China's "investment assault on European football has gathered further momentum" as a Chinese takeover of Premier League club Hull City "appears imminent," according to CHINA DAILY. The sale of Hull City to siblings Dai Yongge and Dai Xiu Li "is imminent." The pair recently registered a new U.K.-based company -- Renhe Goldenway Sports Management Ltd. -- at London's Companies House, according to the Hull Daily Mail. Should current club Owner Assem Allam "go ahead with the sale, ownership of the club will likely be transferred to this new firm." The brother and sister duo "are both registered as directors of the company, along with a third individual, Hao Tang." The Dai family made its fortune in the '90s by "converting old bomb shelters into underground malls." Their company, Renhe Commercial Holdings, owns shopping centers in dozens of cities around China. Dai Xiu Li owns a home in London. She and her brother were pictured at the KCOM Stadium for Hull's season opener on Aug. 13, and it is said "she developed a love of football while taking her son to Premier League matches." Hull City Supporters Trust Vice-Chair Ryan Richardson said, "We don't know much about the Chinese investors, but we are quite hopeful and optimistic about [the sale] because of the controversy around the current owners -- they are deeply unpopular, so everyone is hoping this takeover goes through" (CHINA DAILY, 8/24).
