More questions linger as Salford Red Devils sold to Swiss led consortium
Salford Red Devils Rugby League club has confirmed a change in ownership that it claims will secure the future of the club, subject to final RFL approval.
In a statement the club claims that a consortium has completed a full 100% purchase of the club, led by a Swiss businessman Dario Berta, CEO of Matanel, which it says is “an investment bank that specialises in real estate investment”. The club further claims the deal has been approved by the Community Benefit Society (CBS) and by Salford City Council, which owns the Salford Community Stadium.
However, Berta’s UK business Matanel was only formed in April of 2024 and is late filing accounts at Companies House. He is not a director of any other UK business. No details have been released at this stage about other members of the “consortium”.
When the council took over the stadium formerly known as the AJ Bell, but now just known as the Salford Community Stadium, they took full control over the 12,000-seater venue, community pitches, car park, and 27 acres of development land. It maintained that the council hoped to use this land to create a sport and leisure destination that would “attract significant private sector investment.”
Salford Mayor Paul Dennett
Today (Friday 7 February 2024) Paul Dennett, Salford City Mayor, said: “I’m very happy to welcome Dario Berta to Salford and look forward to working closely together to see an exciting future for Salford Red Devils, building on the successes of the last five years.”
A former player, Chris Irwin, is to return as club’s new Chief Executive Officer after leaving his commercial role in October 2024 to join Exeter City Football Club.
In today’s statement the club says the new owners “have cleared all current club debt and will deliver additional significant investment for the future growth of the club”, with a process already underway to recruit a new internal management structure led by recruitment industry experts, KinseySears.
Dario Berta commented: “I’d like to express my gratitude to Paul King and the existing team within the CBS who have led the club in recent years from celebrating its 150th anniversary, a Betfred Super League Grand Final and Challenge Cup Final, as well as navigating the club through tricky periods such as COVID.
“This is the start of a very bright and successful future for Salford Red Devils. I’m very proud to be involved, and with Chris at the helm, I feel like we have the perfect opportunity to build something special. Our focus and dedication now is to work together with stakeholders and fans to build sustainable success on and off the pitch for the long term.”
As investor negotiations dragged on, and the future of the Community Stadium had faced delays before the council took ownership, the club was directed to sell players and seek a financial support package from the RFL, including an advance on Salford’s allocated 2025 distribution.
However, the Red Devils had to be placed under ‘special measures’ requiring a reduction in overheads of £800,000.
