Marwan Koukash

Marwan Koukash (born in Palestine, December 1958[1][2]), is a businessman and leading Thoroughbred racehorse owner, whose horses have won valuable races including the Critérium de Maisons-Laffitte, Cesarewitch Handicap, City and Suburban Handicap, Ayr Gold Cup and Chester Cup. He is also the owner of Salford Red Devils rugby league club.[3]

His net worth is estimated to be anywhere between $900 million[4] to $3 billion.[5]

Early life and business career

Koukash was born on the west bank of the River Jordan in December 1958. When he was eight years old, his family farm was bombed. With nowhere to live, his mother walked him and his seven siblings for three days without food until they reached the River Jordan and across into Arab Jordan. There they spent three years in a refugee camp, before moving to Kuwait.[1] Eventually, he moved to Britain to progress his education, and settled in St Helens to study at the local technical college.[3] He graduated from Liverpool John Moores University and progressed to get a PhD in electrical engineering. He taught at the university for five years, and was appointed Director of International Business. In 1992 he set up EuroMaTech, a corporate training company, from which he derived much of his wealth.[1]

Horse racing

He was introduced to horse racing by his bank manager, and had his first winner in 2007. In 2012 he had 101 winners, who accumulated over £1m in prize money.[1] His racing silks are grey with a gold star[6] and many of his horses are named after his son, Gabrial and daughters, Lexi and Layla.[1][7] He owns a pre-training facility in Knowsley and uses various trainers including Richard Fahey and Kevin Ryan.[6]

It is claimed that he is the biggest owner of race horses in Britain.[8]

Salford Red Devils

In 2013, Koukash took over the loss-making Super League club, Salford City Reds. His interest in rugby league began when he went to watch St Helens matches with his family. He was encouraged to take ownership of Salford by the Rugby Football League chief executive Nigel Wood, who had met Koukash on a flight to Dubai.[9] Koukash aims to make the club the biggest in Super League, rebranding them as Salford Red Devils in 2013 and signing 14 new players.

Australian National Rugby League

In 2014, Koukash made public his ambitions of purchasing a team in the Australian National Rugby League (NRL) before the 2015 season. The NRL is considered world's most competitive rugby league competition, in a country where rugby league is more popular than rugby union.[10]

In 2016, he also announced his plans to take an English team (the "British Bulldogs") and have then play in the NRL in Australia, with the help of airline and hotel sponsorship.[11]

References

  1. 1 2 3 4 5 Roberts, Nigel (21 January 2013). "More on Marwan - just who is Dr Koukash anyway?". salfordonline.com. Retrieved 8 May 2013.
  2. ↑ Jamie Jones-Buchanan (7 June 2013). "JJB meets Marwan Koukash". Rugby League World. Retrieved 23 February 2015.
  3. 1 2 "Rainford-based Marwan Koukash set to be unveiled as new Salford rugby league club owner". St Helens Star. 31 January 2013. Retrieved 8 May 2013.
  4. ↑ ADAM MOBBS (October 31, 2013). "Racing's super-rich owners in a race for Melbourne Cup glory". NEWS CORP AUSTRALIA NETWORK. Retrieved 16 July 2014.
  5. ↑ "English billionaire Marwan Koukash targets Newcastle Knights ownership to go with ESL’s Salford". News Limited. July 16, 2014. Retrieved 16 July 2014.
  6. 1 2 Wright, Chris (13 April 2013). "Horse Power: Merseyside-based owner Dr Marwan Koukash can land". Liverpool Echo. Retrieved 8 May 2013.
  7. ↑ "Gabrial is my best chance at Chester - Koukash". Racing Post. 7 May 2013. Retrieved 8 May 2013.
  8. ↑ "Billionaire Koukash linked to Newcastle Knights". AAP (Fairfax New Zealand Limited). 16 July 2014. Retrieved 4 June 2015.
  9. ↑ Hadfield, Dave (27 January 2013). "Saving Salford gives much-needed boost". The Independent. Retrieved 8 May 2013.
  10. ↑ http://www.smh.com.au/rugby-league/league-news/marwan-koukash-i-want-to-own-an-nrl-club-in-time-for-next-years-kickoff-20140826-108lox.html
  11. ↑ Association, Press (2015-01-26). "Salford owner Marwan Koukash wants ‘British Bulldogs’ to play in NRL". The Guardian. ISSN 0261-3077. Retrieved 2016-02-01.
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