Soccer-Saxo Bank founder eyes Champions League impact with FC Copenhagen
07/03/2019 16:54
COPENHAGEN, March 7 (Reuters) - Danish millionaire Lars
Seier Christensen says he is ready to invest more of his fortune
at FC Copenhagen in order to make them Champions League
mainstays after becoming a major shareholder in the Danish
club's parent company.
The colourful businessman, who founded Saxo Bank and made
his fortune by selling his stake in the online trading platform
to Chinese carmaker Zhejiang Geely and Finland's Sampo Oyj
SAMPO.HE last year, says he takes inspiration from clubs like
Porto.
This week, he spent around 222 million Danish crowns ($33.50
million) buying a 23 percent stake in Parken Sport &
Entertainment PARKEN.CO , owners of FC Copenhagen.
Seier Christensen has become a well-known public figure in
Denmark, hosting his own TV-show and posting photos from his
private yacht in the Mediterranean and from Michelin-starred
restaurants around the world.
Eight years ago he and his family moved to a castle in
Switzerland, in part, he said, to escape the high tax burden in
Denmark.
"Now that I've sold Saxo Bank, I need to find some big
things to get involved in. This is one of them," he said of his
investment in FC Copenhagen.
His investment firm Seier Capital holds cash and assets
worth around 350 million euros ($393.75 million), a fortune that
mainly came from his sale of Saxo Bank. He has not disclosed his
exact net worth.
He says twice European champions Porto, who beat AS Roma on
Wednesday to reach the Champions League quarter-finals, provide
a good model for Copenhagen.
On the back of "intelligent player transactions", the
Portuguese club have been successful economically and on the
pitch, reaching the Champions League knockout stages in four of
the last five seasons.
"Why shouldn't FC Copenhagen be able to do what FC Porto has
done? I don't see any reason why not," he told reporters in
Copenhagen on Thursday.
"Looking into the future, participation in Champions League
should be the rule rather than the exception," Christensen said
of his ambitions for FC Copenhagen.
The club last made it to the Champions League group stage in
the 2016-17 season and have never won a major European trophy.
"I still haven't spent all my money from selling Saxo Bank
yet, so this is an opportunity," he said when asked about
investing in the playing squad.
"I don't want to be caught in some silly race to buy a very
expensive team with the risk of losing a lot of money. I'm ready
to look at sound investment opportunities, and if that takes
further investments then of course I'll look at it," he said.
Since selling his Saxo Bank stake, Seier Christensen has
invested in an ice hockey team in Copenhagen, in a blockchain
network, and an unsuccessful attempt to bring Formula One to
Copenhagen.
($1 = 6.6274 Danish crowns)
($1 = 0.8889 euros)
(Reporting by Jacob Gronholt-Pedersen
Editing by Toby Davis)
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