GUERNSEY businessman Tom Scott has bought a major stake in Southampton Football Club - and may be trying to buy it outright. The boss of CI Traders has purchased £253,000-worth of shares in Saints’ parent company, Southampton Leisure Holdings plc.
Mr Scott, a business associate of former club director Mike Richards, is now believed to hold 550,000 shares in the Championship giants.
Of those, ex-Saints chairman Rupert Lowe’s father, Patrick, sold 300,000.
Sources close to the club said today that they thought Mr Scott might be building a position with a view to winning outright control of Saints, currently seventh in the league.
As executive chairman of CI Traders, the Channel Islands’ largest company, with a stock market value of about £230m., 62-year-old Scott is one of the most prominent businessmen in Guernsey and Jersey and has a reputation for astute deal-making.
Mr Scott left school at 15 and is now said to be worth £100m.
He made most of his money through the International Energy Group, which he sold for £200m. two years ago.
Former Saints director Mr Richards - a supporter of Mr Lowe during last summer’s takeover battle - was chief executive of IEG.
Former Saints chairman Guy Askham, who also backed Mr Lowe last summer, was a non-executive director of IEG before the Guernsey-based company was taken over by Australian venture capitalists Babcock and Brown Infrastructure in 2005.
CI Traders has a partial monopoly on food retailing in the islands and a statement to the Stock Exchange last Friday revealed that it is the subject of a takeover offer. In response to persistent speculation, CIT confirmed it was in ‘advanced talks with a party which may, or may not, lead to an offer for the group’.
If Mr Scott were to relinquish his position as executive chairman of CI Traders, of which he is believed to own 17%, he would have more time - and money - to focus on a new project - potentially Southampton FC.
He has been to St Mary’s to see the Saints in the past but is not the close friend of Mr Lowe he has been reported to be in the national press.
A Guernsey-based Saints fans today welcomed the news as their club pushes for promotion back to the Premiership.
Andre Austen, who has supported the Saints for 30 years, said: ‘Guernsey has a good strong historical link with Southampton and as a fan I think it’s brilliant. If he is a football man and wants to dabble in the sport, it’s great that he has picked Southampton.’
Article posted on 3rd April, 2007 - 12.00am
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