The former owner was sentenced to five years in prison for stealing £5m to buy Pompey, but the man who fronted the purchase of Manchester City of 2008 still appear to appreciate the Fratton faithful.
His Pompey ownership spanned less than six weeks amid the club’s descent into financial meltdown.
Sulaiman Al-Fahim was later sentenced to five years in prison for stealing £5m from his wife to fund his 2009 purchase with the Blues on the brink.
The disgraced figure from Dubai also allegedly came under attack from a group of supporters at Reading in 2011, but that doesn’t seem to have dulled Al-Fahim’s enthusiasm for Pompey. That became clear yesterday morning in the wake of the Sky Sports-televised win over Bolton, as the 46-year-old posted footage of Fratton Park rocking.
It’s unclear if Al-Fahim is the man behind the camera shooting the video from the Milton End in the first half with Pompey on the attack, or the identities of those in the accompanying picture posted.
But the post on X (formerly Twitter) suggests the man also found guilty of forgery, using forged documents and aiding and abetting was present, as Al Fahim wrote: ‘Great night at Fratton last night. Awesome performance. PUP.’
It’s fair to say the words praising a Fratton Park which was in full voice received a fairly mixed reaction. Of the replies which are publishable, @PompeyLeftie chimed in with: ‘How was prison? Don’t come back.’ @AR11_1898 offered a rat emoji as he asked: ‘You not been banned yet?’, while @MIkePompey joked: ‘I hear Havant and Waterlooville are up for sale’.
There was a fair degree of sarcasm from @rickstrang who stated: ‘Oh come on everyone; you’re being a bit harsh. I mean, which true fan hasn’t nicked five million quid from your wife’s purse and bought the club….’
It wasn’t wall-to-wall barracking, however, for a figure who’s previously stated he’s been largely treated well by the Pompey fans he’s encountered since his ill-fated period of ownership. @SwaggaJaggon replied: ‘Great that you still love the place 🙂 Play up Pompey!’ Meanwhile, @Honourable_HB added: ‘Glad you had a great time. PUP.’
Former Pompey chief executive Peter Storrie described Al-Fahim an ‘unbelievable character’ who was ‘passionate’ about the Blues, in an interview with The News last year. The accuracy of that description will be debated 15 years on from his ill-fated 41-day Fratton tenure, but it seems Al-Fahim’s appreciation of the Fratton faithful remains undiminished.
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