Żabbar St Patrick Football Club has entered a new era in its 114-year history following the signing of a landmark investment agreement with Dragan Šolak and his partners. The partnership will see Żabbar St Patrick become part of a wider multi-club football environment, creating opportunities for the Club to benefit from international expertise, knowledge and collaboration across key areas including football operations, recruitment, player development, performance and club management.
The agreement follows an Extraordinary General Meeting during which club members approved a motion to transform the Club’s football operations into a Sports Private Limited Liability Company (SPLLC). Under the agreement, Mr Šolak and his partners will acquire a 65% shareholding in the SPLLC, bringing international football experience, expertise and investment to the Club.
The agreement was formally signed on Friday at the Malta FA National Football Centre, Ta’ Qali.
The long-term objective is to strengthen the Club at every level and develop a professional and sustainable structure capable of becoming one of the leading football organisations in Malta, both on and off the pitch.
Żabbar St. Patrick President Ryan Otto, who signed the agreement on behalf of the club, said “This has been quite a journey from the very whatever run of Maltese football, something that seemed impossible in the beginning, but something that was only made possible through the efforts of everybody. The amount of dedication from past and present members, the community, everybody involved, without everybody doing their little bit, it could have never happened.”
“Being here today, signing off on this historic moment that will take the club forward, gives me great pride. And for me, ultimately, the quality of the investors is more important than anything else. I think that we found a common understanding with the people that came here, a common mentality, a common vision, and I think this is the most important thing out of this whole transaction.”
“It’s not merely a financial transaction, it’s about bringing together the people that are the same, have the same values, and share the vision for the future of this club. So, I’m looking forward to being a part of the journey along the way, and I’d just like to say one last thank you for everyone else that made this possible … there are hundreds of people in the background that contributed to making this possible today.”
Vice-President Fabio Muscat, who played a key role in the negotiations, said the signing of this agreement was one of the most important moments in the club’s one hundred and fourteen years of history.
“It’s a privilege and an honour for me to stand before you today but I would like to tell you what we think, what is so far one of the most important moments of 114 years of this city of Żabbar St Patrick Football Club. For 114 years, this club has had a story to tell. Not a story defined by age and trophies, but a story defined by people, personal experience, voluntary work, sacrifice and perseverance.
“Yesterday, our members took a historic decision. They approved a motion that allowed us to construct a new structure and a new future. Today, we take that step. We will sign an agreement that I truly believe that can change the direction of this club for generations to come.”
“For me personally, this is a very emotional moment. What you see today is the result of a number of months of conversations, meetings and discussions, and most importantly, bringing people together and all to share a belief that Żabbar St Patrick’s can be something much bigger than what it is today. “From the beginning, this was very simply a hope, a lesson.”
“It was by finding people who shared our vision and who could bring the experience, knowledge, resources to help us live a stronger, but also a more professional football club Żabbar. Today, we have Żabbar, its family and partners. I believe we have found partners who share the vision. Our vision is very clear. We want to strengthen the foundation for Żabbar. We want to raise standards, improve our structures, develop our football operations, and create a team capable of competing at the highest level. And yes, it’s time to dream. We dream of competing for honours. “
“We must remember those who brought us here. I would like to thank the former presidents, committees, especially those who helped in the environment we live in this club, and helped us create the foundation that enabled us to be where we are today. Also, our current president, our committee, our colleagues, our players, and everyone who has supported us during this. “
The key investor is Dragan Šolak a Serbian businessman who, however, holds a Maltese passport. Apart from being the founder and majority owner of the United Group – a leading multi-play telecoms and media provider in the Balkans, Šolak is the lead investor and chairman of investment firm Sport Republic who holds major shareholding in Southampton FC in England, Göztepe in Türkiye and Valenciennes FC in France. He also serves as chairman of Southampton.
Dragan Šolak said “My family grew really fond of and is proud of Malta. So, for a while we were looking at a project that could get us closer to the society, to the people of Malta.”
“I’d like to thank the Malta Premier League and the Malta Football Association for helping to change the legislative environment so that the clubs can actually become companies and we can do a proper investment into that. When we came across the opportunity to become part of Zabbar St. Patrick, it felt like a dream came true because we found a club that had great history and extremely passionate people around it. Everything we learned about the club and people who worked in the club was really tremendously positive. And being part of this investment is really something very special to us all. We are really glad and grateful to find such a great opportunity. “
“Our idea is very simple. We would like to help the club grow. We would like to help the club grow sustainably, which means for a long time, with the basis that will ensure the club’s functionality and definitely the sporting success. “
Dragan Šolak said he wished the rest of the clubs in Malta follow the same route which would help improve the level of the local game.
“We have this multi-club platform that grows over four countries. And absolutely all of our other clubs are welcoming Żabbar St. Patrick into the family and they will do everything possible to help with the practice, the knowledge, the software, anything they can do to basically make the transition to a full professional football club faster and more successful.
“I think it’s already happening. In fact, we saw a number of players who already came from Żabbar as part of the cooperation between Goztepe and Żabbar. And then we’ll try to do very similar things with Valenciennes and also hopefully with Southampton.”
“I think there’s a lot to do. And we believe that we have the knowledge and the resources to do it, especially because we see this incredible group of people around the club who are really willing to give their time and effort and they have huge loyalty and love for the club. Because that’s the most important thing.”
He added that apart from him and his family and Vladislav Ratajac, there is another female investor who was also eager to be part of this project and decided to invest in Żabbar.
“So we really believe that we have everything possible, everything needed between us to make this story successful and we will do this project together.”
Vladislav Ratajac added that for him personally, this meant much more than just an investment.
“Malta has been my home for the last almost eight years, and now with this Żabbar involvement, I’m really starting to feel like I also have a family here. So I’m looking forward to giving much more than an investment here. It’s really about my time, resources, everything that I can offer that we can together make this great story. And last but not least, thanks a lot to Dragan, someone that I have been working with for a long time, and we have been through a lot together. We made many success stories together, and I’m hoping that this will be another one based on family, friendship, and trust.”
Ratajac thanked committee members for their passion and enthusiasm which has been inspiring for him.
