After losing against Fulham 2-0, Southampton became the first side to be dropped from the Premier League, ending their 11-year tenure in England’s top level.
With two games left in its first full season after being taken over by Sport Republic, an investment company in the sports and entertainment sector owned by Serbian tycoon Dragan Solak, Southampton’s demise seemed set.
At St. Mary’s stadium, Fulham defeated Southampton thanks to goals from Carlos Vinicius and Aleksandar Mitrovic, who was playing in his debut match after serving an eight-game suspension for grabbing a referee. British Prime Minister Rishi Sunak, a Southampton supporter, was at the stadium.
With games against Brighton and Liverpool remaining, Southampton is eight points from being in the clear.
The Premier competition is the most competitive competition in the world, and despite our club’s unwavering efforts, our performance just wasn’t good enough to keep us there.
“We are especially disappointed and dismayed that Southampton’s first season under our stewardship resulted in relegation. Even if everyone is disappointed by the decision, now is the moment to show solidarity.
Eastern European telecoms behemoth United Group was founded by Solak. His Sport Republic investment company acquired the 80% shareholding owned by Chinese investor Gao Jisheng, who had been the club’s principal stakeholder since 2017, in January 2022.
“We want to reassure our supporters, our partners, and our staff that we remain fully committed to achieving long-term success for the club at the top level,” the statement from Sport Republic stated.
“We now need to think back on the things we can take away from this season and be ready for the Championship’s difficulties. We want to go back into the Premier League as quickly as we can and make sure we remain there. To secure the club’s long-term viability at the highest level, we will continue to put our attention on its growth both on and off the field.
