Stewart Donald: Eastleigh taken over by former chairman
- Published
Stewart Donald was chairman of Eastleigh for seven years before selling the club in 2018 to buy Sunderland
Former Eastleigh owner Stewart Donald has agreed a deal to purchase Eastleigh, five years after selling the club.
Donald was chairman of the National League side for seven years before selling the club in 2018.
He then led a consortium which took over Sunderland, but the former Premier League club failed to win promotion out of League One under his stewardship.
Donald sold a controlling stake in the Black Cats in 2021.
Last year, the businessman said that he would like to return to Eastleigh if he could sell his remaining stake in Sunderland.
Donald went on to sell a portion of his shares in Sunderland to owner Kyril Louis-Dreyfus in June 2022 but said in an interview with with BBC Radio Solent that he still retains a 9% shareholding in the club.
Eastleigh said Donald's takeover was subject to approval by the National League, English Football League and Department of Culture, Media and Sport and that he would purchase a controlling stake from the four majority shareholders.