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Pompey insist Alexandre Gaydamak is their owner
Portsmouth were adamant that Alexandre Gaydamak was their owner after the Premier League sought clarification about who was ultimately in charge at Fratton Park.
Newspaper reports in Israel have suggested that Gaydamak's father Arkadi is in fact the owner of Portsmouth.
Premier League rules state that those in charge of clubs must pass a "fit and proper persons" test and submit an annual declaration to that effect.
Ever since Serb-American businessman Milan Madraic, now at Leicester, sold his controlling stake in the south coast club to Alexandre Gaydamak there have been persistent rumours that his wealthy businessman father, who now lives in Israel, was in fact bankrolling Portsmouth.
Arkadi Gaydamak, the owner of Israeli champions Beitar Jerusalem, has been the subject of an arrest warrant by French authorities keen to question him in connection with allegedly illicit arms trading to Angola during the 1990s.
But a Portsmouth spokesman, who insisted the club were happy to assist the Premier League, said: "We are a little surprised that this issue has come up again because Alexandre Gaydamak owns the club 100 percent and nothing has changed." Portsmouth were adamant that Alexandre Gaydamak was their owner after the Premier League sought clarification about who was ultimately... more -
Harry Redknapp - 'Managers are finished'
Billionaire owners want to choose who plays for their teams - day is coming when a manager will have no input into who is bought
Harry Redknapp is convinced that the days of a powerful manager running an English club are numbered.
And the Portsmouth boss has no intention of hanging around when it eventually happens.
Kevin Keegan and Alan Curbishley resigned from their posts at Newcastle and West Ham last week after claiming they were kept in the dark about transfer policies.
And Redknapp believes that further foreign investment in top-flight football will signal the end of the way a boss operates.
Redknapp said: "It's not a case of if but when. Trust me, the billionaire owners who are buying up football clubs want a far greater say.
"They don't just want to own a football club, they want to go out and choose who plays for them as well.
"The day is coming when a manager will have little or no input into who is bought or sold. It's like that abroad and you can see more and more clubs going down that route as wealthier individuals take control.
"Foreign clubs like Real Madrid and some of the top Italian sides have been working like that for years.
"The only function a manager has is to select his team and coach them. The problem with that is when it all goes wrong on the pitch it's the manager who gets fired for other people's decision-making."
Redknapp cites the situation at Manchester City as a prime example of the way football is going to evolve.
"I'm sure Mark Hughes right was delighted to get Robinho but he wouldn't have had anything to do with it," he explained. "The new owners would have made that decision and the way they have bandied names around left, right and centre I'm damned sure that wasn't done in consultation with Mark."
Redknapp accepts that he is fortunate in that, although Pompey are in foreign ownership, his immediate bosses don't try to impose themselves on him.
He added: "I'm very lucky in that I have a great working relationship with Alexandre Gaydamak. I guess I'm an exception to the rule. He has never tried to tell me who to buy and sell.
"He relies on me to identify the players I want to bring into the club, and that is the way it should be.
"Don't get me wrong - people seem to assume I have a problem with directors of football but that isn't the case at all.
"But if you are going to use that structure the relationship between the manager and the director of football has to be solid. When it isn't you get a situation like the one that developed at Newcastle, where Kevin Keegan clearly didn't get on with Dennis Wise and it led to major issues.
"I don't really know what went on but you can assume that things happened that Kevin had no control over.
"A director of football was mentioned to me when I met Newcastle but I didn't want that. I wanted to manage my way. That was the only way I saw the job."
Redknapp is adamant that if the day arrives when he is told who to buy and sell he will get up and walk away.
"I might be old-fashioned but I'm not having that," he concluded.
"If I'm going to manage a team I want control over player recruitment. I'm not buying into someone picking and choosing the players for me.
"Stuff that. The day that happens will be the day I walk out on football for good." Billionaire owners want to choose who plays for their teams - day is coming when a manager will have no input into who is bought ... more -
Poster of Portsmouth Jolly Rogering causes some red faces
What a picture. A poster advertising Portsmouth's Historic Dockyard has caused sniggers and in some cases outrage as it seems to depict that life on a tall ship included some intimate behaviour...it really is a case of Roger the Cabin Boy.. What a picture. A poster advertising Portsmouth's Historic Dockyard has caused sniggers and in some cases outrage as it seems to ... more
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Portsmouth win the FA cup
Cardiff fell short of going the full distance this afternoon after a first half goal by Kanu led Porstmouth to victory in their first FA cup final in 69 years.
"It's fantastic for everybody - my family, the players, it's great," said the Portsmouth manager Harry Redknapp. "It has been a difficult year off the field so to win the FA Cup is a dream come true. Cardiff were putting us under pressure, putting balls in the box, they played well and worked hard.
When we get in front we're difficult to break down and the defence were terrific." Cardiff fell short of going the full distance this afternoon after a first half goal by Kanu led Porstmouth to victory in their first ... more -
Nelson HMS Victory, Portsmouth Harbour grand tour!
A day out in Portsmouth taking in the HMS Victory and Portsmouth Harbour with the Spinnaker Tower that was well over budget and schedule to build. Plus 20p stolen by laughing dummy who refuses to laugh! A day out in Portsmouth taking in the HMS Victory and Portsmouth Harbour with the Spinnaker Tower that was well over budget and schedu... more
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BMX Escapism
This film is about two BMX bikers from Southsea, Portsmouth, UK. This film is the first in a series of short films about people and their relationship to the seafront. This film is about two BMX bikers from Southsea, Portsmouth, UK. This film is the first in a series of short films about people and th... more
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Redknapp Arrested In Corruption Investigation
Portsmouth Football Club manager Harry Redknapp is returning to work after saying he was "not directly concerned" with a police investigation into corruption in the sport.
Redknapp and the club's chief executive Peter Storrie were released on police bail after being arrested during a series of raids across the UK. Portsmouth Football Club manager Harry Redknapp is returning to work after saying he was "not directly concerned" with a pol... more
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