By Stephen 18
November 11 2004

There is renewed speculation that Lonestar Partners LP could play a major part in life after Theo Paphitis after the company’s supremo made a 10,000 mile round trip purely to see Millwall in action. The American Hedge Fund Company, who in September became the club’s majority shareholder, had previously kept a low profile regarding their £500,000 purchase of a 10.9 per cent stake in the club.

But Lonestar’s chief executive Jerome Simon impressed chairman Paphitis by jetting all the way from the company’s base in San Francisco last Friday to be his personal guest for the Lions’ clash against Sunderland.

With Lonestar valued at £500 million, Paphitis, who is to step down as Lions chairman at the end of the season, admits that investing further in the club would be like handing over small change for the company.

Speaking at the Millwall holdings AGM on Tuesday, he said: “They’re a major shareholder and a very powerful organisation, so if they wanted to they could buy as much of the club as they wanted.

“With the amount of cash they have it’s not a financial risk. They are worth £500 million so it’s not a big investment.

“What’s interested me is that they have put a disproportionate amount of time into it. The fact that their CEO came to England from San Francisco is very impressive.

“God knows how much time and effort they’d have put in to come over here, but they’re not looking like they want to change the club like they do in American Football and they have not given us any indication that they want to have an influence on my successor.

“They will do what they want. At the moment they’re happy with their investment and if that should change they will talk to me again.”

Paphitis’s disclosures came in the week that Lonestar broke their own silence on the deal.

Hedge Funds are traditionally guarded about their financial intentions, but Simon’s right hand man Yedi Wong, said: “We make a lot of investments and we know it will be a good investment. It’s a good club and hope it does well.

“We have been around for ten years and this is the only soccer club we have invested in. The intention is to invest in Millwall.

“We don’t normally focus in this area and have no other sports clubs.”

Wong added that Lonestar trade in all four corners of the globe.

“We buy stock and make a lot of investments daily in UK, Japan, New Zealand and typical trading places in the world.”

Lonestar have been following Millwall closely, according to Paphitis.

He added: “They stay up all night listening to the games on the internet so are well in key and informed with what’s happening.

“They consider that this football club is good value for money, and came to the game on Friday.

“Thankfully we put on a good performance! They met with the directors for the first time and they seem like nice guys. I will keep in regular touch with them.”