Asper ready to take over Bombers
Courtesy Canada.com
David Asper can now see the light at the end of a 14-month-long tunnel, a light that will result in the Winnipeg Blue Bombers ending 75 years of community ownership.
“Yes, I will soon take over sole ownership of the Winnipeg Blue Bombers,” Asper said late last week. “But I say ‘yes’ as part of the overall proposal for a new stadium. I believe now, that in due course, there will be a new stadium.”
It is somewhat of a bold position for Asper, the chairman of the National Post and executive vice-president of Canwest Communications, and a man who first presented his plan to privatize the CFL franchise and build a brand new 40,000-seat stadium, back in early January of 2007.
For months, through an often difficult negotiation with the city and provincial and federal governments, Asper was hesitant to answer in the affirmative when asked if he believed he was ever going to take over the team he has cheered for since childhood.
Last Thursday, however, during a lengthy interview in Winnipeg, he admitted that the deal is almost done. “Soon,” he said, “the community-owned Winnipeg Blue Bombers will be privately owned and a new stadium will be under construction.
Leave a Reply