Premier League still not happy with Fahim's Portsmouth takeover

The Premier League will block Sulaiman al-Fahim's supposed £60m takeover of Portsmouth despite his installation as the club's chairman yesterday, subject to more investigations.

Fahim has passed the Premier League's "fit and proper person" test and is now permitted to take a position on a club's board. However, despite his being installed as chairman, the paperwork that will formally give him ownership of the club has not been processed and the Premier League will seek to ensure that he is not acting for any third parties before allowing the deal to go through.

The league's caution is understandable since it must be satisfied he is not acting as a representative for Thaksin Shinawatra. The former Thai prime minister is understood to be living in Dubai and described himself last month as a "close friend" of Fahim but he would not pass league governance tests having been found guilty of corruption in absentia and sentenced to two years' jail in Thailand last year.

SOURCE: The Guardian