Just hours from bankruptcy: Former Hull City Vice-Chairman Tan Kesler on stepping into a Polish club in crisis
PR | The former Hull City vice-chairman and Turkish businessman, Tan Kesler, is now leading the turnaround at Pogoń Szczecin.
Hours from collapse, Pogoń Szczecin was saved by a takeover led by Iranian-Canadian investor Alex Haditaghi. New CEO and minority owner Tan Kesler, formerly Vice-Chair of Hull City, speaks about the rescue and the opportunity in Polish football.
Over €8 million has already been injected to stabilise the club, allowing it to clear half of its legacy debt and avoid immediate bankruptcy — a move that secured its top-flight licence and kept the squad together.
Why it matters: The situation at Pogoń Szczecin illustrates how external investment and new leadership structures are being used to address financial instability at club level - offering insight into how ownership changes can influence club’s trajectory.
The perspective: Pogoń Szczecin’s takeover points to emerging foreign interest in Eastern European football — a region where international ownership has so far been limited.
14 May 2025 - 6:22 PM
Around a year ago, Tan Kesler, the former Vice-Chairman of Hull City, was introduced to Iranian-Canadian businessman Alex Haditaghi through a mutual acquaintance. At the time, Kesler was still employed at Hull City, but Haditaghi had expressed a growing interest in Polish football and was looking for the right club to invest in.
After an initial visit to Kesler to learn about
Get smarter in minutes. Straight to your inbox
21-day free trial
Activate instantly with the link we’ll send you.
