Mohed Altrad revealed he planned to invest £10M ($13.2M) into Premiership Rugby side Gloucester and has "pointed the finger at Bath for thwarting his attempt to invest in the club," according to Robert Iles of GLOUCESTERSHIRE LIVE. The Syrian-born billionaire also revealed he "wanted to sign South African stars Jan Serfontein, Pat Lambie and Johan Goosen to help the club win Premiership and build a hybrid pitch." His bid to buy 45% of shares from majority shareholder Martin St. Quinton was blocked by Premiership Rugby in April as it limited it to 20% "due to a perceived conflict of interest" as he already owns French Top 14 club Montpellier, "causing him to walk away from the deal." Gloucester CEO Stephen Vaughan previously revealed that "more Premiership clubs voted against the proposals than for it but said he could not specify who was opposed." However, Alrad said, "With Gloucester, the idea was to create a synergy between two countries. The idea was to create a hybrid pitch, invest in the academy, commit £10 million and win the Premiership. ... I was told there was a very big resistance from Bath. They didn't want to have somebody else nearby. Their owner, Bruce Craig, is an influential person. It's a pity" (GLOUCESTERSHIRE LIVE, 10/23).
