Balram Chainrai: I had wonderful times at Portsmouth - but we allowed the fans to take over for the betterment of the city

Balram Chainrai insists he ‘allowed’ Pompey’s ownership to be taken out of his hands in the interests of benefiting the city.
Former Pompey owner Balram Chainrai claims he agreed to fan ownership taking control of Pompey because he felt it would benefit the cityFormer Pompey owner Balram Chainrai claims he agreed to fan ownership taking control of Pompey because he felt it would benefit the city
Former Pompey owner Balram Chainrai claims he agreed to fan ownership taking control of Pompey because he felt it would benefit the city

The two-time Blues chairman was a controversial figure at Fratton Park, culminating in a High Court case in April 2013 to force his relinquishment of Fratton Park.

An out-of-court settlement was eventually agreed at the death, removing Chainrai’s charge from Pompey’s home for £3m – a bill met by fan ownership, who also took the club out of administration.

Hide Ad
Hide Ad

Zanda Film’s 89-minute documentary, Our Club, which was released in may 2019, contained a rare interview to Chainrai.

The cost of streaming the film has now been reduced for April, with previous unseen footage of key protagonists contained in the package.

That includes Hong Kong businessman Chainrai, who insisted he let go of Pompey for the ‘betterment’ of all.

He told Our Club: ‘We were really bent on doing our utmost to save the club, we were under a lot of pressure from a lot of different people, especially the administrators to let go.

Hide Ad
Hide Ad

‘Eventually, I’m not sure how it happened, we let go and parted company and I think it was done in a very amiable way, but I lost a lot of money.

‘It was a deal we allowed to go through for the sake and for the betterment of the city of Portsmouth, Portsmouth Football Club and for the Portsmouth fans because we were told new stadiums would be built, new training grounds would be done, it would also improve the city of Portsmouth – hence we decided to let go, and we did.

‘It’s reality and we faced it. I have no regrets, it was one of the most wonderful times I experienced in my life, being designated chairman.

‘I have received a lot of very nice letters from fans, I have received some not so nice letters from fans, but I suppose everyone is allowed to voice their opinion.

Hide Ad
Hide Ad

‘I have no regrets, nothing against the fans, I wish them all the best.

‘In business you win some and you lose some, and this was one I lost – but I lost happily in the end.’

Our Club is now priced £3.99, reduced from £5.99, and can be viewed from April 10 at https://vimeo.com/ondemand/ourclub

To take advantage of this offer, use the code COVIDAPRIL.

In the new footage, Chainrai added: ‘We never took any money out of the football club, the accounts are accounts, there is no way to hide accounts, it is all public knowledge.

Hide Ad
Hide Ad

‘We did recover some monies from the sale of the stadium to the administrator and the party.

‘It was not a significant amount, but an amount I had to be happy with.’

A message from the Editor

Thank you for reading this story on portsmouth.co.uk. While I have your attention, I also have an important request to make of you.

With the coronavirus lockdown having a major impact on many of our advertisers - and consequently the revenue we receive - we are more reliant than ever on you taking out a digital subscription.

Hide Ad
Hide Ad

Subscribe to portsmouth.co.uk and enjoy unlimited access to local news and information online and on our app. With a digital subscription, you can read more than 5 articles, see fewer ads, enjoy faster load times, and get access to exclusive newsletters and content. Visit our Subscription page now to sign up.

Our journalism costs money and we rely on advertising, print and digital revenues to help to support them. By supporting us, we are able to support you in providing trusted, fact-checked content for this website.

Comment Guidelines

National World encourages reader discussion on our stories. User feedback, insights and back-and-forth exchanges add a rich layer of context to reporting. Please review our Community Guidelines before commenting.