Czech businessman Daniel Kretinsky, West Ham United’s CEO, celebrates after winning the UEFA Europa Conference League final football match between ACF Fiorentina and West Ham United FC in Prague, Czech Republic on June 7, 2023. (Photo by Vlastimil Vacek / AFP) PARIS, France — A billionaire with interests in football clubs, media outlets, supermarkets, and now the potential new owner of Britain’s Royal Mail, Czech Daniel Kretinsky retains a stubbornly low profile internationally. The 48-year-old made his fortune in the energy industry, where he controls one of Central Europe’s largest groups, EPH.
But in recent years he has also become a major player in France’s media scene and amassed a fortune estimated by Forbes magazine at more than $9 billion. His $4.6-billion takeover offer for Royal Mail was accepted by the postal service’s board on Wednesday.
READ: UK’s Royal Mail owner accepts takeover offer from a Czech billionaire The deal is likely to push the reclusive billionaire further into the spotlight in Britain, where he already owned a stake in the postal service as well as 27 percent of Premier League football club West Ham. His move into football brought scrutiny from British tabloids, which labeled him the “Czech Sphinx” and detailed his purchase of a London home for £65 million ($85 million) in 2015. The newspapers also chronicled his relationship with Anna Kellnerova, a Czech showjumper 20 years his junior.
The pair have since split up. Czech busine.