Abdullah bin Musaid Al Saud

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Abdullah bin Musaid Al Saud
عبدالله بن مساعد بن عبدالعزيز آل سعود.jpeg
Prince Abdullah c. 2013
Born (1965-02-19) 19 February 1965 (age 58)
Riyadh, Saudi Arabia
SpouseJawaher bint Fahd bin Abdullah Al Saud
Names
Abdullah bin Musaid bin Abdulaziz bin Abdul Rahman Al Saud
HouseSaud
FatherMusa'id bin Abdulaziz Al Saud
MotherFatima bint Hashim bin Turki
Alma materKing Saud University

Abdullah bin Mosaad bin Abdul Aziz Al Saud (Arabic: عبد الله بن مساعد بن عبد العزيز آل سعود; born 19 February 1965) is the son of Prince Mosaad bin Abdul Aziz Al Saud.[1] Prince Abdulla is a former general president of Saudi Arabia's General Sports Authority, a post held for about a thousand days between 26 of June 2014 and 22 of April 2017. The prince has various business interests, including paper manufacturing, in his homeland, along with various sporting franchises. He is the founder of United World Group, which holds the following entities: Sheffield United Football Club (FC), the Belgian Beerschot FC, Al-Hilal United FC in the UAE, La Berrichonne de Châteauroux in France, Kerala United FC in India, and other sports franchises.

Life and education[edit]

Prince Abdullah is a son of prince Mosaad bin Abdul Aziz Al Saud. His mother is Princess Fatima bint Hashim bin Turki Al Nijris hailing from a distinguished family in the north-eastern Syrian city of Deir Al Zoar. Her Grandfather was Shaikh of Alnijris Family and become one of Alogaidat Shaikhs representing a group of big families (Aloqaidat)unified in Dair Alzor in Syria. She is a proud mother of Prince Abdullah bin Mosaad and his brother Abdul Rahman. Born in 1965 in Riyadh, prince Abdullah moved with his family to study in Beirut and returned to Riyadh at the age of ten.  He studied at two schools both of which are in Riyadh, Al Faisaliah and Madaris Al Riyadh. After completing his high school studies, he joined King Saud University where he studied Industrial Engineering and received his bachelor's degree with honors with the highest distinction (Summa cum laude). Further study awarded him a master's degree in Industrial Engineering from King Saud University in Riyadh.[2]

Business activities[edit]

In 1989 Prince Abdullah founded a paper manufacturing company in Saudi Arabia, the SPMC Group,[3] along with some partners. The company expanded its operations to include paper recycling and other related paper ventures and became one of the largest companies in Middle East, with overseas interests. Prince Abdullah sold his interest in the company in 2016.

In the field of sport prince Abdullah was the chairman of the leading Saudi Arabian Al-Hilal FC for 18 months between 2002 and 2004[4] during which time the club won the Crown Prince Cup. During his brother's chairmanship of Al-Hilal, prince Abdulla supervised the club's investments. He remains supporter of the club.

In September 2013, prince Abdullah purchased a 50 percent stake in English then-EFL League One club Sheffield United and became co-chairman with Kevin McCabe.[5] In February 2018, Prince Abdullah entered into negotiations with McCabe to take full control of Sheffield United.[6] In September 2019 Prince Abdullah owned 100% of the club including all club-related properties (stadium, academy, hotel, etc.) after winning a legal case against his partner as per the High Court decision in UK.

Halfway in 2018, Prince Abdullah controlled 50% of the Belgian football club KFCO Beerschot Wilrijk in the Southern part of the city of Antwerp, and in January 2020 he increased his share in this club to 75%. The club was promoted to Belgian First Division A two years after Prince Abdullah taking over. It won the league final on the 2nd of August 2020. The club recently changed its name back to K Beerschot V Antwerp after the original name from the origin of the club.[7] The club also acquired the historic registration number "13" again.  Around February 2020, it was announced that prince Abdullah took ownership of the newly established Al Hilal United FC in Dubai, UAE.[8]  In October 2020, prince Abdullah became the owner of the newly formed Kerala United FC of I-League 2nd Division based in Calicut, India.[9][10]

In March 2021, it was announced that he has ownership of La Berrichonne de Châteauroux of the National division based in Châteauroux, France.

Prince Abdullah bought a 50% stake of English football club Sheffield United

Career[edit]

In June 2014, Prince Abdullah was appointed General President of General Sports Authority in Saudi Arabia making him at the same time the head of the Saudi Arabian Olympic Committee, and the head of Islamic Solidarity Sports Federation. His tenure began on the 26 of June 2014 and ended on the 22 of April 2017. He was succeeded by Mohammed Abdul Malik Al Al-Sheikh. Later the Authority became a ministry.

The legacy of prince Abdullah as president of the General Sports Authority (GSA) is significant. Dozens of experts, commentators, TV and press interviews hailed the prince as the founder of modern Saudi sport[citation needed] spearheading, amongst other endeavors, the privatisation of the major Saudi football clubs, the legalisation of the main sport bodies, the beginning of the mass participation in sport and exercise, and opening the doors for women to freely and legally join sport facilities.

Private life[edit]

Prince Abdullah married Princess Jawaher bint Fahd bint Abdullah Al Saud. He has five daughters and two sons.[2]

He is known for his love of reading and American football.[11] He is a fan of San Francisco 49ers,[12] an American football club based in San Francisco. During the annual football season, he watches the games with friends every Sunday.[13] He is also known for playing Fantasy Football. A chapter in the book ”Wasting Your Wildcard”: The Method and Madness of Fantasy Football by David Wardale, is about Prince Abdullah.

References[edit]

  1. ^ "The Prince Who Would Be Fantasy King". ESPN. Retrieved 4 September 2013.
  2. ^ a b "The Paper Prince: Abdullah bin Mosaad Abdulaziz Al Saud". Campden FB. Retrieved 18 April 2017.
  3. ^ "Saudi Paper Manufacturing Company". Arabian Business. 4 September 2013. Retrieved 4 September 2013.
  4. ^ "Prince Abdullah lands Saudi youth role". The Sheffield Star. 28 June 2014. Archived from the original on 28 July 2014. Retrieved 28 June 2014.
  5. ^ "Saudi prince buys 50% of Sheffield United". Arabian Business. 3 September 2013. Retrieved 4 September 2013.
  6. ^ "Sheffield United: Prince Abdullah bin Mosaad bin Abdulaziz Al Saud in talks over buyout". BBC. 8 February 2018. Retrieved 9 February 2018.
  7. ^ "Beerschot Wilrijk ontrolt nieuwe structuur: 50% DCA, 50% Saudisch". Gazet van Antwerpen. 27 July 2018. Retrieved 22 February 2019.
  8. ^ "عبدالله بن مساعد يعلن ملكيته لنادي الهلال يونايتد في الإمارات" (in Arabic). البيان. Retrieved 13 February 2020.
  9. ^ "Indian football: Kerala's football passion gets the Sheffield United seal of 'approval'". Goal. Retrieved 20 November 2020.
  10. ^ EPL side Sheffield United owners seal takeover of Indian club Calicut Quartz and rename it Kerala United FC spotik.in. Retrieved 15 April 2021
  11. ^ Karen Elliott House. (2012) On Saudi Arabia: Its People, past, Religion, Fault Lines and Future, New York: Alfred P. Knopf, 2012, p. 123[verification needed]
  12. ^ "United secure new international partner". Sheffield United F.C. 5 September 2013. Retrieved 5 September 2013.[verification needed]
  13. ^ Karen Elliott House, On Saudi Arabia: Its People, Past, Religion, Fault Lines and Future., New York, New York: Alfred P. Knopf, 2012, p. 123[verification needed]

External links[edit]

Preceded by President of the Islamic Solidarity Sports Federation
June 2014 – April 2017 		Succeeded by
Mohammed Abdulmalik Al Al Sheikh
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