports is delighted to be partnering with a long-term strategic investor in Atairos who shares our compelling vision for the future of the club and our passion for football,” said Sawiris and Edens in a statement confirming Atairos’ further cash injection. “This exciting partnership enhances the club’s financial footing and strengthens its ability to compete in England and in Europe. V Sports is fully committed to further investment in Aston Villa FC and its men’s and women’s teams and looks forward to its continued growth and success.”
Shortly after Atairos’ partnership was ratified, four new directors were confirmed on Villa’s board. This included the Atairos chairman and chief executive Michael Angelakis, Atairos managing director Chester Hall, director of V Sports Sarah Watterson and Bashir Lebada, who works closely with Sawiris.
(Top photo: Ryan Pierse/Getty Images)
