By KEVIN KOCZWARA
Erick Thohir is about to have not one but two clubs to worry about.
Reports out of Italy on Tuesday morning claim that an Indonesian group led by Thohir, the majority owner of D.C. United and Indonesian businessman and media tycoon, has agreed to buy a 70 percent stake in Serie A club Inter Milan from owner Massimo Moratti. The reports claim that Thohir and his group would be willing to pay as much as $476 million for up to 75 percent ownership of the cash-strapped club, which finished in ninth place last season and hasn’t won a trophy since their treble-winning campaign in 2009-2010.
Last year, Thohir paid around $50 million for a majority stake in D.C. United. He also has purchased the Indonesian rights for the 2014 World Cup on TV, radio, internet and with complimentary coverage in print media for $61 million, according to Forbes.
D.C. United are currently in the process of trying to finalize negotiations for a long-awaited soccer-specific stadium. It is unclear what kind of impact Thohir and his group’s takeover of Inter has on that, if any.
Thohir will inherit a similar stadium situation with Inter. The Italian powerhouse shares the San Siro stadium with rivals AC Milan, but neither team owns the stadium. If Inter wants to recoup some of their debt they will need to look to building a stadium that they can draw more money from, like rivals Juventus have done in Turin with their new stadium.
Outside of soccer, Thohir’s sports portfolio also includes stake in the Philadelphia 76ers and co-ownership of Indonesian basketball teams, the Satria Muda and the Indonesia Warriors. He is also the chairman of the Indonesian Basketball Association and the president of the Southeast Asia Basketball Association.
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