Kiavash Joorabchian () is an Iranian-born British-educated businessman largely involved in association football. In the register of directorships at Companies House in London, Joorabchian gives two nationalities, Canadian and British, born on 14 July 1971.Marcotti, Gabriele. “More questions than answers about MSI”, The Times, 2 September 2006. Retrieved 27 July 2010
Although routinely described in the press as a football agent, Joorabchian is not a licensed agent. The involvement of unlicensed agents in transfers in the English Premier League is prohibited by the Football Association.Conn, David. “Manchester City, Milan, Kaka and the Joorabchian link”, The Guardian, 28 January 2009. Retrieved 29 July 2010 Joorabchian does not himself claim to be an agent, saying "I think the agency business is very different". He describes his business as advising players on their rights and clubs on transfers and contracts.Castles, Duncan. "Kia the fixer", The Guardian, 5 October 2008. Retrieved 27 July 2010.
Joorabchian is also involved in the 'third-party' ownership of players, describing himself as an investment manager. In October 2008, he said, "I manage the investment group and obviously when the investment group is profitable, as fund manager, you also get a cut". In 2009 it was reported that the unnamed investors represented by Joorabchian were understood to own the economic rights to 60 or 70 players across Europe and South America.
Family background and education Joorabchian was born in Tehran, Iran, as the son of Iranian car-dealer businessman, Mohammed Joorabchian. According to Joorabchian his father's uncle had once run the biggest car manufacturer in the Middle East.Randall, Jeff. "Fancy footwork sets West Ham up for glory days", The Daily Telegraph, 11 September 2006. Retrieved 26 July 2010 The Joorabchian family emigrated from Iran following the fall of the Shah in 1979. They went to the United Kingdom and then Canada, returning to England when Joorabchian was 16. His father ran car dealerships, including Medway Autos in Kent.Bellos, Alex. "Is this man the new Abramovich or is he a front for the real thing?", The Guardian, 10 December 2004. Retrieved 25 July 2010
Joorabchian was educated at Shiplake College in Oxfordshire and then at a school in Golders Green, north London. He went on to study chemistry and business studies at Queen Mary and Westfield College, University of London, dropping out after his second year.Bellos, Alex. "Joorabchian oils the wheels that make the deals", The Guardian, 4 September 2006. Retrieved 19 July 2007
He has supported Arsenal Football Club since his childhood and later kept a corporate box at their Emirates Stadium. Due to his association with Arsenal he has forged a close relationship with David Dein and his son Darren.
Joorabchian is married to Brazilian lawyer and restaurateur Tatiana Alonso.Kelner, Simon. “Table football” , GQ, October 2010. Retrieved 11 March 2011Maschler, Fay. "Babbo is daddy of a price for an Italian", The Evening Standard, 9 November 2009. Retrieved 7 June 2014
Early career, American Capital and Kommersant Joorabchian worked first for his father and then as a trader at the International Petroleum Exchange in London. He became involved in the stock market and fund management, moving to New York City and establishing an investment company, American Capital LLC, based in Manhattan but registered in Delaware.
A year later and six months before the 1999 Russian legislative election, American Capital bought 85% of the Russian newspaper Kommersant. After a month Kommersant's ownership passed to the oligarch Boris Berezovsky, "The cash comes largely from television: by any measure the Premier League, founded 14 years ago, has been an astonishing success, ushering in an era of unprecedented wealth at the top of the English game. Bankrolled by Rupert Murdoch's Sky network, the League has become a global TV phenomenon. Earlier this year the League secured a new deal with Sky and rival satellite station Setanta that will deliver £1.7bn to clubs over three years, a 66% increase on the existing arrangement. The total value once overseas rights and new technology deals have been secured is expected to reach £2.5bn, wealth that makes even a middle-ranking club such as West Ham hugely attractive to foreign investors." who was widely suspected to have been behind American Capital's bid for the paper, something denied by Joorabchian who was said to have given assurances that he was not working on anyone else's behalf.
Although Joorabchian suffered in the stock market crash of 2001, his sale of American Capital after that volatility brought him, on his own estimate, between £50 million and £60 million.
Involvement in football Media Sports Investments and Corinthians In 2004, Joorabchian founded Media Sports Investments to make a partnership with Brazilian football club Corinthians. He had briefly considered becoming involved at Arsenal, but found it too expensive and had instead been pointed towards Brazilian football by Pelé's agent and the recommendation of Pini Zahavi, the so-called 'super agent', whom Joorabchian described in 2006 as a friend of long standing.
The partnership with Corinthians's was a 10-year deal stipulating that MSI would provide $35 million –$20 million of which would cover debts– in return for 51% of future profits. Joorabchian moved to Brazil and changed the way Corinthians was run, increasing revenue by 500% in the first year.
A series of major signings followed MSI's investment, including, most spectacularly, Carlos Tevez, who was signed from Boca Juniors for $22 million, an unprecedented amount for a transfer by a South American club. These were players who were engaged to play for Corinthians but whose economic rights were partly or wholly owned by MSI. By 2006 the company was listing as its investments not just Corinthians, but also the players Carlos Tevez, Marcelo Mattos, Gustavo Nery, Roger, Javier Mascherano, Carlos Alberto, Sebastián Domínguez and Marinho."Media Sports Investments website 30 Nov 2006" Retrieved 3 August 2010. In 2005 Corinthians won its fourth Brazilian title.
The Tevez transfer was brokered by the Argentinian football agent Fernando Hidalgo, who was a partner in the company HAZ Sports with Pini Zahavi. Zahavi, responsible for numerous football deals, including the acquisition of Chelsea Football Club by Roman Abramovich, acted as a broker for MSI.Jackson, Jamie. "Profile: Pini Zahavi, football's first and only super-agent", Observer Sport Monthly, 26 November 2006. Retrieved 25 July 2010
The source of the money behind MSI was a subject of considerable speculation. The Spanish sports newspaper Diario AS suggested that a 15% share was owned by Abramovich, while Joorabchian's name continued to be linked to that of Berezovsky. In 2005 the Georgian businessman and owner of Dinamo Tbilisi, Badri Patarkatsishvili, a close associate of Berezovsky, told a journalist that they had indeed invested in Corinthians. Joorabchian himself was described by Brazilian authorities as "trying, at all costs, to hide knowledge of the people and businesses involved in the transactions".
In 2007, following allegations that Corinthians had been used to launder money, a Brazilian judge, Faustus Martins de Sanctis, ordered the arrest of Berezovsky, Joorabchian, Nojan Bedroud, cofounder of MSI, and four officials of club, including the chairman, Alberto Dualib."Brazil orders Berezovsky arrest", BBC News, 13 July 2007. Retrieved 25 July 2010 MSI responded by saying that the judge's actions were "absurd, arbitrary and lacking legal backing", while Joorabchian denied any wrongdoing and maintained that all payments made to Corinthians were "cleared through and approved by the Brazilian Central Bank"."Joorabchian denies money-laundering" , ESPN, 13 July 2007. Retrieved 26 July 2010
The Brazilian court papers setting out the evidence on which the warrants of arrest were issued stated: "MSI belongs and has always belonged to the accused, Boris Berezovsky".Wheatley, Jonathan and Buckley, Neil. "Brazil seeks extradition of Berezovsky", Financial Times, 13 July 2007. Retrieved 25 July 2010 Berezovsky denied any business connection with Joorabchian or MSI.
In the light of these developments Corinthians broke off their association with MSI in July 2007."Corinthians break off MSI partnership", ESPN, 26 July 2007. Retrieved 25 July 2010 There had already been a public deterioration in relations between the directors of the club and its investors centering on the involvement of MSI and Joorabchian in the team's affairs, and the fact that the club had been left owning only five members of the playing squad.Kent, Joe. "Crisis at Corinthians", Sambafoot, 10 August 2006. Retrieved 7 June 2014 Tevez and Mascherano had been transferred to West Ham United and there had been seven different managers in 18 months. In December 2007 Corinthians were relegated from Brazil's first division.Homewood, Brian. , Reuters, 2 December 2007. Retrieved 25 July 2010
The warrant for Joorabchian's arrest was suspended by the Brazilian authorities in August 2008.Dart, Tom and Szczepanik, Nick. "The transfer deals that continue to make the headlines", The Times, 12 September 2009. Retrieved 3 August 2010
In April 2014, The judge totally absolved the whole case saying there was never anything done wrong by anyone in the case at all. "In this case, there is no proof of a single offense, nor is it pointed out that the alleged group ever have had any intention or interest in the committing any crimes," added the judge.
Tevez, Mascherano and West Ham United Joorabchian stepped down as president of Media Sports Investments in June 2006."West Ham sign Tevez & Mascherano", BBC News, 31 August 2006. Retrieved 25 July 2010 It was reported at the time that Joorabchian retained an investment in Tevez and Mascherano, whose economic rights were described as being owned by MSI. A subsequent Premier League investigation revealed that in February 2006 rights in Tevez had been transferred to MSI (company id: 05218027) and a second company, Just Sports Inc.,Conn, David. "Kia Joorabchian should now tell us where the Carlos Tevez £25m is going", The Guardian, 14 July 2009. Retrieved 26 July 2010 while Mascherano was jointly owned by Global Soccer Agencies and Mystere Services Ltd.Conn, David. "Hammers face a pounding over third-party player agreements", The Guardian, 21 March 2007. Retrieved 28 July 2010.Bilal, Ahmed. "Original Tevez and Mascherano contracts with West Ham", Soccerlens.com, 8 June 2007. Retrieved 28 July 2010. All four companies were represented by Joorabchian.
In August 2006 the two players joined West Ham in the English Premier League. Pini Zahavi assisted in the transfers, revealing to the press that he stood to make money if the players were a success in England."Pini on the Prowl in West Ham Deal", The Evening Standard, 5 September 2006. Retrieved 29 July 2010 Zahavi had an association over a number of years with Global Soccer Agencies, owners of a half share in Mascherano.