Egyptian businessmen aren't just involved in exports and imports, trading abroad or setting up factories in Europe, as their activities also extend to soccer. Some of them have bought clubs in Britain and Belgium. Assem Allam, is the second Egyptian to own an English club after Mohamed el-Fayed, who owns Fulham. Allam, a self-made man, recently bought England's Hull City, replacing former owner Russell Bartlett. "We are delighted to have reached an agreement with Russell Bartlett to take a controlling stake in Hull City,” he said. Allam began working as a porter in England after he was expatriated from Egypt in 1968, due to what has been described as the “harsh regime of late President Gamal Abdel-Nasser”. Allam sold all his belongings in Egypt and flew to England, where he discovered that he'd been sold fake British currency and had to start from square one. The Egyptian business icon worked day and night for an electrical company, until he bought it and renamed it ‘Allam Marine for Electrical Generators', now one of the world's biggest companies. "Our strengths are in business expertise and financial management. We will leave the football decisions to those who know best. "The arrangements mean we will take over the club's debts and we have set aside funds for working capital, in order to secure new players in the January transfer window. "The financial stability of the club and its long-term success are of paramount importance to us both,” he commented. Allam's company has done work for royalty in England and the United Arab Emirates. He himself is now considering paying off the club's debts of £35 million. The Egyptian businessman has already bought shares worth £20 million in the club. Hull city in brief: Founded in 1904, Hull City Association Football Club is an English football club based in Kingston-upon-Hull, East Riding of Yorkshire. They play in the Championship League. In 2007-8, they achieved promotion to the top flight of English football for the first time in their history, by winning the Championship play-off final at Wembley Stadium. They finished the 2008-9 season 17th in the Premier League table, avoiding relegation by one point. The previous highest position Hull City had finished in the English Football League was third in the old Second Division in1909-10, which they matched in 2007-8 when they gained promotion. Their greatest achievement in cup competitions came in 1930, when the team reached the semi-finals of the FA Cup. Hull's first competitive football match was in the Football Association Cup, but they were eliminated, after a replay, in the preliminary round against Stockton, the score being 7-4 on aggregate. After disputes with landlords at The Boulevard, Hull City moved to Anlaby Road Cricket Ground. After having played 44 friendly fixtures the previous season, Hull City were finally admitted into the Football League Second Division for the 1905-06 season.
