Hull owner threatens to quit if Tigers name change is blocked
CONTROVERSIAL Hull City owner and main financial backer Assem Allam has warned he will walk away from the football club if he is not permitted to change their name to Hull Tigers.
Allam has defied some supporters of the Premier League side by lodging an official request with the Football Association to change their name. The Egyptian, to whom much of Hull’s £72m is owed, says he will leave if fans’ groups do not drop their protests.
“No one on earth is allowed to question my business decisions. I won’t allow it. I can give you my CV to give you comfort, for what I do in business, what I’ve achieved, but for someone to come and question me is not allowed,” he said.
“I’m here to save the club and manage the club for the benefit of the community. It will never, never be the other way round – that the community manages it for me – but if the community say go away, I promise to go within 24 hours.”
Asked if that threat extended to a scenario in which his proposed name change was rejected, Allam added: “Still the same thing. It’s a free country. No two ways about it. Have I ever said something and gone back on it? No.”
Allam confirmed the imminent signing of Croatia striker Nikica Jelavic from Everton for a fee believed to be around £6m.
He looks likely to be followed by further attacking reinforcement in the shape of West Brom’s Shane Long, who is in talks with Hull.