Hull City's Turkish chair Ilicali plans to invest in Slovenian club NK Maribor

By Selcuk Bugra Gokalp

ANKARA (AA) – The Turkish chair of English club Hull City has unveiled his plans to invest in Slovenian football club NK Maribor.

"After researching which club in Slovenia is the most suitable for us, we decided that this club is Maribor. I was in Maribor last week, I really like the city, I really like the stadium and I really like the people who run the club," Acun Ilicali told Slovenian media in remarks published Monday.

Saying he also respects clubs such as Mura and Olimpija, he added: "In the end, you have to make a decision, we searched and thought for two months, but now I think that the team and I have decided that this is the right project, with great fans, great people and a great city."

Ilicali, 54, also said he was surprised that Slovenia was not a more serious target for investors and that he might attract others to invest in this country's football.

Ilicali, founder of the Turkish-based Acun Medya media company, completed the purchase of Hull City, an English Football League Championship side, in January 2022.

The Acun Medya Group, founded in 2004, has become a major international production company and broadcasting group.

Besides producing daytime and primetime content in Europe, South America, and North America, the company operates two national mainstream TV channels in Türkiye.

In the Championship standings, Hull City are currently in the number seven spot with 70 points after 45 matches.