Vladimir Romanov, the owner of Scottish side Hearts, has warned his compatriot Dmitry Rybolovlev that dealings with the "football mafia" await him in his new capacity as majority shareholder of French Ligue 2 club AS Monaco.
Long-time Monaco resident Rybolovlev, who made his fortune in potash, on Friday acquired a 66.6 percent stake in the struggling French club through his Monaco Sport Invest (MSI) holding.
"A battle with the football mafia awaits Rybolovlev," Romanov told RIA Novosti in a telephone interview. "He won't get anything other than a negative image, and the results expected of him will be as if he were a player himself."
Romanov has been left embittered by his forray into football ownership and is looking to sell Hearts for 50 million pounds, despite their estimated 35 million pound debt.
Romanov has accused Britain's "media mafia" of undermining his work at Hearts.
Rybolovlev, 45, has has committed to investing at least 100 million euros in Monaco over the next four years in their quest to return to the upper echelons of the European game.
They currently languish at the bottom of the French second tier with 13 points from 18 games.
