Ali al-Faraj
Ali Abdullah Al Faraj, born in 1969 in Riyadh, is a Saudi businessman who was once the majority shareholder of Portsmouth Football Club. He is also known as Ali Al-Faraj. He was reportedly introduced to Portsmouth by the club’s CEO Peter Storrie, with help from Israeli agent Pini Zahavi, as the club faced financial trouble. He formed a group with other investors and Storrie to bid for the club. The then-owner Alexandre Gaydamak rejected the bid and sold to Dubai businessman Sulaiman Al-Fahim.
About 40 days later, on 5 October 2009, Al-Faraj bought a 90% stake in Portsmouth through Falcondrone Ltd from Al-Fahim. Al-Fahim had underestimated the capital needed and struggled to attract investment, while Gaydamak faced accusations of transferring club assets to family companies at reduced fees.
In February 2010, it became public that Al-Faraj financed the purchase with a £17 million bridging loan from Balram Chainrai’s Portpin Ltd. Weeks later, Al-Faraj defaulted on payments, leading Chainrai to take possession of Falcondrone and the club. Portsmouth soon went into administration.
In October 2010, after lengthy court battles, Chainrai bought the club from its receivers to take it out of administration. Some sources claim Al-Faraj is a pseudonym for Chainrai, a claim Chainrai denies. He has not fully explained his dealings with Gaydamak. Chainrai sued Gaydamak for damages around the time of Al-Faraj’s purchase; it’s unclear if the damages were paid. Fans speculated that Chainrai aimed to seize the club and liquidate assets for the court case, while Gaydamak’s family was said to extract value before accounts were frozen.
Outside football, Al-Faraj has interests in SABIC and other businesses such as Saudi Uniform Manufacture, AKETIPS'S, and Easyway Limited, which owns property in Saudi Arabia and the UK. He reportedly has seven brothers and two sisters, including Ahmed al-Faraj, who also claims a stake in SABIC. He is married with two daughters and a son.
This page was last edited on 3 February 2026, at 16:01 (CET).