Ivorian forward Wilfried Zaha and British-Ghanaian rapper Stormzy are set to become joint owners of non-League club AFC Croydon.
The pair, who both grew up in South London, are part of a three-man consortium, along with former Crystal Palace head of player care Danny Young, to agree a deal to acquire the team.
AFC Croydon competes in the Combined Counties Football League Premier South Division, the ninth tier of English football.
???? ???? CLUB ANNOUNCEMENT ????????
We are delighted to embark on a new era at AFC Croydon Athletic, subject to final FA and league approval. This has been the culmination of many months of discussions.
Further details to follow in due course. pic.twitter.com/zruFM751nf
— The Rams (@AFCCroydonAth) June 27, 2023
Croydon announced that contracts had been exchanged with the existing ownership, and the three-man consortium “will own, operate, and develop their childhood hometown football club”.
A statement added: “Whilst completion is subject to legislative and governance procedures, the three consortium members are excited about developing a community asset in the borough that gave them their own opportunities.
“They hope to take the entire community on this exciting journey with them.”
May the journey begin ????????@afccroydonath @stormzy pic.twitter.com/yLfYnulMA5
— Wilfried Zaha (@wilfriedzaha) June 27, 2023
AFC Croydon was founded in 2012 after Croydon Athletic went under, and Palace forward Zaha along with Stormzy are both heavily involved in community development projects, while the former runs the WZ Academy.
On the other hand, Stormzy, a lifelong Manchester United fan, gets involved in his first sporting investment.
