Erick Thohir: I am Not Like Roman Abramovich
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Kamis, 1 Januari 1970 07:00 WIB
TEMPO.CO, Jakarta - Inter Milan president Erick Thohir said he is not like Roman Abramovich, the owner of Premier League side Chelsea. Erick said that he cannot be as serious as Abramovich in managing the football club due to some problems.
The following are excerpts from a Tempo interview with Erick Tohir in Jakarta on July 12 on Inter Milan management.
Many say that you are not as serious as other foreign investors like Roman Abramovich at Chelsea?
Yeah. Many Asian businessmen do not live at their club’s town, unlike European businessmen who live near [their club’s home base]. But, American businessmen in the Premier League, such as Stan Kroenke at Arsenal, do not visit the club on a daily basis. So, in managing a club, there are two approaches: day-to-day owners who are [always] present and owners who form a management there [in Europe]. Abramovich often visits [the Stamford Bridge] because Russia is close to London.
What did you expect when buying Inter Milan three years ago?
I’m an Inter fan. Apparently, a business opportunity allowed me to join [the club]. Why not? During my three years as president, Inter was financially stable. On the pitch, we changed old players with talented, fresh ones.
Who are the players?
In the first year, [the arrivals] were Danilo D’Ambrosio, Mauro Icardi. Then, Ivan Perisic, Geoffrey Kondogbia and Gary Medel. There’s a long list. I brought over 20 players. This year the arrivals were Joao Mario, Roberto Gagliardini, Milan Škriniar, Antonio Candreva, Gabriel Barbosa and Borja Valero. [The purchase of] those players were pushed by Suning Group. I believe that under Suning, Inter will turn good because the fund is massive.
Before establishing a partnership, did you do research on Suning?
At first, we sought a Chinese partner. There were several companies, but I saw that Suning was the most serious and committed. They are a large retail company with 55 billion euros revenue. Very huge.
DON
Read the full interview in this week's edition of Tempo English Magazine