Sport Republic agree deal to acquire Göztepe S.K.

Avatar
Goztepe
Image provided by Sport Republic

Turkish football club Göztepe S.K. have reached an agreement with Sport Republic which will see the London-based investment firm acquire a controlling stake in the side.

Backed by Serbian billionaire Dragan Šolak, Göztepe S.K. will become Sport Republic’s second football club investment, having taken control of Premier League side Southampton in January 2022.

In purchasing a 70% shareholding of Göztepe, Sport Republic become the first foreign investor within the Turkish football industry.

The existing shareholders will retain a 30 per cent stake in the club, while Sport Republic CEO Rasmus Ankersen will become chairman of the Turkish second division outfit.

Ankersen said in a statement:

“Göztepe S.K. has a lot of potential for growth. It has a unique and very large following as well as a high-quality infrastructure, in particular a new and beautiful stadium located in Izmir.

“With almost five million inhabitants on its doorstep, we believe the club offers an opportunity to build a strong pipeline of homegrown talent.

“Being the first foreign investors in Turkish football comes with extra responsibilities and attention. We know it will not be without challenges, but we are committed to our long-term vision of fulfilling the potential of Göztepe.

“The passion for football in Turkey is truly special and we hope that our methodology and ideas can help develop Göztepe further.”

Chairman of Sport Republic, Henrik Kraft, added:

“We are very excited to announce our investment into Göztepe S.K. and add the club to the Sport Republic family. We have been working on this for a long time and are very pleased that it was possible to come to an agreement.

“The ambition of all of us at Sport Republic is to build a portfolio of high-influence stakes in football clubs and other sporting assets across the world and then use our wider portfolio of sports technology businesses to accelerate the development of those companies. We can’t wait to get started and begin implementing our strategy with Göztepe.

“I would also like to thank Mehmet Sepil for his collaboration in making this deal happen. One of our key requirements was that Mehmet stayed as a shareholder as he knows the club and Turkish football in general inside out. We very much look forward to our partnership with Mehmet.”

Sport Republic had declared their interest in creating a multi-club portfolio, with Southampton considered the jewel in the crown, when they purchased the club from Gao Jisheng in January.

The Saints could see their new Turkish acquaintances as an opportunity for development loan spells, while Sport Republic still seek to add more clubs to the portfolio.

Previous ArticleNext Article

Football Australia Expands Mental Skills Program for Match Officials Amid Sustained Focus on Referee Retention

Avatar
Image Credit: Football NSW

Football Australia has confirmed a second national webinar for match officials, led by sports psychologist Dr Liam Slack, extending a referee development series introduced after strong engagement with an initial session on managing match-day pressure.

The upcoming session, themed “parking with purpose,” will focus on decision-making strategies designed to help referees process on-field calls and reset attention quickly across a match that can present hundreds of individual decisions. Dr Slack, who also consults with The Football Association and the AFC Referee Academy and previously spent over a decade as a performance psychologist with the Professional Game Match Officials Limited in England, brings substantial elite-level experience to a program open to officials at every level, from grassroots to professional.

The theme builds on work Dr Slack has already delivered within Australian officiating. He recently led a session with Football Australia’s National Referee Academy on the same concept, framing the ability to consciously park a decision and refocus on the next phase of play as a trainable skill rather than an innate trait, one that separates officials who reset quickly under pressure from those who don’t. He has also addressed more than 100 Football Australia elite match officials and staff on developing a stronger match-day mentality, an indication of how embedded this psychological framework has become across the officiating pathway rather than remaining a one-off intervention.

The expansion of the webinar series reflects a broader shift in how football administrators are approaching referee attrition. Rather than treating retention purely as a recruitment or pay problem, the program signals an institutional acknowledgment that the psychological demands of officiating, particularly the compounding pressure of split-second decisions under public scrutiny, are a material factor in whether officials remain in the game.

It rests alongside other measures adopted across Australian football in recent years, including visible identification programs for junior referees and structural reviews of referee departments at state federation level, all aimed at the same underlying issue: a shrinking pool of match officials relative to demand.

Football Australia has not detailed metrics for assessing the program’s impact on referee numbers, though the recurring engagement of an internationally credentialed specialist across multiple tiers of the officiating pathway suggests sustained institutional investment in the approach.

Arsenal FC announce Saint Lucia as new destination partner

Avatar
Image credit: Saint Lucia Tourism Authority

Starting in the 2026/27 season, the deal will see Saint Lucia become Arsenal‘s Official Destination Partner.

 

Global reach of a football giant

As one of the most popular clubs in the world, Arsenal’s influence expands far beyond the boundaries of North London.

And with its latest partnership, alongside the Saint Lucia Tourism Authority (SLTA), the reigning Premier League champions will help to promote the Caribbean island to the UK market.

Furthermore, the agreement will see additional benefits for both parties, including the development of an Academy Hub in Saint Lucia, brand visibility at the Emirates Stadium for both Premier League and Women’s Super League games, and more.

“We are entering an exciting term as Arsenal’s Official Destination Partner, aligning with a club that has a loyal, global supporter base,” said Saint Lucia’s Minister for Tourism, Commerce, Investment, Creative Industries, Culture and Heritage, Dr. Ernest Hilaire via media release.

A partnership extending from one side of the Atlantic to the other, uniting communities through football.

 

Sport and culture go hand-in-hand

This isn’t the first time, however, that Saint Lucia Tourism Authority has ventured into the commercial world of global sport.

In the past, for example, the organisation built firm relationships with several other iconic outfits including the New York Yankees (baseball), Toronto Raptors (basketball), Toronto Maple Leafs (ice hockey) and Brooklyn Nets (basketball).

But with an iconic club like Arsenal the latest addition to the lost, it further proves that sport, culture and commerce are by no means seperate entities.

In fact, in a deal such as this, all three can grow and thrive.

Arsenal are one of several clubs to establish ties with tourism boards and destination groups across the world. Notable partnerships include:

  • Manchester City and Visit Abu Dhabi
  • Fulham FC and Visit Mongolia
  • Manchester United and Visit Malta

Exposure for international tourism boards at Premier League grounds holds immense economic potential, thus a key aim in the alliance between Saint Lucia and Arsenal is to drive the island’s economy through tourism.

Most Popular Topics

Editor Picks

Send this to a friend