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    Investing in football: a Real Oviedo shareholder's tale

    By Jonathan Hawkins, CNN

    Updated 1159 GMT (1959 HKT) November 21, 2012

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    Over the weekend third-tier Spanish club Real Oviedo were saved from extinction after receiving a huge injection of cash from the world's richest man Carlos Slim.
    Photos: Real Oviedo - A fan's view
    Rising from the ashes – Over the weekend third-tier Spanish club Real Oviedo were saved from extinction after receiving a huge injection of cash from the world's richest man Carlos Slim.
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    Oviedo fans show their support for the club in the Estadio Carlos Tartiere with a banner reading "For the future of Real Oviedo". The Spanish club had needed to raise €1.9 million ($2.4 million) by November 17 or go bust.
    Photos: Real Oviedo - A fan's view
    Hard times – Oviedo fans show their support for the club in the Estadio Carlos Tartiere with a banner reading "For the future of Real Oviedo". The Spanish club had needed to raise €1.9 million ($2.4 million) by November 17 or go bust.
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    Earlier in November Oviedo's board announced a share issue to attract investment and save the club. Remarkably the scheme took off as fans from all over the world bought the €11 ($13) shares after Oviedo's precarious position was highlighted on the social media website Twitter.
    Photos: Real Oviedo - A fan's view
    Global concern – Earlier in November Oviedo's board announced a share issue to attract investment and save the club. Remarkably the scheme took off as fans from all over the world bought the €11 ($13) shares after Oviedo's precarious position was highlighted on the social media website Twitter.
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    Slim was so impressed by the interest of fans in Oviedo from across the world -- he described their support as "extraordinary" -- that the Mexican tycoon pumped in a further $2.5 million to become Oviedo's majority shareholder. According to Forbes magazine, Slim has a net worth of $69 billion, having made his fortune in the telecommunications industry.
    Photos: Real Oviedo - A fan's view
    "Extraordinary" gesture. – Slim was so impressed by the interest of fans in Oviedo from across the world -- he described their support as "extraordinary" -- that the Mexican tycoon pumped in a further $2.5 million to become Oviedo's majority shareholder. According to Forbes magazine, Slim has a net worth of $69 billion, having made his fortune in the telecommunications industry.
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    The Oviedo players huddle on the pitch before the match. Just over a decade ago Oviedo were playing in La Liga alongside Real Madrid and Barcelona, but mismanagement from the club's directors took the Asturian team to the brink of bankruptcy in recent years.
    Photos: Real Oviedo - A fan's view
    Oviedo solidarity – The Oviedo players huddle on the pitch before the match. Just over a decade ago Oviedo were playing in La Liga alongside Real Madrid and Barcelona, but mismanagement from the club's directors took the Asturian team to the brink of bankruptcy in recent years.
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    In September, Slim bought 30% stakes in two Mexican football teams, Pachuca and Leon, and he plans to use Oviedo "to create synergies and exchanges between Spanish, Mexican and Latin American football.''
    Photos: Real Oviedo - A fan's view
    Soccer synergy – In September, Slim bought 30% stakes in two Mexican football teams, Pachuca and Leon, and he plans to use Oviedo "to create synergies and exchanges between Spanish, Mexican and Latin American football.''
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    Oviedo fans display a banner in the Estadio Carlos Tartiere reading: "Happen what may, Oviedistas until death." Of Slim's intervention, an Oviedo statement said: "This challenge and ambition is strictly a sports investment and one that looks to benefit the club and its fans. The investment will try to support Oviedo's players so they can reach their goals and the club can reach the division that corresponds to its history and values.''
    Photos: Real Oviedo - A fan's view
    Depth of feeling – Oviedo fans display a banner in the Estadio Carlos Tartiere reading: "Happen what may, Oviedistas until death." Of Slim's intervention, an Oviedo statement said: "This challenge and ambition is strictly a sports investment and one that looks to benefit the club and its fans. The investment will try to support Oviedo's players so they can reach their goals and the club can reach the division that corresponds to its history and values.''
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    Spanish football expert and long-time Oviedo supporter Sid Lowe has been a key figure in publicizing the club's plight. "Naturally, I have reservations, doubts & concerns," tweeted Lowe last weekend. "But with c. €2m of shares bought by 13,000+ ppl round world & Slim buying €2m Oviedo safe."
    Photos: Real Oviedo - A fan's view
    Lowe down – Spanish football expert and long-time Oviedo supporter Sid Lowe has been a key figure in publicizing the club's plight. "Naturally, I have reservations, doubts & concerns," tweeted Lowe last weekend. "But with c. €2m of shares bought by 13,000+ ppl round world & Slim buying €2m Oviedo safe."
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    World Cup winner Juan Mata is one of the stars produced by Oviedo's youth system. He now plays for England's European champions Chelsea.
    Photos: Real Oviedo - A fan's view
    Proud tradition – World Cup winner Juan Mata is one of the stars produced by Oviedo's youth system. He now plays for England's European champions Chelsea.
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    Michu was a Real Oviedo player for four years and has been campaigning on Twitter to save the club. He now plays in the English Premier League with Welsh club Swansea.
    Photos: Real Oviedo - A fan's view
    Premier support – Michu was a Real Oviedo player for four years and has been campaigning on Twitter to save the club. He now plays in the English Premier League with Welsh club Swansea.
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    Arsenal's midfield maestro Santi Cazorla is another big-name player from Oviedo's academy who helped save his former club.
    Photos: Real Oviedo - A fan's view
    Cazorla concern – Arsenal's midfield maestro Santi Cazorla is another big-name player from Oviedo's academy who helped save his former club.
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    Mexican tycoon Slim is pictured at the 2012 Homeless World Cup in October. His widespread interests include providing financial backing for Mexican Formula One driver Sergio Perez.
    Photos: Real Oviedo - A fan's view
    Slim's sporting interests – Mexican tycoon Slim is pictured at the 2012 Homeless World Cup in October. His widespread interests include providing financial backing for Mexican Formula One driver Sergio Perez.
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    Story highlights

    • Why would a Nottingham Forest fan invest $52 in third-tier Spanish club Real Oviedo?
    • Jonathan Hawkins interest in Oviedo piqued by British journalist Sid Lowe
    • Hawkins bought four shares allowing him to attend Oviedo's annual general meeting
    • The third division club had had until November 17 to avoid extinction
    Last Wednesday, in a move that I still don't fully understand, I became a shareholder in the Spanish football club Real Oviedo.
    In terms of my relationship with football, I should probably lay my cards on the table. I am a Nottingham Forest fan. Anyone of a certain age with a passing interest in the game will understand that I'm familiar with disappointment.
    Having watched Forest fall from the heights of back-to-back European Cup wins to the depths of English football's third tier I know, all too well, the emotions involved in witnessing a distressing decline.
    This doubtless explains why some sense of faded glamour or a struggle against adversity tends to attract me to a club. To illustrate this point, my favorite Italian team is Sampdoria, currently lying 14th in Serie A. Winning, as they say, isn't everything.
    I realise this is perverse, but I've never been able to understand the appeal of supporting a football giant, going into a season in the confident expectation of wins and trophies.
    Jerry Maguire
    So a couple of weeks ago, when I first heard of the plight of Oviedo, something clicked.
    I found myself Googling the club, reading about the city of Oviedo, admiring the jagged hills of Asturias.
    The "Footbonaut" -- is a robotic cage which footballers can use to improve passing, spatial awareness and control. The machine is being used by German champions Borussia Dortmund.
    Photos: Dortmund's training pays dividends
    The "Footbonaut" -- is a robotic cage which footballers can use to improve passing, spatial awareness and control. The machine is being used by German champions Borussia Dortmund.
    Photos: Dortmund's training pays dividends
    The final frontier? – The "Footbonaut" -- is a robotic cage which footballers can use to improve passing, spatial awareness and control. The machine is being used by German champions Borussia Dortmund.
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    Once inside the "Footbonaut", a player is fed balls by eight different machines and then has deliver the ball to one of the 72 panels - - which is indciated by a flashing green light -- that make up the space-age contraption before they receive another ball. This picture shows Dortmund's German star Mario Gotze testing himself against the machine.
    Photos: Dortmund's training pays dividends
    A giant leap for soccer training? – Once inside the "Footbonaut", a player is fed balls by eight different machines and then has deliver the ball to one of the 72 panels - - which is indciated by a flashing green light -- that make up the space-age contraption before they receive another ball. This picture shows Dortmund's German star Mario Gotze testing himself against the machine.
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    German coach Jurgen Klopp has overseen Dortmund's recent domination of German football. Dortmund have won the Bundesliga in each of the last two seasons, winning plaudits for the adventurous style of play. Klopp's team also currently sit top of a European Champions League group containing Real Madrid, Manchester City and Ajax.
    Photos: Dortmund's training pays dividends
    High-klass Klopp – German coach Jurgen Klopp has overseen Dortmund's recent domination of German football. Dortmund have won the Bundesliga in each of the last two seasons, winning plaudits for the adventurous style of play. Klopp's team also currently sit top of a European Champions League group containing Real Madrid, Manchester City and Ajax.
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    Dortmund's rise to prominence has forced their attractive young squad into the limelight. None more so than Polish striker Robert Lewandowski, who was strongly linked with a move to Manchester United earlier this year.
    Photos: Dortmund's training pays dividends
    Polish power – Dortmund's rise to prominence has forced their attractive young squad into the limelight. None more so than Polish striker Robert Lewandowski, who was strongly linked with a move to Manchester United earlier this year.
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    One player who did swap Dortmund for Manchester was Shinji Kagawa. The Japanese playmaker had made a promising start to his Old Trafford career before being sidelined with a knee injury last month. Another player developed by Dortmund was Nuri Sahin, the Turkish midfielder who signed for Real Madrid in 2011 before joining Liverpool on a season-long loan deal in August.
    Photos: Dortmund's training pays dividends
    Borussia's best – One player who did swap Dortmund for Manchester was Shinji Kagawa. The Japanese playmaker had made a promising start to his Old Trafford career before being sidelined with a knee injury last month. Another player developed by Dortmund was Nuri Sahin, the Turkish midfielder who signed for Real Madrid in 2011 before joining Liverpool on a season-long loan deal in August.
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    Real Oviedo fans show their support for the club in the Estadio Carlos Tartiere with a banner reading "For the future of Real Oviedo" before a game with Real Madrid's reserve team on November 11, 2012.
    Photos: Real Oviedo's fight for survival
    Real Oviedo fans show their support for the club in the Estadio Carlos Tartiere with a banner reading "For the future of Real Oviedo" before a game with Real Madrid's reserve team on November 11, 2012.
    Photos: Real Oviedo's fight for survival
    Real Oviedo: A Twitter sensation – Real Oviedo fans show their support for the club in the Estadio Carlos Tartiere with a banner reading "For the future of Real Oviedo" before a game with Real Madrid's reserve team on November 11, 2012.
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    The Real Oviedo players huddle on the pitch before the match.
    Photos: Real Oviedo's fight for survival
    Real Oviedo: A Twitter sensation – The Real Oviedo players huddle on the pitch before the match.
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    Real Oviedo fans hold up a banner as they march through the northern city on their way to the game.
    Photos: Real Oviedo's fight for survival
    Real Oviedo: A Twitter sensation – Real Oviedo fans hold up a banner as they march through the northern city on their way to the game.
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    Fans demonstrate against the demise of their club, which needs to raise $2.4 million by November 17.
    Photos: Real Oviedo's fight for survival
    Real Oviedo: A Twitter sensation – Fans demonstrate against the demise of their club, which needs to raise $2.4 million by November 17.
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    Oviedo fans display a banner in the Estadio Carlos Tartiere reading: "Happen what may, Oviedistas until death."
    Photos: Real Oviedo's fight for survival
    Real Oviedo: A Twitter sensation – Oviedo fans display a banner in the Estadio Carlos Tartiere reading: "Happen what may, Oviedistas until death."
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    World Cup winner Juan Mata is one of the stars produced by Oviedo's youth system. He now plays for England's European champions Chelsea.
    Photos: Real Oviedo's fight for survival
    Real Oviedo: A Twitter sensation – World Cup winner Juan Mata is one of the stars produced by Oviedo's youth system. He now plays for England's European champions Chelsea.
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    Arsenal's midfield maestro Santi Cazorla is another big-name player from Oviedo's academy who is helping to save his former club.
    Photos: Real Oviedo's fight for survival
    Real Oviedo: A Twitter sensation – Arsenal's midfield maestro Santi Cazorla is another big-name player from Oviedo's academy who is helping to save his former club.
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    Michu was a Real Oviedo player for four years and has been campaigning on Twitter to save the club. He now plays in the English Premier League with Welsh club Swansea.
    Photos: Real Oviedo's fight for survival
    Real Oviedo: A Twitter sensation – Michu was a Real Oviedo player for four years and has been campaigning on Twitter to save the club. He now plays in the English Premier League with Welsh club Swansea.
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    My attention was piqued by Sid Lowe, the British journalist whose animated appreciation of Spanish football has brought La Liga to life for many outside Spain.
    Read: Can Twitter help save Spanish soccer club Real Oviedo
    Lowe ignited the international campaign to save the club, while also warning that investors were highly unlikely to see any return.
    To paraphrase Jerry Maguire, he had me at 'unlikely'.
    Here was a potentially lost cause that I was powerless to resist. I stepped up my research and prepared to delve into the insanity of football club ownership.
    By the time I was ready to take the plunge, Real's global coalition of the willing had swelled considerably and the club was almost half way to safety.
    The share offer's website looked reassuringly professional, and was helpfully available in English.
    Estadio Carlos Tartiere
    I had initially thought of just buying one share, but then I discovered that owning four shares would entitle me to attend the annual general meeting. Influence, I thought.
    I imagined myself turning up at the airport, being feted as an arriving hero and bought drinks in Oviedo's tapas bars just for being me.
    I rejected any thoughts that this scenario was somewhat far-fetched. I inputted my passport number, transferred the cash, sat back and enjoyed the warm glow of owning something of no apparent value whatsoever.
    The weird thing is that it really was a glow.
    I had another look at the impressive Estadio Carlos Tartiere and smiled to myself.
    I wondered how much flights would cost, and how I would persuade my wife that a weekend in Asturias was a good idea. I started following Oviedo types on Twitter. I re-tweeted a link to the club's soon-to-be-opened online shop.
    Mexican Tycoon
    As the club's deadline day of November 17 approached, I kept an eye on the increasingly positive news coming from northern Spain; this people's club, now partly my club, looked close to completing its path to safety.
    Then came the news of Mexican billionaire Carlos Slim's intervention.
    As a push over the line goes it could hardly be more emphatic, and suddenly the need to gather more shareholders became irrelevant. Oviedo was in the clear; 13,000 shareholders and the world's richest man had made it happen.
    Barcelona's Lionel Messi (left) and Real Madrid's Cristiano Ronaldo (right) -- widely considered the two best players in the world -- shake hands before the 'El Classico' derby between Spain's two biggest clubs. But is the huge wealth of Barca and Real damaging the rest of Spanish football?
    Photos: Spanish football hit by sponsorship cutbacks
    Barcelona's Lionel Messi (left) and Real Madrid's Cristiano Ronaldo (right) -- widely considered the two best players in the world -- shake hands before the 'El Classico' derby between Spain's two biggest clubs. But is the huge wealth of Barca and Real damaging the rest of Spanish football?
    Photos: Spanish football hit by sponsorship cutbacks
    Spanish duopoly – Barcelona's Lionel Messi (left) and Real Madrid's Cristiano Ronaldo (right) -- widely considered the two best players in the world -- shake hands before the 'El Classico' derby between Spain's two biggest clubs. But is the huge wealth of Barca and Real damaging the rest of Spanish football?
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    Real Madrid manager Jose Mourinho (left) and Barcelona manager Tito Vilanova (right) shake hands at the derby between the two clubs. Real's revenue is $695 million, $42 million more than Barca and $526 million more than that of Valencia.
    Photos: Spanish football hit by sponsorship cutbacks
    Revenue dwarfs rivals – Real Madrid manager Jose Mourinho (left) and Barcelona manager Tito Vilanova (right) shake hands at the derby between the two clubs. Real's revenue is $695 million, $42 million more than Barca and $526 million more than that of Valencia.
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    Barcelona's Andres Iniesta, Lionel Messi and Real Madrid's Cristiano Ronaldo were all nominated for the prestigious Balon d'Or award this year. The last time the Barca-Real league monopoly was broken was in 2004 when Rafael Benitez's Valencia won La Liga.
    Photos: Spanish football hit by sponsorship cutbacks
    Talent at a price – Barcelona's Andres Iniesta, Lionel Messi and Real Madrid's Cristiano Ronaldo were all nominated for the prestigious Balon d'Or award this year. The last time the Barca-Real league monopoly was broken was in 2004 when Rafael Benitez's Valencia won La Liga.
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    Atletico Madrid striker Radamel Falcao is arguably the best striker in the world, but the Colombian is likely to be sold at the end of the season.
    Photos: Spanish football hit by sponsorship cutbacks
    Will Falcao stay at Atletico? – Atletico Madrid striker Radamel Falcao is arguably the best striker in the world, but the Colombian is likely to be sold at the end of the season.
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    Real Oviedo fans show their support for the club in the Estadio Carlos Tartiere with a banner reading "For the future of Real Oviedo". The third-tier club's financial problems are so great that they have turned to their fans for help, offering them the right to buy shares in Oviedo.
    Photos: Spanish football hit by sponsorship cutbacks
    Oviedo fans show support – Real Oviedo fans show their support for the club in the Estadio Carlos Tartiere with a banner reading "For the future of Real Oviedo". The third-tier club's financial problems are so great that they have turned to their fans for help, offering them the right to buy shares in Oviedo.
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    The Real Oviedo team huddle on the pitch before taking on Real Madrid's reserve team in Asturias. Oviedo need to raise $2.4 million to save the club.
    Photos: Spanish football hit by sponsorship cutbacks
    Fund raising – The Real Oviedo team huddle on the pitch before taking on Real Madrid's reserve team in Asturias. Oviedo need to raise $2.4 million to save the club.
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    Real Oviedo fans hold up banner as they march through the city on their way to the league match to protest against the possible closure of the club due to financial difficulties.
    Photos: Spanish football hit by sponsorship cutbacks
    Fans protest – Real Oviedo fans hold up banner as they march through the city on their way to the league match to protest against the possible closure of the club due to financial difficulties.
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    The Spanish financial crisis has led to a raft of anti-austerity measures. Protests against cuts have been seen on the streets of Madrid, where a minority of protesters have been involved in violent clashes with the police.
    Photos: Spanish football hit by sponsorship cutbacks
    Spanish austerity – The Spanish financial crisis has led to a raft of anti-austerity measures. Protests against cuts have been seen on the streets of Madrid, where a minority of protesters have been involved in violent clashes with the police.
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    Sergio "Checo" Perez has been the surprise package of the 2012 Formula One season -- just his second year in the elite division of motorsport.
    Photos: The rise and rise of Sergio Perez
    Sergio "Checo" Perez has been the surprise package of the 2012 Formula One season -- just his second year in the elite division of motorsport.
    Photos: The rise and rise of Sergio Perez
    Mexican Wunderkind – Sergio "Checo" Perez has been the surprise package of the 2012 Formula One season -- just his second year in the elite division of motorsport.
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    Perez's second place at the Malaysian GP in March was the Mexican's first podium finish in F1. He followed that up with third in Canada and another runner-up position in Italy.
    Photos: The rise and rise of Sergio Perez
    Champagne moment – Perez's second place at the Malaysian GP in March was the Mexican's first podium finish in F1. He followed that up with third in Canada and another runner-up position in Italy.
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    After Lewis Hamilton (left) opted to join Mercedes for the 2013 season, McLaren signed Perez to partner Jenson Button (right) next year.
    Photos: The rise and rise of Sergio Perez
    McLaren switch – After Lewis Hamilton (left) opted to join Mercedes for the 2013 season, McLaren signed Perez to partner Jenson Button (right) next year.
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    "Bear in mind that when we took on Lewis he was the same age as Sergio is today and he was incredibly young, incredibly raw and incredibly talented," said McLaren Team Principal Martin Whitmarsh. "Now when Sergio gets to Australia in 2013 he will arrive with the kind of pressure that he can't imagine right now."
    Photos: The rise and rise of Sergio Perez
    McLaren expectation – "Bear in mind that when we took on Lewis he was the same age as Sergio is today and he was incredibly young, incredibly raw and incredibly talented," said McLaren Team Principal Martin Whitmarsh. "Now when Sergio gets to Australia in 2013 he will arrive with the kind of pressure that he can't imagine right now."
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    Seen here driving in an exhibition through the streets of his home city Guadalajara, Perez was already winning kart races by the age of six.
    Photos: The rise and rise of Sergio Perez
    Mexico's rising star – Seen here driving in an exhibition through the streets of his home city Guadalajara, Perez was already winning kart races by the age of six.
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    Manchester United forward Javier Hernandez was also born in Guadalajara -- and Perez is close friends with the footballer, whose nickname is "Chicharito."
    Photos: The rise and rise of Sergio Perez
    Chicharito connection – Manchester United forward Javier Hernandez was also born in Guadalajara -- and Perez is close friends with the footballer, whose nickname is "Chicharito."
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    Mexico is embroiled in a battle against drugs, which in the last six years has accounted for 60,000 deaths, with 16,000 bodies remaining unidentified and 24,000 people missing. "My country is really only in the media for drugs and violence, which is sad," said Perez.
    Photos: The rise and rise of Sergio Perez
    Drugs war – Mexico is embroiled in a battle against drugs, which in the last six years has accounted for 60,000 deaths, with 16,000 bodies remaining unidentified and 24,000 people missing. "My country is really only in the media for drugs and violence, which is sad," said Perez.
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    Perez's father, center, leaves the paddock after the F1 driver's crash during qualifying for the Monaco GP in 2011. Perez's younger brother Antonio is also involved in motorsport and drives in the NASCAR-sponsored race league in Mexico.
    Photos: The rise and rise of Sergio Perez
    Motorsport in the genes – Perez's father, center, leaves the paddock after the F1 driver's crash during qualifying for the Monaco GP in 2011. Perez's younger brother Antonio is also involved in motorsport and drives in the NASCAR-sponsored race league in Mexico.
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    When Perez joined Sauber he was sponsored by telecommunications giant Telmex, which is owned by world's richest man and fellow Mexican Carlos Slim.
    Photos: The rise and rise of Sergio Perez
    Slim support – When Perez joined Sauber he was sponsored by telecommunications giant Telmex, which is owned by world's richest man and fellow Mexican Carlos Slim.
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    Ahead of this weekend's U.S. Grand Prix, the penultimate race of 2012, Perez was 10th in the drivers' standings with 66 points.
    Photos: The rise and rise of Sergio Perez
    Perez ranking – Ahead of this weekend's U.S. Grand Prix, the penultimate race of 2012, Perez was 10th in the drivers' standings with 66 points.
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    However. I wasn't quite sure how I felt about this new development.
    The idea that a multi-billionaire was now bankrolling the club was anathema to me; I still feel that the age of the oligarch has done little but damage to football, at least in England.
    Read: World's richest man saves Spanish soccer club
    But it also opened up a world of possibilities. Even Nottingham Forest have super-rich owners now, and at the City Ground the Al Hasawi family have appeared at pains to show the club's fans that they intend to do things "the right way". Maybe Carlos Slim would be the same.
    So far my only proof of ownership is my receipt from Paypal, which almost a week on makes me slightly uneasy but I hope is just a sign of how unbelievably successful this escapade has been for the club.
    I have a genuine feeling of being part of something, and a sense that this is the start of an exciting story. I also fully intend to make it to a game at the earliest available opportunity.
    I suppose I should probably think about how I explain to my wife that I've spent a chunk of our weekly shopping money on a Spanish third division football team. She's a Napoli fan; surely she'll understand?
    For now though I'm waiting patiently for my share certificate to arrive in the post.
    Whatever happens at the very least I have to buy a Real Oviedo mug.