Cardiff City
Hammam purchased control of Cardiff City at the end of 2000, where he picked up where he left off with Wimbledon. After taking over at Cardiff, Hammam controversially pledged to get the entire Welsh nation to support Cardiff by renaming the club "The Cardiff Celts" and changing the club colours to green, red and white. Although it was decided against this.
At Cardiff he became a cult-hero with fans for taking part in their head-patting 'do the Ayatollah' chant. One such game saw him performing the celebration during an infamous 2-1 home win in the FA Cup against then-Premier League side Leeds United in 2002. This, along with other aspects of his behaviour during the match, was blamed for contributing to the subsequent violence between Leeds and Cardiff fans at the end of the match.
After failing to get the new stadium plans agreed by Cardiff Council due to concerns over financial security in 2006, Hammam agreed to a takeover by a consortium led by new chairman Peter Ridsdale and including local businessman Paul Guy. In March 2008, Cardiff City began a court case against financial backers Langston over the repayment of a loan believed to be worth around £31 million. During the hearing the barrister representing the club named Sam Hammam as the man they believe to be behind the company.
Read more about this topic: Sam Hammam
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