Chairman Valen denied selling the team: There is a real sports plan now, and you will be judged in five years

September 20th The President of Valencia insists that the club will not be sold and is full of confidence in looking forward to the future.

Valencia Club Chairman Kiat Lim once again stressed that the club will not be sold. As the son of major shareholder Peter Lim (Lin Rongfu), Kiat Lim gave a long interview on September 19 to discuss various business areas he inherited from his father, mainly including the health and construction industries.

In a conversation with the Business Times, he also talked about his feelings about taking over as club chairman in March this year and his relationship with his father: "I respect my father very much, so I won't say I have taken over. But the answer is yes. Of course, I will always respect his position and decisions because he is also my boss."

In the past two seasons, Valencia has been on the verge of relegation, but Kiat Lim is optimistic about the future. One of the most important decisions during his presidency was to appoint Ron Gourlay as athletic director in May: "We now have a real sports plan. Not that there weren't before, but now we have professionals in every position, just like in the medical and construction industry. There have been rumors about the sale every year since we acquired the club. But at this stage we have put in a lot of effort and hopefully we can get the plan to the end. It's a creative process, maybe five years later you can judge me."

"I'm certainly a fan of the club, how could it be not? But when making certain business decisions, the emotional factors have to be separated because without this discipline, the club could be at risk of bankruptcy, and that's what we did when we acquired it."

Peter Lim bought a majority stake in Valencia in 2014, and it was not until 2025 that Kiat Lim publicly expressed his interest in Valencia and was appointed chairman in March this year. Now he admits he is a Valencia fan, but he also has responsibility.

Regarding the outside world's accusations against him of nepotism, Kiat Lim responded: "Who doesn't want a better outcome in his company? If you do well, just because you have the luck and have the resources; if you don't do well, it's stupid. It's not self-pity, but fact. It's part of human nature. I don't mind being criticized. You see, I accepted the position of club chairman and anyone in this position will be criticized."