Bantu Rovers boss set to buy English Premiership team

By Ricky Zililo

BANTU Rovers’ co-chairman and co-owner American businessman Peter Grieve is close to snapping up newly promoted English Premier League side Hull City.

According to online reports, an American consortium that includes investment banker Grieve is in negotiations with the English club and want to complete a deal as soon as possible.

The Hull DailyMail said: “The sale of Hull City has moved a significant step closer with the favoured American consortium close to agreeing a deal. An agreement between City and the American group, who include former United States marine and Goldman Sachs managing director Peter Grieve, could even come as soon as early next week.”

Grieve and his associates are in England pushing for the Hull City takeover.

According to reports, the deal, which has confidentiality clauses, has also drawn interest from unnamed Asians.

Hull City is presently owned by Ehab Allam, a British businessman of Egyptian descent, and is reportedly prepared to let go of the franchise for around £100 million.

If Grieve and partners complete a successful takeover of Hull City, it could put Bantu Rovers in a strategic position to do business with the English side.

Grieve’s interest in securing a club in the EPL could have shaped Bantu Rovers’ recruitment strategy for their 2016 Southern Region Division One Soccer League squad, where they resolved to have two thirds of their team being Under-20 players.

This could have been deliberately done to groom the youngsters with anticipation of exporting their best players in a year or two.

With their team dominated by Under-20 players, Bantu Rovers are at the top of the league table with 27 points after 10 games.

They recovered from their opening 0-1 loss to ZPC Hwange and have gone on a nine-match winning streak.

The direct contact with the EPL side may even lead to Bantu Rovers being a club of choice for a number of talented players hoping to use the club as a springboard to Europe.

Bantu Rovers was formed in 2009 and enjoys cordial relations with teams in Belgium, Germany and France, among other European nations.

Through their overseas contacts, they have in the past managed to organise trials in Belgium, France and Germany for players such as the Netherlands-based Marvellous Nakamba, the Chicken Inn duo of Danny Phiri and Tafadzwa Kutinyu, as well as Nqobizitha Masuku, who is on loan at FC Platinum. The Chronicle