Whelan reveals owner concerns

Wigan owner unhappy with foreign invasion

Last updated: 28th September 2008

Whelan reveals owner concerns

Whelan: Worried

Related links

Teams

Also see

Dave Whelan has voiced his fears over the invasion of foreign owners in the Premier League.

Many of the Premier League's top clubs are now under foreign ownership but Whelan is worried about the long-term future of the English game.

The Wigan owner's concerns have been brought to the surface by the recent events at Manchester City, with the Abu Dhabi United Group completing a takeover of the club last week.

Whelan can understand why fans are excited by such deals but believes disaster could strike if a foreign owner suddenly decides he has had enough.

"Of course the supporters of Man City will welcome the takeover, but what happens when one of these foreign owners gets fed up?" Whelan, whose Wigan team face City on Sunday, said in the Sunday Mirror.

"Are they going to spit the dummy out and walk away? English football is not a game you can treat as a toy. Football is part and parcel of our lives."

Whelan also criticised Dr Sulaiman Al-Fahim, the man who was initially set to become City's chairman but is no longer part of ADUG's plans for the club.

He said: "There was that chap at City when he said he would buy Cristiano Ronaldo for £150million. That is not football. That is total stupidity."