Georgian Billionaire Acquires Majority Stake in English Football Club Wycombe Wanderers

Georgian billionaire Mikheil Lomtadze has purchased 90% of the shares in the English professional football club Wycombe Wanderers, according to an announcement on the club's official website.

The shares were acquired from Feliciana EFL LLC by Blue Ocean Partners II Limited, a company owned by Mikheil Lomtadze. This acquisition also places Lomtadze on the club's board of directors alongside two new members, Edward Vishnyakov and Daniel Rice.

In a statement to the club and its supporters, Lomtadze emphasized his commitment to the club, stating, "We are committed to achieving long-term success both on and off the pitch by establishing a financially sustainable club."

Wycombe Wanderers, founded in 1887, are located in Buckinghamshire in South East England.

Mikheil Lomtadze is also a major shareholder in Kaspi.kz, owning 22.6% of the Kazakh fintech giant as of April 1, 2024. In 2022, he was ranked as the seventh most influential businessman in Kazakhstan. Lomtadze is the second Georgian billionaire to invest in a football club, following Bidzina Ivanishvili. According to Forbes, Lomtadze has a higher net worth than Ivanishvili, though Bloomberg reports he owns 700 million less in assets.