{{short description|French and Israeli businessman}} {{Use dmy dates|date=January 2021}} {{Infobox person | name = Alexandre "Sacha" Gaydamak | native_name = אלכסנדר "סשה" גאידמק | native_name_lang = he | birth_date = May 1976 | birth_place = France | occupation = Businessman | known_for = Former owner of Portsmouth F.C. | parents = Arcadi Gaydamak (father) }}
'''Alexandre "Sacha" Gaydamak''' ({{langx|he|אלכסנדר "סשה" גאידמק}}; born May 1976 in France) is a French and Israeli businessman. A member of the wealthy Gaydamak family, he is the only son of Arcadi Gaydamak.
In January 2006 he announced that he was following his father into association football club ownership by becoming co-owner of English Premier League club Portsmouth F.C. with Milan Mandarić.<ref>{{cite news |url=https://news.bbc.co.uk/sport2/hi/football/teams/p/portsmouth/4574618.stm |title=Portsmouth confirm takeover plans |work=BBC News |date=2 January 2006}}</ref>
His father was the owner of Israeli side Beitar Jerusalem. In July 2006 Alexandre Gaydamak became the sole owner of Portsmouth, although Mandarić remained at the club as non-executive chairman until later that year.<ref>{{cite news|url=http://www.4thegame.com/club/pfc/news/191532/gaydamak_hails_milan.html |title=Gaydamak hails Milan |publisher=4thegame.com |date=19 July 2006 |url-status=dead |archiveurl=https://web.archive.org/web/20060720152432/http://www.4thegame.com/club/pfc/news/191532/gaydamak_hails_milan.html |archivedate=20 July 2006 }}</ref><ref>{{cite news |url=http://home.skysports.com/list.asp?hlid=404321&CPID=8&clid=47&lid=4161&title=Gaydamak+takes+Pompey+control |archive-url=https://archive.today/20070311124606/http://home.skysports.com/list.asp?hlid=404321&CPID=8&clid=47&lid=4161&title=Gaydamak+takes+Pompey+control |url-status=dead |archive-date=11 March 2007 |title=Gaydamak takes Pompey control |publisher=Sky Sports |date=19 July 2006 |author=Mark Buckingham }}</ref> Gaydamak owns a Luxembourg-based company, Belvia SARL and a British Virgin Islands company, Devondale Investments, which owned Portsmouth F.C.<ref>{{cite news | url = http://www.timesonline.co.uk/tol/news/uk/article4969422.ece |title=Portsmouth's chief Alexandre Gaydamak nets fortune in arms sale |work = The Times |date=19 October 2008 | location=London}}{{dead link|date=September 2024|bot=medic}}{{cbignore|bot=medic}}</ref>
On 21 July 2009, Gaydamak agreed to sell Portsmouth F.C. to Sulaiman Al Fahim in principle, and therefore stepped down from the board.<ref>{{cite news|url=http://www.portsmouthfc.co.uk/index.php?cms_ref=news&qs_article_id=2620 |title=Sulaiman Al Fahim becomes Pompey chairman |publisher=Portsmouth F.C |url-status=dead |archiveurl=https://web.archive.org/web/20120324132343/http://www.portsmouthfc.co.uk/index.php?cms_ref=news&qs_article_id=2620 |archivedate=24 March 2012 }}</ref> He remained the owner of the club until the details of the sale had been finalised on 8 June 2009.<ref>{{cite news |url=http://www.timesonline.co.uk/tol/sport/football/premier_league/portsmouth/article6789405.ece |title=Sulaiman Al-Fahim denies takeover of Portsmouth in jeopardy |work = The Times | location=London | date=10 August 2009 | accessdate=2010-04-23}}{{dead link|date=September 2024|bot=medic}}{{cbignore|bot=medic}}</ref>
Gaydamak has been alleged to have asset stripped Portsmouth F.C. before this sale and yet still retains a claim, said to be £32,000,000,<ref>{{cite news|url=https://news.bbc.co.uk/sport1/hi/football/teams/p/portsmouth/8724793.stm |title=Portsmouth creditors offered new deal| publisher = BBC |access-date=2010-06-08 | date=7 June 2010}}</ref> against the club as a creditor despite the huge debts at the club. Investigations into these allegations are ongoing.
On 22 October 2010, Gaydamak's business acumen was called into question after it was reported that he was demanding a payment of an alleged £2.5 million from his former club Portsmouth.<ref>{{cite news|url=http://www.portsmouthfc.co.uk/LatestNews/news/Sacha-Gaydamak-Puts-Future-Of-Portsmouth-In-Jeopardy-1522.aspx |title=Sacha Gaydamk Puts Future of Portsmouth in Jeopardy |publisher=Portsmouth F.C |date=22 October 2010 |url-status=dead |archiveurl=https://web.archive.org/web/20101024200603/http://www.portsmouthfc.co.uk/LatestNews/news/Sacha-Gaydamak-Puts-Future-Of-Portsmouth-In-Jeopardy-1522.aspx |archivedate=24 October 2010 }}</ref><ref>{{cite news|url=https://www.theguardian.com/football/2010/oct/22/portsmouth-administrator-claim |title= Frustrated Portsmouth are not about to go under |work=The Guardian|date=23 October 2010}}</ref> It seems that he was unsure that his unpaid debt would be repaid. The case was made more embarrassing after Portsmouth F.C. had received confirmation several times from Gaydamak himself that the terms were agreed and that he was a secured creditor meaning that not only would be paid in full, but he would also be paid before many unsecured creditors who are set to only receive 20% of any debt.<ref>{{cite news|url=http://www.portsmouthfc.co.uk/LatestNews/news/Sacha-Gaydamak-Puts-Future-Of-Portsmouth-In-Jeopardy-1522.aspx |title=Sacha Gaydamk Puts Future of Portsmouth in Jeopardy |publisher=Portsmouth F.C |date=22 October 2010 |url-status=dead |archiveurl=https://web.archive.org/web/20101024200603/http://www.portsmouthfc.co.uk/LatestNews/news/Sacha-Gaydamak-Puts-Future-Of-Portsmouth-In-Jeopardy-1522.aspx |archivedate=24 October 2010 }}</ref><ref>{{cite news |url=http://www.portsmouth.co.uk/sport/Pompey-creditors-are-offered-20p.6277808.jp |title= Pompey creditors are offered 20p in the pound |publisher=portsmouth.co.uk |date=6 May 2010}}</ref>
==References== {{reflist}}
{{DEFAULTSORT:Gaydamak, Alexandre}} Category:1976 births Category:21st-century French Jews Category:Living people Category:Beitar Jerusalem F.C. Category:French chief executives Category:French football chairmen and investors Category:French people of Russian-Jewish descent Category:Israeli chief executives Category:Israeli football chairmen and investors Category:Israeli people of Russian-Jewish descent Category:Portsmouth F.C. directors and chairmen