Английская Википедия:777 Partners

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777 Partners is an American private investment company based in Miami. Founded in 2015, it has acquired several soccer teams such as Genoa C.F.C. in Italy, Standard Liège in Belgium, Red Star F.C. in France, CR Vasco da Gama in Brazil, and Hertha BSC in Germany. It has minority shareholdings in Sevilla FC in Spain and Melbourne Victory FC in Australia. The company owns the London Lions basketball team. The company also owns the low-cost carriers Flair Airlines in Canada and Bonza in Australia.

History

Soccer

777 Partners' first investment in soccer was to purchase a minority stake in Spanish La Liga club Sevilla FC in 2018. In 2020, it elevated its share to 7.5%.

In September 2021, 777 Partners bought 99.99% of Italian Serie A club Genoa C.F.C., the country's oldest club, founded in 1893. It became the sixth club in the league to have an American owner, and the transaction to buy the club from long-term owner Enrico Preziosi was estimated at €150 million. The club hired former A.C. Milan and Ukraine striker Andriy Shevchenko in November, firing him in January 2022; Genoa ended the season relegated (as did another US-owned team, Venezia FC), but were immediately promoted back into the top division in May 2023.

In February 2022, 777 Partners bought 70% of CR Vasco da Gama, a Campeonato Brasileiro Série A club from Rio de Janeiro for R$700 million, valuing the club at R$1.7 billion. The transaction was the biggest in the history of Brazilian football, and came off the back of a change in legislation allowing clubs to adopt new legal structures by becoming limited companies and sourcing finance from private equity markets. Fans protested against 777 Partners in the 2023 Campeonato Brasileiro Série A season, as the club found itself in the relegation zone.

During the negotiations to buy Vasco, Brazilian newspaper O Globo revealed that Wander had been convicted in 2004 for ordering cocaine in the mail while a 22-year-old student of the University of Florida. Facing a possible 26-year sentence, he pleaded no contest and received 15 years of probation, that ended in 2018. Wander's conviction has been brought up in the media, and in an interview with the Financial Times he called it a "stupid college thing" and a "perfect opportunity for those people that are haters to try to destroy you with things that are somewhat meaningless".

In March 2022, 777 Partners bought 100% of Standard Liège in the Belgian Pro League for €55 million. The fans protested in September 2023 over what they believed to be a lack of investment and ambition.

777 Partners bought Red Star F.C. of the French third-tier Championnat National in April 2022. The club was founded in 1897 by Jules Rimet, who was later president of FIFA. The takeover was met with backlash due to the club's working-class and left-wing history, and concerns that the club would become a farm team for 777's other assets. Former presidential candidate Jean-Luc Mélenchon was one of several politicians to sign a letter published in Le Monde, stating "For us, Red Star is a common good that cannot be sacrificed on the altar of profit."

In October 2022, 777 Partners bought a minority stake in Melbourne Victory FC of the Australian A-League Men for AU$8.7 million. The following January, the club's shareholders voted in favor of allowing 777 Partners to secure up to 70% over the next five years, in exchange for AU$30 million in investment.

The company took a 64.7% stake in Hertha BSC of the German Bundesliga in March 2023, after its sale by Lars Windhorst, who had been majority shareholder since 2019. In September 2023, 777 Partners agreed to buy Everton F.C. by purchasing the 94.1% owned by Farhad Moshiri.

Other investments

In 2019, 777 Partners bought the London Lions, London's sole men’s professional basketball team. They then invested £7 million for 45% of the British Basketball League (BBL). Under 777, the Lions and the BBL have garnered significant attention, having sold a slight minority stake in the London Lions to O.G. Anunoby and becoming the first British team to ever qualify for EuroCup playoffs.

Outside of sports, 777 has assets in aviation. It owns Canadian company Flair Airlines and Australian based Bonza, both of which are low-cost carriers. It also invests in and develops travel technology under its "GO7" subdivision.

In 2022, 777 invested in STX Entertainment, a global film studio known for producing films such as Molly's Game, The Irishman, and Ferrari.

External links

• Official website