Kennedy Agyepong Taking Over King Faisal?

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The founder and bankroller of Kumasi-based King Faisal Football Club, Alhaji Karim Gruzah, is keen to sell a huge stake of the club to an investor and he may be inching closer to finding one.

There are reports that talks are far advanced with the Member of Parliament for Assin Central, Kennedy Agyepong, who has expressed interest in taking over the club.

He says the decision to approach Mr Agyepong for a possible take over is as a result of the calls from football fans in Assin Fosu and its environs who are yearning to taste Premier League action, and have appealed to him to relocate the club from Kumasi to the Assin North district capital.

In an interview with the Graphic Sports, the president of the club confirmed reports that he was in talks with Mr Agyepong, also a businessman, for a possible take over of the club which has struggled financially for over a decade.

“ I have been in talks with Kennedy Agyepong to take over King Faisal as the new club owner. We have had a lengthy talk and he has asked me to prepare a budget to that effect which I am preparing now” he indicated.

Should the talks end on a positive note, the new owner will maintain the name of the club but will change their home venue from Kumasi to Assin Fosu in the Central Region.

The founder of the club indicated that following their reinstatement alongside Great Olympics into the Premier League by the extraordinary Congress of the Ghana Football Association (GFA) last October, he decided to look for sponsors or an investor to inject some funds into the club as he seeks to return the club to the once formidable form.

“As a result, fans from Assin Fosu, who do not have a side in either the Premier League or Division One League, called on me to relocate King Faisal to the area, and given the cost involved, I decided to approach the MP of the area and he has shown interest.

“I hope the talks ends on a successful note because we need to reclaim our fearful form in Ghana football,” he said.
With the emotional attachment to the name, Alhaji Gruzah said he had the assurance that the name King Faisal would be retained if the deal went through.

He, however, could not confirm whether the deal would be a complete sell out or he would still have a stake in the team, saying:” At this moment, I need someone who will rescue the club from the financial nightmare. I’m getting older and my resources are no longer enough for even the basic needs of the club. Whatever role the investor gives me to play, surely I will use my experience to help out. My main concern is to get the needed financial support,” he stressed.

Before the news of talks with Mr Agyepong came up, there had been strong indication that a former player of the club, Samuel Osei-Kuffour, was going to take up a stake in the club.

In 2002-2003, Alhaji Gruzah sold a stake of the club to Herbert Mensah but that deal fell through and the founder reclaimed full responsibility.

However, he has struggled to secure the needed financial supported, a situation that played a role in the club’s relegation from the Premiership in 2011, and again in the 2014 season.

By: Graphic.com.gh