Cardiff City owner Vincent Tan told Reuters on Wednesday that he’s ready to invest in a Major League Soccer club.
In an interview addressing Tan’s on-going education as owner of a professional soccer club, he addressed in a sidebar his desire to test the US market.
“Investing in MLS, think it’s long term,” Tan said. “If we invest now, in 20 years it will be worth a lot.”
No more was said, so what club Tan seeks to buy remains a mystery. This isn’t the first time Tan has spoken of his admiration for American soccer as just last month he told reporters: “I’m looking to buy another club in Europe and then I may invest in a club in the US, the MLS.”
The difference between those two soundbites is minimal but significant - he’s gone from “may” to “invest[ing] now.” Isn’t urgency a beautiful thing?
Tan has what many would consider a poor reputation: He’s made expensive purchases for players that have been sold back to their previous club after six months (see: Andreas Cornelius, $14 million). He’s dismissed the head of recruitment and replaced him with a 23-year-old groundsman (see: Kazakh Alisher Apsalyamov). And he tends to sport sunglasses when it’s dark out, wear his team’s jersey over his button-downs and wear leather gloves like he might just murder someone. Oh yeah, and he loves the color red, even on a club nicknamed the bluebirds.
But don’t fret, MLS fans. Because Tan is not only very rich (he recently purchased Bosnian side FK Sarajevo and plans to buy another European team) but he’s also very well educated. “I look upon Cardiff as my PhD in football management,” Tan said. “With Cardiff, I learnt a lot. I think I can run and manage a football club very well.”
Shame Chivas USA is no longer around. Could’ve been a match made in heaven.
