Sulaiman Al-Fahim
{{Short description|President of the Arab Union for Real Estate Development}}
{{undisclosed paid|date=October 2023}}
{{Use dmy dates|date=October 2020}}
{{Infobox person
| name = Sulaiman Al-Fahim
{{lang|ar|سليمان الفهيم}}
| image = Dr-Sulaiman-al-Fahim-001.jpg
| caption =
| birth_date = {{birth based on age as of date|31|2008|5|23}}
| birth_place = Dubai, United Arab Emirates
| alma_mater = American University
United Arab Emirates University
| death_place =
| other_names =
| occupation = Businessman
| website = {{website|http://sulaimanalfahim.com/}}
}}
Sulaiman Abdul-Karim Mohammed Al-Fahim (born 1976 or 1977) is an Emirati television personality and self described billionaire businessman https://www.forbes.com/forbes/2010/0329/billionaires-2010-middle-east-dubai-sulaiman-fahim-middle-eastern-mirage.html in the UAE real estate sector.{{Cite news|last=Thomas|first=Landon Jr.|date=2009-06-08|title=Questions About a Desert Village|language=en-US|work=The New York Times|url=https://www.nytimes.com/2009/06/09/business/global/09property.html|access-date=2021-05-05|issn=0362-4331}} He was involved in the deal in which the Abu Dhabi royal family obtained Manchester City F.C. In 2008, he was convicted and sentenced to five years in jail by a UAE court for stealing £5 million.
Early life and education
Al-Fahim was born in Dubai in 1977. He obtained his master's degree in Finance and Real Estate from the American University in Washington, D.C. He has claimed that he has a PhD in Real Estate from American University, but there is no record of him earning a PhD from the school and the school does not offer a PhD in real estate. Nonetheless, Al-Fahim uses the honorific "Dr."
In 1998, Al-Fahim lost his parents and brother in a car accident.{{cite web |last1=Sayed |first1=Sara |title=Hydra CEO shares his success story |url=https://gulfnews.com/culture/people/hydra-ceo-shares-his-success-story-1.25589 |website=Gulf News |date=23 May 2008 |access-date=2 October 2010}}
Career
Al-Fahim heads the real estate company Hydra Properties, which is owned by the Royal Group, an investment conglomerate headed by Tahnoun bin Zayed Al Nahyan, a member of the royal family in Abu Dhabi.
Al-Fahim was president of UAE Chess Federation from 2008 until 2012.{{cite web |last1=Huang |first1=Carol |title=UAE plays Kingmaker as chess politicians wage battle for the top job |url=https://www.thenational.ae/uae/uae-plays-kingmaker-as-chess-politicians-wage-battle-for-the-top-job-1.487706 |work=The National |date=7 August 2010 |access-date=8 August 2010}} Al Fahim published the book Brand Builder. Al-Fahim was the founder and host of a business themed reality television show Hydra Executives which was launched in Spring 2008.{{cite web|title=Hydra Executives – CEO|url=http://www.hydraexecutives.com/ceo.html|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20080411192200/http://www.hydraexecutives.com/ceo.html|archive-date=11 April 2008|access-date=16 October 2009}} It had a run of two seasons.{{cite web|last1=Swan|first1=Melanie|title=Hydra Executives begins filming its second season|url=https://www.thenational.ae/uae/hydra-executives-begins-filming-its-second-season-1.230104?videoId=5766484581001|access-date=8 October 2010|work=The National|date=27 July 2008 }}
= Manchester City F.C.=
Al-Fahim was involved in the deal in which the Abu Dhabi royal family took over Manchester City in 2008. He looked at various clubs on behalf of the Abu Dhabi royal family and suggested that they buy Manchester City. Al-Fahim signed the first agreement (Memorandum of Understanding) with the legal representative of the former Prime Minister of Thailand, Thaksin Shinawatra, who owned Manchester City.{{Cite web|title=Abu Dhabi investors buy Manchester City|url=https://www.ft.com/content/abf1a412-784f-11dd-acc3-0000779fd18c?segmentid=acee4131-99c2-09d3-a635-873e61754ec6|access-date=2021-05-05|website=www.ft.com}} Al-Fahim then presented the offer to the Abu Dhabi United Group where Mansour bin Zayed Al Nahyan took the final agreement forward and took over Manchester City.{{cite news |last1=Montague |first1=James |title=The Crazy World of Dr Al Fahim |url=https://www.theguardian.com/sport/blog/2008/oct/23/man-city-alfahim |work=The Guardian|date=23 October 2008 |access-date=8 October 2009}}
=Portsmouth F.C.=
In 2009, Al-Fahim owned Portsmouth F.C. for six weeks.{{Cite news|title=Man stole £5m from wife to buy Portsmouth|language=en-GB|work=BBC Sport|url=https://www.bbc.co.uk/sport/football/43055733|access-date=2021-05-05}}{{cite web |title=Soccer-Portsmouth owner Al-Fahim to sell majority shareholding |url=https://uk.reuters.com/article/soccer-england-portsmouth/soccer-portsmouth-owner-al-fahim-to-sell-majority-shareholding-idUKL303050020091003?rpc=401&&pageNumber=2&virtualBrandChannel=0 |work=Reuters|access-date=4 October 2009}}{{dead link|date=September 2024|bot=medic}}{{cbignore|bot=medic}} In 2018, he was convicted and sentenced to five years in jail for stealing £5 million from his wife to fund the purchase of Portsmouth.{{cite news |title=Sulaiman Al Fahim: Ex- Portsmouth owner jailed for stealing £5m from wife to buy club |url=https://www.bbc.co.uk/sport/football/43055733 |work=BBC Sport |access-date=30 August 2019}} In the aftermath of Al-Fahim's brief stint at Portsmouth, the Premier League tightened its rules on ownership.
References
{{Reflist}}
{{DEFAULTSORT:Fahim, Sulaiman Al-}}
Category:Kogod School of Business alumni
Category:Emirati television presenters
Category:Emirati businesspeople in real estate
Category:Emirati football chairmen and investors
Category:Manchester City F.C. directors and chairmen
Category:Portsmouth F.C. directors and chairmen
Category:Emirati chief executives