Exclusive: Wael Al Qadi makes new claims on Bristol Rovers exit | OneFootball

Wael Al Qadi has outlined his exit as Bristol Rovers President

Former Bristol Rovers owner Wael Al Qadi has spoken of his sorrow and grief at the current situation at the club, and his sense of being pushed out of the North Bristol outfit following the implementation of a new leadership structure and subsequent broken assurances.

In an exclusive and revealing interview with Football League World, Al Qadi was asked whether he felt pushed out of Bristol Rovers, to which the Jordanian businessman replied: “I guess you could say that.”

That question was put to Mr Al Qadi as he outlined his decision to sell the remainder of his shares to majority-owner Hussain Al Saeed.

Rapid deterioration in relations at board level amid broken assurances

Al Qadi first introduced Kuwaiti-businessman Hussain Al Saeed as the new majority owner in 2023 after selling 55% of his stake in Bristol Rovers’ parent company Duane Sports.

An agreement was then later struck for Al Saeed to acquire all the remaining shares over an 18-month period.

It was initially expected that Al Qadi would remain a central figure at the club, albeit with a minority stake. However, a new leadership structure was quickly installed whereby Abdullatif Al Saeed — the son of Hussain Al Saeed — became club Vice-President and wished to take control of every aspect of the club’s day-to-day running.

Things quickly turned sour in the relationship as the Al Saeed’s promises made before the deal was signed were swiftly dropped.

Among the assurances Al Qadi was repeatedly told that, due to their inexperience, the Al Saeed’s would lean on him and others, including then-CEO Tom Gorringe as mentors.

Al Qadi revealed that he and the Al Saeed's had also agreed not to sell their best players — instead, the club would offer improved contracts to the likes of Aaron Collins and Antony Evans – to build on recent successes.

Al Qadi said: “You already have a strong squad at the time, we were well-positioned to challenge to go up to the Championship. We had a great striker, great players, and the agreement we want to build on that. It meant Aaron Collins, new contract; Evo new contract. All of that was agreed. But when they came in (the Al Saeed’s), that changed. Aaza sold in January and Evans in the summer.”

He continued: “From my experience, we look back, we sold JCH (Jonson Clarke-Harris), we got relegated. The exact same thing happened. We sold our best striker and got relegated. I told them this at the time.

“You have to listen to people who have experience, and who have been there and suffered because of previous experience.”

Al Qadi on the communication breakdown at Bristol Rovers

Al Qadi would continue by revealing that no board meetings ever took place while he was still part-owner of the club and that he and others had warned the Al Saeed's about the consequences of decisions they were taking: “At the beginning before they came in, they were listening, humble, and the intentions were great. But all that changed when they wanted to have a go by themselves”

Then asked if he felt pushed out, Al Qadi replied: “How would you feel if you were in my situation? Helpless and like you can't contribute to anything. So I guess you could say that.

“I totally get it, they're father and son and took over majority shares.”

Speaking with a palpable sorrow, Al Qadi continued: “I felt we could go places. I had a partner and things were looking upwards. Then, all of a sudden, they wanted to have a go at running the club, and it's their right. They are the majority owners, and they did what they thought seemed right. Even though I thought what they were doing was wrong, I was helpless at stopping it”.

Asked why he felt he had to go, He added: “I didn’t want to be a spectator who had to pay his share and not have a right or a say in anything. And that’s an obvious reason why you should leave. We didn’t even have board meetings a single time I was there.

“Players were bought, I got a phone call after the fact about this and that. I kept finding out through Twitter(X) that we signed this guy and that guy, sacked this guy and that guy. I don’t think anyone else would allow themselves to remain in that situation.”

Mr Al Qadi was keen to stress that he wasn’t angry or seeking confrontation and there was no sense of anger or bitterness in his tone. The sorrow and grief at how events unfolded, however, was clear.

Following Hussain Al Saeed's recent club Q&A, some Bristol Rovers supporters interpreted the Chairman’s comments on the sale as Wael Al Qadi having refused to commit to wages for the remainder of the season. When asked about this, Al Qadi said: “I utterly refute that claim.”

Continuing: “What I think happened there was that Hussain, maybe his command of the English language or something, got lost in translation there. What I think he meant to say is, because I left, and he took over my shares, he had to fund the club 100%, so the club is reliant on him and if it wasn't for him the club would go into administration. Which is of course correct. But if you remember, at the time, it was done as per an agreement and an agreement takes time to prepare legally with the lawyers. And everything, as far as I can remember, was done in a very amicable way. If you remember, I capitalised the debt at Rovers several times, so why would I put the club in jeopardy by not paying wages?

“If that was the case, that wages were in jeopardy of being paid or not paid, you would have heard about it from anyone in the club, but this is not the case at all and, like I said, I'm sure that's not what he meant.”

Asked directly what the reason was for the transfer being completed early, Al Qadi said: “So, basically, you know, just moving forward, our agreement was based on a period of time, but that was brought forward. Both parties came to an agreement to bring it forward. That's all. And this is all depending on internal factors that happened inside the club, but mainly due to new regulations in terms of funding the club moving forward, there's been a change in regulations by the EFL where proof of funding has had to be presented beforehand, so when we did the agreement, none of those regulations were present at the time, and they came up after the agreement of sale. So, again, there's no issue there, and it was done in total harmony.”

The interview concluded with Al Qadi expressing his pride at the legacy he leaves behind. Among other things, he cited the capitalisation of club debt, ownership for the first time of a training facility and unforgettable last-gasp promotions. But mostly he said he is proud of his relationships with many Gasheads. He said: “So you know all these things, but the most thing I'm proud of is my relationship with many Gasheads. They've become proper friends. They made me feel as if I'm a Gashead with them.”

He concluded by saying: “I have the opportunities to go into other clubs, but because of that goodwill, I wouldn't go into another club out of respect and the goodwill I have with the Gasheads. I don't want to be seen as like a competitor to my club, which is Rovers.”

Ultimately, it was a sad way for a successful tenure to come to an end. Al Qadi achieved great things with Bristol Rovers which he won't want to be overshadowed by the transfer of ownership. And perhaps the recent actions of the new owner to reinstall a CEO at the club was some kind of acknowledgment that bad decisions were made, presenting hope for the future. Now, Gasheads will just want the downward spiral to be halted and for the new owner to have learned from his tumultuous start at BS7.