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Which Premier League shareholder is the richest man in the country... (and it's not Chelsea billionaire Roman Abramovich)?
By Adam Shergold
PUBLISHED:10:34, 21 April 2013| UPDATED:10:49, 21 April 2013
Arsenal shareholder Alisher Usmanov has topped the Sunday Times Rich List for the first time, knocking previous number one Lakshmi down into fourth place.
Usmanov, 59, owns a near 30 per cent stake in the Gunners, shared with Farhad Moshiri, but is still being kept off the board by American majority shareholder Stan Kroenke.
The Uzbek-born businessman, who made his £13.3bn fortune in Russian mining and lumber operations, recently claimed 'the current politics of the club's management' were partly responsible for the club's eight-year trophy drought.
Number one: Alisher Usmanov, who owns a near 30 per cent stake in Arsenal, tops the 2013 Sunday Times Rich List with a fortune of £13.3bn
In the money: Usmanov makes a point to Chelsea owner Roman Abramovich (right) during a meeting of Arsenal and Chelsea in 2009. Abramovich was 5th on the Rich list with a value of £9.3m
Criticism: Usmanov has grown frustrated that Arsenal's majority shareholder Stan Kroenke (pictured) won't allow him a place on the board
Last year, he openly criticised the sale of striker Robin van Persie to Manchester United, citing it as an example of Arsenal's lack of ambitions and financial structure.
He tops the respected list following a £985m rise in wealth from last year, when he ranked second behind Mittal.
Mittal, who owns 33.3 per cent of Premier League strugglers QPR, made his wealth in the steel industry and his family is worth a combined £10bn.
In 2012, however, his ArcelorMittal company posted a net loss of $3.7bn as demand from China slowed down and his balance sheet will take another hit with Rangers almost certainly condemned to relegation.
Mittal also sponsored the Orbit tower in London's Olympic park, donating £18m of steel to help build the structure, adjacent to the Olympic stadium.
Despite losses over the last year, Mittal is personally worth £2.7bn.
Chelsea owner Roman Abramovich ranked fifth in the list, with a value of £9.3bn. The 46-year-old Russia has invested more than £1bn in the London club since buying them in 2003 and was finally rewarded in European competition when Roberto Di Matteo and his players delivered the Champions League last May.
Once again this summer, however, he will expected to invest in another high-profile manager to replace Rafa Benitez, and some big-money signings.
Wealth: QPR chief Lakshmi Mittal dropped from first to fourth in the Rich List
The last year also contained a bitter High Court battle with one-time business partner in the oil industry, Boris Berezovsky, over allegations of blackmail, threats and intimidation.
A High Court judge threw out Berezovsky's allegations in August, saying he was 'an unimpressive, and inherently unreliable witness' while Abramovich was 'truthful and on the whole reliable.'
Berezovsky was found dead at his Berkshire home last month.
Billionaire: Chelsea owner Roman Abramovich came in fifth in the Rich List, with a worth of £9.3bn
Formula One tycoon Bernie Ecclestone ranks 26th in the list, with a fortune of £2.5bn, though the last year has seen him sell a 21 per cent stake for £1bn.
The 82-year-old still has a 5.3 per cent stake, while a further 8.2 per cent is tied up in a trust for his daughters, Tamara and Petra.
Newcastle United owner Mike Ashley came in 31st and is worth £2.3bn thanks to this investment and his Sports Direct retail empire.
Read more: http://www.dailymail.co.uk/sport/foo...#ixzz2R8meRnzJ
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By Adam Shergold
PUBLISHED:10:34, 21 April 2013| UPDATED:10:49, 21 April 2013
Arsenal shareholder Alisher Usmanov has topped the Sunday Times Rich List for the first time, knocking previous number one Lakshmi down into fourth place.
Usmanov, 59, owns a near 30 per cent stake in the Gunners, shared with Farhad Moshiri, but is still being kept off the board by American majority shareholder Stan Kroenke.
The Uzbek-born businessman, who made his £13.3bn fortune in Russian mining and lumber operations, recently claimed 'the current politics of the club's management' were partly responsible for the club's eight-year trophy drought.
Number one: Alisher Usmanov, who owns a near 30 per cent stake in Arsenal, tops the 2013 Sunday Times Rich List with a fortune of £13.3bnIn the money: Usmanov makes a point to Chelsea owner Roman Abramovich (right) during a meeting of Arsenal and Chelsea in 2009. Abramovich was 5th on the Rich list with a value of £9.3mCriticism: Usmanov has grown frustrated that Arsenal's majority shareholder Stan Kroenke (pictured) won't allow him a place on the boardLast year, he openly criticised the sale of striker Robin van Persie to Manchester United, citing it as an example of Arsenal's lack of ambitions and financial structure.
He tops the respected list following a £985m rise in wealth from last year, when he ranked second behind Mittal.
Mittal, who owns 33.3 per cent of Premier League strugglers QPR, made his wealth in the steel industry and his family is worth a combined £10bn.
In 2012, however, his ArcelorMittal company posted a net loss of $3.7bn as demand from China slowed down and his balance sheet will take another hit with Rangers almost certainly condemned to relegation.
Mittal also sponsored the Orbit tower in London's Olympic park, donating £18m of steel to help build the structure, adjacent to the Olympic stadium.
Despite losses over the last year, Mittal is personally worth £2.7bn.
Chelsea owner Roman Abramovich ranked fifth in the list, with a value of £9.3bn. The 46-year-old Russia has invested more than £1bn in the London club since buying them in 2003 and was finally rewarded in European competition when Roberto Di Matteo and his players delivered the Champions League last May.
Once again this summer, however, he will expected to invest in another high-profile manager to replace Rafa Benitez, and some big-money signings.
Wealth: QPR chief Lakshmi Mittal dropped from first to fourth in the Rich ListThe last year also contained a bitter High Court battle with one-time business partner in the oil industry, Boris Berezovsky, over allegations of blackmail, threats and intimidation.
A High Court judge threw out Berezovsky's allegations in August, saying he was 'an unimpressive, and inherently unreliable witness' while Abramovich was 'truthful and on the whole reliable.'
Berezovsky was found dead at his Berkshire home last month.
Billionaire: Chelsea owner Roman Abramovich came in fifth in the Rich List, with a worth of £9.3bnFormula One tycoon Bernie Ecclestone ranks 26th in the list, with a fortune of £2.5bn, though the last year has seen him sell a 21 per cent stake for £1bn.
The 82-year-old still has a 5.3 per cent stake, while a further 8.2 per cent is tied up in a trust for his daughters, Tamara and Petra.
Newcastle United owner Mike Ashley came in 31st and is worth £2.3bn thanks to this investment and his Sports Direct retail empire.
Read more: http://www.dailymail.co.uk/sport/foo...#ixzz2R8meRnzJ
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