Supporters Trust wants stake in Arsenal

The Arsenal Supporters Trust (AST) is keen to secure at least a 10% holding of the Barclays (sponsor) Premiership club's shares to prevent any future complete takeover. American billionaire Stan Kroenke last week acquired a 9.99% stake from ITV for around £65 million. The AST is keen to meet with Kroenke's representatives, wary of what has happened at clubs such as Manchester United, Liverpool and Aston Villa. A spokesman for the group said: "We cannot stop someone buying the majority of shares, but we can prevent the worst, where an intruder buys all the shares and turns the club into a private money-making machine."
Majority shareholder Danny Fiszman sold off around 1% of his holding last month, with the Kroenke Sports Enterprise reported to be the likely buyer. Arsenal, which is currently listed on the Alternative Plus Market Exchange, was recently positioned as the fourth most valuable football team in the world, according to Forbes. The annual list ranks Manchester United top with a valuation of £740 million, above Real Madrid (£528 million) with Arsenal leapfrogging AC Milan into third spot with a value of £466 million.
Kroenke owns Major League Soccer (MLS) franchise Colorado Rapids, National Basketball Association (NBA) team the Denver Nuggets, Colorado Avalanche of the National Hockey League (NHL) and lacrosse outfit Colorado Mammoth. He also has an investment interest in National Football League (NFL) outfit St Louis Rams. Several of those teams play at the Pepsi (sponsor) Center, a multi-purpose venue in Denver that Kroenke's company - Kroenke Sports Enterprise - also owns in full.