New Brighton & Hove Albion chairman Tony Bloom insists he is not a League One version of Chelsea’s Roman Abramovich, despite his huge cash injection into the club.
Bloom has given them £80 million of his internet gambling fortune, prompting local newspaper comparisons with the Russian oligarch.
But the 39-year-old insists any likeness to Abromovich cannot be justified, simply because his generosity is motivated by nothing other than love for his team.
“There have been comparisons, which I wasn’t expecting,” he said. “There are huge differences between us, and one of the most significant is that I have been a passionate Brighton fan for over 30 years.
“My Grandad Harry was vice-chairman for nine years in the seventies, my uncle Ray has been involved for 20 years, and I saw my first match at the Goldstone Ground in 1978.”
And it is that family feel which drives Bloom to help Albion move to their proposed new Falmer Stadium.
He admitted: “This is primarily for the love of the club, to make sure generations to come, grandchildren of our fans, my grandchildren, have a football club, and a stadium to play at.
“We’ve got a huge head start because we won’t have interest or debts to pay. This is all my money. It is not loans from banks, and it is not somebody else’s money.”
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