Owners of Premier League club Brentford buy Spanish third-tier team Mérida

LONDON (AP) — The owner of Premier League club Brentford has completed the acquisition of Spanish third-tier team Mérida.

Brentford said Tuesday its holding company, Best Intentions Analytics, has bought all the shares of Merida, which was only founded 12 years ago.

The team in the western Spain region of Extremadura is in contention for promotion to the second division.

Brentford is owned by Matthew Benham, a former hedge fund manager who developed statistical models for betting on soccer, and has built a reputation as a smartly run, data-driven club that rose into the Premier League in 2021.

Benham previously owned Danish club Midtjylland in an early example of multi-club ownership networks that have rapidly expanded in the soccer industry, but he sold his majority share in 2023.

___

AP soccer: https://apnews.com/hub/soccer

News from © The Associated Press, . All rights reserved.
This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten or redistributed.

Join the Conversation!

Want to share your thoughts, add context, or connect with others in your community? Create a free account to comment on stories, ask questions, and join meaningful discussions on our new site.

Leave a Reply

The Associated Press

The Associated Press is an independent global news organization dedicated to factual reporting. Founded in 1846, AP today remains the most trusted source of fast, accurate, unbiased news in all formats and the essential provider of the technology and services vital to the news business. More than half the world’s population sees AP journalism every day.