October DealsAmazon USOctober deal check: compare before you payAmazon US: current deals, useful picks and tech finds.Check DealsPC HealthRecommendedCrashes, freezes, slowdowns? Check your PC nowSpot repairable issues before they interrupt work.Check PCOctober DealsAmazon USDeal season is back - check today's better picksAmazon US: current deals, useful picks and tech finds.See Picks×
Skip to content
The Finance Base
The Money Desk · Blog
Re:

Who Owns Southampton FC? Sport Republic, Dragan Šolak and His Net Worth

Southampton’s ownership runs through Sport Republic and St Mary’s Football Group. Dragan Šolak’s often-cited £1.4bn wealth estimate dates to 2022 and is not a current audited valuation.
From TheFinanceBase Team4 min to read
Special offer. See more information about Outbyte and uninstall instructions. Please review EULA and Privacy policy.

Southampton FC is wholly owned by St Mary’s Football Group Ltd, in which Sport Republic is the majority owner and Katharina Liebherr retains a minority stake. The club identifies Sport Republic lead investor Dragan Šolak as its ultimate beneficial owner. The best-documented estimate of Šolak’s personal wealth is £1.4 billion, reported by The Guardian in 2022—not a current or audited net-worth figure.

Who owns Southampton FC?

Southampton’s official ownership description distinguishes the club’s immediate parent from the investors who control that parent: Saints is wholly owned by St Mary’s Football Group Ltd; Sport Republic is the majority owner of St Mary’s Football Group, while Katharina Liebherr holds a minority interest. The club names Šolak as its ultimate beneficial owner. Southampton’s leadership page gives the club’s current public description of that structure.

Companies House separately lists Dragan Solak—the register’s spelling, without the diacritic—as the active person with significant control of Sport Republic Holding Ltd. It records that he controls 75% or more of that company’s shares and voting rights and can appoint or remove directors. That register entry concerns Sport Republic Holding Ltd.; it does not say he personally owns 75% or more of Southampton FC. Companies House: persons with significant control.

How Sport Republic acquired control

Sport Republic acquired a controlling 80% stake in Southampton in January 2022. Šolak was the lead investor in the consortium, alongside Sport Republic co-founders Rasmus Ankersen and Henrik Kraft. The 80% figure describes the acquisition at that time, not the club’s current detailed shareholding. The Guardian’s takeover report and Milbank’s account of the transaction identify Šolak as lead investor.

Special offer. See more information about Outbyte and uninstall instructions. Please review EULA and Privacy policy.
#1 Best Overall
Southampton Soccer Jersey T-Shirt
  • Soccer Jersey design. Southampton Soccer shirt for men, women, adult, youth, boys, girls, kids, and all ages
  • Cool Southampton soccer jersey inspired design; Perfect Southampton football and soccer gift
  • Lightweight, Classic fit, Double-needle sleeve and bottom hem

A 2025 Premier League ownership report from Norton Rose Fulbright provides a more detailed, but dated, corporate snapshot: it describes Sport Republic Holding Ltd. as indirectly holding 89% of St Mary’s Football Group Ltd., with Liebherr holding 11%. It lists Sport Republic Holding’s shareholders as Šolak 74.9%, Kraft 10.2%, Dirk Gerkens 5.6%, Ankersen 5.5% and Viktorija Boklag 3.8%. These are figures in the 2025 report, not a current 2026 cap table. The club’s current public page confirms the majority/minority relationship but does not publish a detailed percentage breakdown. Norton Rose Fulbright’s 2025 report.

Who leads the club?

On 14 January 2025, Southampton announced that Kraft had stepped down as club chairman and Šolak had taken the role. The club said Kraft remained a shareholder and on Sport Republic’s board. In the statement, Šolak said: “Whilst I am pleased with many aspects of the club’s management, I am deeply disappointed with the football results this season.” Southampton’s statement of 14 January 2025.

Rank #2
Womens Southampton Soccer Jersey V-Neck T-Shirt
  • Soccer Jersey design. Southampton Soccer shirt for men, women, adult, youth, boys, girls, kids, and all ages
  • Cool Southampton soccer jersey inspired design; Perfect Southampton football and soccer gift
  • Lightweight, Classic fit, Double-needle sleeve and bottom hem

Where did Dragan Šolak’s wealth come from?

The documented business behind Šolak’s wealth is United Group, a telecommunications and media company operating across Southeast Europe. Southampton’s biography says Šolak founded the business. United Group traces its beginnings to a small cable company in 2000, describes subsequent expansion through acquisitions and new operations including SBB and Telemach, and says United Group was formed in 2012. The European Bank for Reconstruction and Development also described it as founded in 2000 by Šolak. United Group’s company history.

United Group says BC Partners became its majority owner in March 2019. That matters when considering Šolak’s wealth: founding a company does not mean he still owns all, or any particular current percentage, of it. The Guardian reported in January 2022 that Šolak retained a 33% stake at that time, but the sources cited here do not establish his current precise holding. The Guardian’s 27 January 2022 profile.

Special offer. See more information about Outbyte and uninstall instructions. Please review EULA and Privacy policy.
Rank #3
Sale
Liverpool FC 25/26 Third Jersey
  • Slim fit Crewneck 100% polyester (recycled) AEROREADY Liverpool FC woven crest

Sport Republic is described by Southampton as a London-based sports and entertainment investment firm. The club says it has majority stakes in Southampton, French club Valenciennes FC and Turkish club Göztepe SK, alongside other football and technology investments. The club page does not give a complete portfolio valuation.

Independent reader supportYour contribution helps us test, update, and keep practical guides available for everyone.Support on Ko-Fi

What is Dragan Šolak’s net worth?

The clearest attributable estimate is £1.4 billion, published by The Guardian on 27 January 2022. The paper said most of the estimated wealth came from Šolak’s reported 33% stake in United Group at that time. This is a dated media estimate, not an audited personal balance sheet, official disclosure or verified current valuation.

Rank #4
Southampton FC | Soccer Fan Scarf | Premium Acrylic Knit
  • Soft, warm, acrylic knit, with soft fringes at either end
  • Southampton team colors of Red, black, white throughout
  • Team name and Jersey logo print on both sides
  • The Ultimate Soccer Fan Accessory
  • Over 5 feet long | Fringes at Each End

United Group’s later financial results cannot update that personal estimate on their own. The company reported revenue of €1,452.6 million and adjusted EBITDAal of €487.5 million for the six months ended 30 June 2026. Those are company-level results for that period; they are not Šolak’s personal income or net worth, nor money available to Southampton. United Group’s H1 2026 results announcement.

For the same reason, a company’s revenue, earnings, former valuation or majority investors’ assets under management cannot be treated as an individual’s net worth. The sources cited here do not establish a current exact personal valuation for Šolak.

Special offer. See more information about Outbyte and uninstall instructions. Please review EULA and Privacy policy.

Quick Recap

Bestseller No. 1
Southampton Soccer Jersey T-Shirt
Southampton Soccer Jersey T-Shirt
Lightweight, Classic fit, Double-needle sleeve and bottom hem
$19.99
Bestseller No. 2
Womens Southampton Soccer Jersey V-Neck T-Shirt
Womens Southampton Soccer Jersey V-Neck T-Shirt
Lightweight, Classic fit, Double-needle sleeve and bottom hem
$24.99
SaleBestseller No. 3
Liverpool FC 25/26 Third Jersey
Liverpool FC 25/26 Third Jersey
Slim fit Crewneck 100% polyester (recycled) AEROREADY Liverpool FC woven crest
$38.65
Bestseller No. 4
Southampton FC | Soccer Fan Scarf | Premium Acrylic Knit
Southampton FC | Soccer Fan Scarf | Premium Acrylic Knit
Soft, warm, acrylic knit, with soft fringes at either end; Southampton team colors of Red, black, white throughout
$26.50
Bestseller No. 5
Southampton England T-Shirt
Southampton England T-Shirt
Southampton England, a design based on the city of Southampton England; Great design for men, women and children / kids from Southampton England
$19.99
Best Value
Southampton England T-Shirt
  • Southampton England, a design based on the city of Southampton England
  • Great design for men, women and children / kids from Southampton England
  • Lightweight, Classic fit, Double-needle sleeve and bottom hem

What the ownership figures do—and do not—mean

  • 80%: Sport Republic’s controlling Southampton stake at the January 2022 acquisition; a historical transaction figure.
  • 89% and 11%: Sport Republic’s indirect holding and Liebherr’s stake in St Mary’s Football Group Ltd. as described in the 2025 ownership report.
  • 75% or more: the Companies House control threshold recorded for Šolak at Sport Republic Holding Ltd.; not a direct personal shareholding percentage in Southampton FC.
  • £1.4 billion: The Guardian’s estimate of Šolak’s wealth in January 2022, with most attributed to a reported United Group stake at that time; not a current audited figure.

Product prices and availability are accurate as of the date/time indicated and are subject to change. Any price and availability information displayed on Amazon at the time of purchase will apply.

Leave a Reply

Your email address will not be published. Required fields are marked *

What’s actually slowing this PC down?

Pick the symptom - the matching free tool is one click away.

Special offer. See more information about Outbyte and uninstall instructions. Please review EULA and Privacy policy.

More post from the Money Desk

  1. The Money DeskBlogTheFinanceBase09 OCT 267 minMortgage Escrow FAQs: Taxes, Insurance, Shortages, and Refunds
  2. The Money DeskBlogTheFinanceBase09 OCT 265 minHow Mortgage Escrow Accounts Work and What Homeowners Pay For
  3. The Money DeskBlogTheFinanceBase09 OCT 265 minHow to Read a Stock Chart, Volume and Market-Cap Data
Recommended PC Tool
Recommended PC Tool
Crashes, No Sound, or Screen Glitches?Free driver scan
PC Slower Than It Used to Be?Free scan - under a minute

Two free Windows tools

One Free Minute Could Fix That PC

Before you go - each of these free tools takes about a minute and tackles what quietly slows a Windows PC down.

Special offer. View Outbyte info, uninstall instructions, EULA, and Privacy Policy.