Dozy Mmobuosi: the anatomy of interviews

Real-time responses to two interviews with prospective SUFC owner, Dozy Mmobuosi.

What follows are two discussions of two interviews given at two moments in time. My reactions to each interview are, likewise, shared in real time; they come with all the biases held by a Sheffield United supporter. My a priori assessments are informed by (1) my experience of being a Blade, and (2) my working experience in communications.

Reflecting on what I’ve written: I’m aware it’s a little negative, cynical even. I have - we all have - been stung by owners before. And I think that scorn, scepticism, scrutiny: these are all more constructive at this stage than unqualified optimism. At the same time, I’d like to point out that I wouldn’t position myself ‘against’ Dozy Mmobuosi, or any owner. Firm but fair, that’s my angle.

Words: Sam Parry

Friday 10 February: Interview #1

It's 14:35

Around twenty-four hours ago, a Youtube channel called FIVE posted a video called Rio [Ferdinand] Talks To Billionaire Business Owner Dozy Mmobuosi About Sheffield United Takeover & Scrutiny. I haven’t watched it yet; late to the party.

My cursor hovers over a bright red play button. Before I click, I’m jotting down a few preconceptions to disabuse myself, and hopefully readers too, of the notion that I can come at this from a neutral point of view. I can’t.

I have biases, and I’m certain that the participants have agendas. I think: 

• that Dozy Mmobuosi stands to secure some latent credibility by doing this interview.

• that Rio Ferdinand - and doubtless a small cohort of colleagues - have seen an opportunity to bolster their channel with thousands more views.

• that this interview is being conducted - by interviewer and interviewee - with a clear understanding that mainstream media would do things differently.

But I'm getting ahead of myself. From what I’ve heard, I know that Dozy Mmobuosi will make some reference to Guinness. This reminds me of a time I sat down for The Blake Pub Quiz and stumbled over a question about which country produces the most Guinness in the world. The answer, of course, is Nigeria.

It's 14:53.

I hit play. 

There's a Nissan advert to skip first. Then Expedia. I can’t drive and I’ve already booked a holiday in Feb so they’re barking up the wrong tree.

As the video begins, an ever-so-slightly bizarre setup emerges. There’s Dozy and Joel Beya (a “Presenter | Influencer” who, admittedly, I’ve never heard of). Perching over their shoulder is a televised Rio Ferdinand. All are staring straight down the barrel of a camera.

Joel introduces the trio; he says of Dozy Mmobuosi:

All around the world, you're known for being a billionaire

I pause the video. I had expected a lot of pausing to collect my thoughts. But perhaps not so soon. Given that he’s delivered it without qualification, can Beya be sure that his description of Mmobuosi as a renowned billionaire is accurate?

It’s 15:04

I hit play again.

Dozy affects a relaxed posture. He seems warm. Pretty open. And we quickly get onto the takeover. Rio hits with the first question:

Why Sheffield United?

Mmobuosi tells us he’s in love with football, it’s history. That six months ago, he was in a pub drinking Guinness in Sheffield, feeling the energy of the city. That he wants to “support” football. That he’s started his own tournament - named for himself - which is “bigger than the Premier League in Nigeria”. STOPS…

I find this hard to believe. David Goldblatt has documented the global appetite for the English Premier League, including in Nigeria, where fans have described it as being “…like a religion”.

CONTINUES… He, Mmobuosi, met with Prince Abdullah. That he sat around the table with lawyers.

Joel:

What’s the process? Where are we now?

Mmobuosi:

(1.) “I trust that they [EFL] have the experts”

(2.) “...all that you see online everywhere is also very wrong.”

I hit pause again. He throws in that second remark without much prompting.

Look, I’m a cynic. I work in comms, pulling together ‘key messages’ and putting them out there in the public. This second comment belongs to a world I’m familiar with: get in, land the message, get out.

There’s no problem with that per se. However, if this interview is to be scrutinised as a ‘comms product’ (rather than the whole truth and nothing but), then it’s worth thinking about how, as Marshall McLuhan put it, the medium is the message.

This video symbolises Dozy Mmobuosi opening himself up to scrutiny; that is the message in the medium. It has a clear agenda: to show fans (and the EFL!) that he is open and transparent. Again, there’s no problem with that. But I would caution against optimism, not on the basis of any empirical evidence for or against Mr Mmobuosi, but simply on the basis that I believe it makes sense for all fans to mistrust owners, and thus, it makes sense to place this interview in the context of a comms strategy.

It’s 15:24

I hit play once again.

Mmobuosi says he believes “we” have provided “everything” to the EFL (although he says he’s open to sending more). Rio interjects:

What will be your intentions, short-term and long-term?

He says it’s “beyond football”. He says the city is not where it should be. He won’t over-promise. He’ll invest in the ground and fan experience. He’s open to getting the best advice and has the best advisers around him. He says nothing stops the fans from participating in ownership in the future. He says he thinks the deal will be done.

I pause again.

Mmobousi is saying the right kind of things. And that’s not insignificant when set against case studies of prospective owners - across the history of football - who have very much said the wrong things. Communicating a positive vision for the club; one that fans can believe in, that suggests a general understanding of SUFC and its stakeholders, is at worst expedient comms and at best a good sign. Only a sign. Words aren’t meaningless. That said, they aren’t actions either. And thus far, we only have words to judge him on.

It’s 15:35

I hit play.

Dozy Mmobuosi says he’s very “liquid”. I chuckle. He’s got the liquid capital to buy Sheffield United; that’s the vibe. He talks about food processing a lot. Something about tomato puree. Is he saying that food processing turns solids into liquids? I’m not sure that’s the logical progression he is trying to construct, although his argument gets a bit muddy when it comes to specifics about his business(es).

He tells us he’s “very qualified”. But I don’t think we, as observers, can determine whether that’s the case from the statements he makes to Rio Ferdinand (although I should say, we can’t determine whether he’s not qualified either).

He tells us “we” have launched an App; “we’ve” started a marketplace to help farmers to sell anywhere in the world; “we’re doing the groundbreaking for what we believe will be the largest food processing in Africa”. It is abundantly clear to me that all of these things are words. They’re definitely words. But are they proof of a flourishing business? Nah, I can’t tell. (I certainly can’t glean anything more than what was said in this article, which suggests that Mmobusi has a $1.6 billion budget for constructing a food processing facility - and that’s not exactly a bad capital base, is it?).

Joel Beya:

Sheffield doesn’t have a strong fan base in Africa. So why Sheffield?

Dozy Mmobuosi:

…the city isn’t where it should be….(second or third time he’s said that)

Joel Beya:

…where should it be?*

I pause again.

That* is the question I want to be answered. Props Joel.

I unpause.

It’s 15:44.

I love the energy in that city. These are people who love their football club. And they are where they are...they are doing very well. To be very frank, this is opportunistic; when the opportunity came I took it. And I said, look, I can make the best use of this opportunity.

I pause.

Joel, Joel, Joel, Joel, Joel….come on! I want to hear a follow-up that digs deeper into the why. Is it simply an opportunity to buy a football club and all that comes with it, or something more?

I unpause.

It’s 15:48.

That question doesn’t quite arrive.

And it’s a shame. Dozy Mmobuosi describes his actions as “opportunistic” and I think all fans would like to better understand his assessment of his opportunity.

Rio interjects with an assumption: let’s say you take over, and then a question:

Fans want to know whether a new owner comes in and makes wholesale changes…does he change the manager…is there an influx of players?

Dozy tells us he’s a very pragmatic person. He doesn’t like disruptions that are not good. And if it’s not in the interest of the club or the people of Sheffield, he won’t do it. And he doesn’t see radical change as being in the interest of the club or the city.

Sounds sensible.

You can well imagine those words tumbling out of the mouth of a fan. And, again, it’s some comfort to hear a prospective owner talking in something like the language of fans. The cynic in me says: that can be learnt. And that’s true. Although wealthy people buying football clubs for millions of pounds don’t often bother to try and speak to fans, and some don’t speak to fans at all.

He says, as a business, he wants Sheffield United to bring in the best and add value. I don’t think there’s much cause for analysis here: who doesn’t want that?

Then Rio comes in with a maddening alley-oop:

So you’re looking to create a sustainable club, then? A club that also makes money, generates money?

What’s Mmobuosi supposed to say to that? No?

What Mmobuosi does tell us is that a promotion this season would be met with an ambition to stay in the top flight.

I pause the video.

I know I’m being negative. But we’re in an interrogative territory so bland, so unimaginative, so unenquiring that my black coffee starts to taste like water; my WFH jogging bottoms seem to morph into long-forgotten, grandmother-bought Rocha John Rocha jeans; bright yellow Crocs become cream slip-on shoes.

The fault for that doesn’t necessarily sit with the interviewee but with his interviewers. They’re making life easy for him when it should be their job to make it more difficult. The medium (openness, transparency, and scrutability) is not translating clearly into the message.

Look, it’s not that I want Mmobuosi’s life to be made needlessly difficult. Although that is, I’m afraid, needful. This is a person (who I’m reserving judgement about) who is supposedly stumping up millions to buy our club. I want something concrete that’s going to convince me.

I unpause.

It’s 16:09

Rio and Joel ask another question:

Do you think because you’re black, because you’re African, that there’s a bit of resistance?

This question is a reminder that the make-up of this interview - one taking place amongst three successful black men - is significant. Doubtless, this is a calculation on all parts. There’s a paucity of black leaders in football, and that’s got diddly-squit to do with a paucity of talent.

Mmobuosi says the UK is the most civilised country he knows but emphasises the point that many outlets have described him as a “Nigerian Businessman”, which he feels is somewhat dehumanising.

I tend to agree with Mmobuosi, although he doesn’t state it outright, that the headlines of some outlets allude to some kind of otherness by reducing a business person to a nationality. And of course, this prods a certain type of person to write certain kinds of social media posts about “Nigerian Prince Email Scams”. I’ve seen a few on Twitter and they are as unfunny as they are unconstructive.

Doubtless, discussions about race and ownership within football are important. If Mmobuosi became the owner, I am certain these conversations - especially on the language of reportage - would become more salient, more pronounced.

However, the interview moves on from this pretty sharpish. And I suspect that is in no small part down to the fact that the EFL’s scrutiny of Mmobuosi is (rightly) detached from these socio-cultural coordinates.

Mmobuosi moves the conversation onto the big red flag.

The Bladesman @The_Bladesman

There's no evidence that Dozy Mmobuosi's '£1 billion' airline company has ever flew a plane, the business address is "forged," and images of a 'Tingo Airlines' jet are photoshopped. It is also nearly three months late with filing basic paperwork. [athletic] #twitterblades #sufc

Or should that be the big red and yellow semaphore flag?

He says he incorporated Tingo Airlines in 2019, just before the pandemic. He registered it through his rented home address in Harpenden but then moved to Nigeria, where the address situation seems to have become muddled.

He starts listing other ventures. Hospitals and the like. And then Rio says something which makes me metaphorically scream and physically guffaw:

I think the big point you're trying to get at is that there has been certain businesses that haven't made the multimillion pounds that some of your other businesses have.

Of course, faced with a Sammonesque tap-in, Dozy Mmobuosi agrees.

He says that the business that people can see is the public business.

We feel as a public company, we're undervalued. For Christ's sake, a business is not just about market cap[italisation].

Aware of time, or lack of it, Rio then cuts in to ask a two-parter:

Are you looking to keep players (after bids for Ndiaye and Berge), and what is your message to the fans?

Mmobuosi describes those players as fantastic. At the same time, it’s very clear that he thinks they need “support” - ergo, new signings of that calibre - if we are promoted. That seems to me quite an ambitious recruitment strategy. What right-minded fan wouldn’t want to see more players of Ndiaye’s ilk on the grass?

Then he tells a quick anecdote about how, years ago, he told his wife that he’d only ever support the club that he owned once he owned them. (Fine, nothing interesting here.)

That is until Rio asks:

Who did you support before?

Mmobuosi replies in the shortest, sharpest exchange of the interview so far:

I’ve never supported any club… … … … the only club I have ever supported is the Super Eagles [Nigeria National Team]

I pause.

This is weird, right? Surely most football fans start out with at least a soft spot for, or more likely full-blown fandom of, one single club? I dunno. Maybe it’s normal. Or maybe it’s untrue. Or maybe it’s untrue but he doesn’t want to admit to supporting another team. Who knows?

I unpause.

It’s 16:39.

Stuff starts getting repeated. To me, this is a clear sign of someone who has landed all his key messages and is now counting down the clock.

Dozy Mmobuosi tells fans that they should see him not as a Nigerian but as a human being who is here to work with us - he’s already said as much.

Rio moves on. Delivering us into ground so well trodden that we’re sliding back down a muddy bank. He asks Mmobuosi whether or not he feels his background makes it harder for him to buy a football club.

Mmobuosi answers - at some length - in the affirmative. Describing himself as the most scrutinised person he knows. He talks about running a public company and the scrutiny that comes with it. He says, again, his company is undervalued. Although this time, we glean a little more: he believes his background has implications for the valuation of his company.

And then he says that this interview is him telling his story, his side of the story and that nobody else can represent the liquidity of his company better than himself. This is a fair, if not illuminating, comment.

Rio then asks:

What will the board look like, in terms of diversity?

Diversity is the watchword, Mmobuosi infers. Gender. Nationality. Ethnicity. He paints a progressive, inclusive picture.

Joel then asks:

Why has there been a lack of diversity in club ownership? There’s not a lot of black owners.

He says he thinks there’s more scrutiny for black owners and suggests that it’s not necessarily financial scrutiny but the personal kind.

The conversation is wheeling around in tight circles now. These are questions and answers we’ve heard before in the space of minutes. Then there’s a clunky edit. The conversation stops and restarts again in an entirely different place. Who knows what was said in the intervening moments?

Either way, when we return, what do we get?

A story. One we’ve already heard.

Mmobuosi says he told his wife that he would ONLY ever support the club that he buys (you’ve already told that one mate). He adds that he’s already bought a Blades shirt for his son (has the crest dropped off yet?)

Joel then asks whether Mmobuosi will open himself up to scrutiny from fans, with direct access from fan to owner.

Mmobuosi seems open to this idea without putting flesh on the bones just yet. He’s not going to be handing out his phone number, but he pictures something along the lines of quarterly fan panels. And he’d like to share his love of Jollof Rice with the fans (and I’d certainly love to get involved in eating it).

I can see the video is almost at an end. But before we get there, Joel asks a question that was pretty much covered within the first five minutes:

How long until the deal is done?

Mmobuosi says it’s unfortunate that the deal is public. (why, I thought he welcomed scrutiny?). But he is an open book, ready to assist the EFL in answering all the questions they have (which he said already in the first five minutes).

There are some niceties shared in the closing. Rio wishes Dozy Mmobuosi good luck.

And we’re done.

It’s 16:54.

I’m going to run a bath, charge my vape, and get tea on. Now that I’ve heard Jollof Rice mentioned, I’d like to eat that.

But that’s not the end.

It’s 18:53.

I’ve had my bath, and there’s a curry blipping away in the slow-cooker that I’ve resolved to use more often. It’s time to edit this mass of letters, words and crap sentence fragments. And, oh yeah, I’ve to start thinking about the second part of this article now that Mmobuosi has just done another media round with CNN. I’ll leave the Cable News Network for Sunday. Thankfully it looks to be much shorter.

Sunday 12 February - Interview #2

It’s 09:31.

The Blades beat Swansea yesterday. Aside from the match, I spent my Saturday researching the best places to eat near Bramall Lane for an updated article. Channelling my inner Hungry Caterpillar, I worked my way through one Pineapple Char Siu Bao, one Chicken Shawarma, and one Custard Tart.

This morning, I’m two coffees down and deeply unhungry. I’m about to watch the second interview Dozy Mmbuosi has given on the topic of the takeover. This one is on CNN, the Cable News Network. It is conducted by Darren Lewis, a journalist who’s worked at the Daily Mirror for more than two decades.

Like the first interview, I gather my thoughts, my biases, and note them down. I expect:

• that this won’t be quite such an easy ride for Mmobuosi.

• that Darren Lewis, who is not primarily known as a footballer or an influence but a journalist, is more likely to progress the scrutiny of his questions in a logical manner.

• that Dozy Mmobuosi - fair play to him - is aware of all this.

It’s 09:44.

I hit play. Darren Lewis goes straight in.

Lewis:

You're the founder and group chief executive of Tingo Incorporated...how do you plan to fund this venture?

I pause.

Note that there’s no reference to Mmobuosi being a billionaire here.

I unpause.

Mmobuosi:

I’m bidding by myself.

Lewis:

So this is solely your money?

Mmobuosi:

It is my money, and I have actually made a deposit. But I would expect myself and the club to issue a joint statement that would have details concerning how much the [he doesn’t finish that thought] …but I have made a deposit and that shows my seriousness.

I pause.

It’s worth a short digression to discuss deposits and how serious they are.

Do you remember Henry Mauriss? He was the American who previously tried to buy Sheffield United and made a £10 million deposit back in the summer, and he was also touted as a “billionaire” (although, at the time, The Pinch found absolutely no evidence of this).

Well, it was only last week that we learnt that Mauriss had been jailed in the USA for wire fraud, a crime for which he is now serving time in a Californian jail. And as The Athletic reported, the deposit he made is now the subject of a High Court legal claim by the Blades over an unpaid deposit of £10 million.

So, forgive me, Mr Mmobuosi - and I mean that sincerely - for not inferring all that much seriousness in the deposit-paying process. We’ve been stung before.

It’s 10:00.

I hit play again.

Lewis:

There was a report in The Athletic that there was no evidence of a Tingo Airlines flight ever taking off...there's a smile on your face.

Mmobuosi:

I saw it yesterday and I laughed...just before COVID, I said to my wife that it's high time I started putting things together to start this airline dream I've always had.

He tells us that he put plans in place. He started leasing aircraft. Hiring staff. Then COVID came, and he found he was struggling to get an air operator's certificate (the document which grants an operator permission to use aircraft for commercial purposes), and this became “impossible”. So he called a friend who owns OmniBlu - an airline in Nigeria - and he decided to invest there. He says he has released a statement about this (which he has); one that spells out how Mmobuosi “redirected” resources toward OmniBlu/OmniTingo, and that Tingo Airlines (UK) was dissolved, hence why no Tingo Airlines ever took off.

A failed business venture, for reasons of COVID or otherwise, is not evidence of a lack of wealth. But it does feel like confronting the Tingo Airlines question head-on is the reason for this interview. Still, I want to know more about whether he’s got the personal wealth to buy Sheffield United. Not the failures but the successes. I want to know whether he’s planning on funding the future of the club by borrowing against its future (which is something United are doing already).

Eyes On The Board @EyesOTBoard

Sheffield United FC have filed a charge at #companieshouse with Macquarie Bank #SUFC #SheffieldUnited @SheffieldUnited Link …te.company-information.service.gov.uk/company/000615…

It’s 10:32

I hit play again.

No serious discussion on matters of Sheffield United’s financial future or Mmobuosi’s financial standing takes place.

Lewis:

All of these stories raise doubts among the fans...what's your message to them?

Mmobuosi:

Sheffield United is a great club. And beyond taking a Guinness in a pub there, I felt the energy in that city. I'm here to work with the city and the club and the fans. I don't do anything short. I'm here to stay. Hopefully I get approved by the EFL. You'll find me a capable partner.

Lewis:

Will you have fan representation on the board?

Mmobuosi:

Yes.

It’s a firm answer. And Mmobuosi says the fans will be involved because the club is for them. He says he’ll own SUFC with the fans; he wants to find ways to get fans fully involved. He says he cannot afford to disappoint the people. He will run it - the club - not just a business that benefits himself but the community.

And it’s here the interview ends.

It’s 10:41

Summing up

Indulge me. I want to return to Marshall McLuhan’s maxim that the medium is the message. That is to say, this video from this media about this topic lends us more valuable information than the message Dozy Mmobuosi is trying to get across. He wants to appear transparent; that’s why he’s done a video.

This may all be good or it may be bad. I can’t tell. I don’t think anybody can right now.

What’s left for us - for me in this article - is to take a view on these two interviews. And this is what I think:

Interview #1

• that I’d go for a pint with Mmobuosi - he comes across as a nice and interesting bloke.

• that I’m no clearer about his suitability as an owner, although he talks a good game.

• that Mmobuosi was prepared with lines to take and stories to share (and occasionally repeat).

• that Mmobuosi knows that FIVE (and its hosts) will get the same amount of coverage amongst Sheffield United fans as a more traditional outlet (local media, BBC, Sky).

• that Prince Andrew should’ve agreed to an interview with Rio Ferdinand instead of Emily Maitlis.

• that Mmobuosi is comms-savvy, smart, and capable of speaking to fans in a human way.

• that his comms-savviness, smartness and capability all support the argument that he knew what he was getting into with this: an easier ride than traditional journalists would’ve given him.

• that, ultimately, whilst he has presented an optimistic vision for Sheffield United Football Club, his words are going to fall on the ears of those who recall “Think Liverpool” about Prince Abdullah’s investment.

• that fans might not be his primary audience: this all, to some degree, feeds into a strategy to convince the EFL.

• that any owner - no matter where they’re from - should be treated with scepticism, and yes, scrutiny…lots and lots and lots of scrutiny.

Interview #2

• that we’re no clearer on the brass tacks: where is the money coming from to buy and invest in Sheffield United?

• that Mmobuosi has placed such emphasis on fan involvement that if he does succeed in buying the club, then we, as fans, must hold him to that promise.

• that the vision he presents is one I - and I think, many fans - can support.

• that visions are not realities and fans have little to gain through simpering, unconstructive non-opposition; let’s give Mmobuosi the fairest but firmest of hearings.

---

Sam Parry is the co-founder of DEM Blades fanzine and Commissioning Editor of The Pinch. Inside work he writes speeches, and outside of work, he’s trying to eat every Shawarma on London Road.