Sport Republic Adds Turkish Club to Soccer Portfolio

Southampton FC owner Sport Republic is purchasing a 70% stake in Turkish second-tier club Göztepe.

The remaining 30% of the club will stay with Mehmet Sepil and existing shareholders. 

Terms of the deal weren’t disclosed, but the announcement comes two months after the Turkish Süper Lig signed a media deal worth just under $370 million per season — a significant decline from the previous deal worth $500 million annually.

Sport Republic claims that the deal, which is the firm’s second soccer team investment, makes it the first foreign investor within the Turkish soccer industry. 

The firm’s ambition is to “build a portfolio of high-influence stakes in football clubs and other sporting assets across the world,” chairman Henrik Kraft stated.

• In January, the firm acquired an 80% stake in Southampton for a reported $118 million.
• Sport Republic was also reportedly in talks to buy French club Valenciennes and is reportedly targeting clubs in other leagues including those in Belgium, the Netherlands, and Portugal.

Club Community

Sport Republic follows in the footsteps of other owners with portfolios featuring multiple soccer teams across several countries. 

City Football Group is an owner of 10 teams globally — including Manchester City and New York City FC — and has one partner club. In June, RedBird Capital entered a $1.3 billion agreement to buy AC Milan. RedBird also owns Ligue 2’s Toulouse and has a stake in Fenway Sports Group, which owns Liverpool FC.