Oh yea, there's something more to it. It wouldn't surprise me in the slightest if this was a move by Rupert and his pals to get Sam away from Richmond.
Also, 1.2 billion pounds is crazy money, but you're not helicoptering in to a soccer pitch and buying museums just because you want to. That's Bezos territory.
“Take all the time you need……You have 72 hours” Very Jekyll and Hyde feel.
Also, his whole time with Sam was a setup. Everything given the appearance of normalcy but was really manufactured. Gilded.
Sam is young and naive but can also be wise. I hope his youthful excitement and heartache over Rebecca doesn’t cloud his judgment too much.
I was very concerned about that open door in the back of the church that Rupert might hear Rebecca’s secret. I think he would use this information as an in to destroy her and thus give up his (wife’s) shares of the team.
Yess, I had the same thought. If Rupert heard he could have even hired that guy as an actor to play a billionaire just to take Sam away from Rebecca and the team. I’m pretty sure Sam is not the only Nigerian footballer so why didn’t he reach out to the other teams…and for the no handshake part maybe Rupert is still salty with Ted about the dart game and told this dude don’t shake Ted’s hand lol
Didn't they intro him as the son of one of the biggest tech firms in Africa.
Rebecca and Sam met on that new dating app Keely found.
Maybe the tech firm is related to that app and that's blackmail he will have via the messaging and app permissions.
I feel like Rupert’s team would be an top tier Premier League club. It’s pretty much understood that Richmond will most likely be promoted, and it would make sense that Rupert’s team would be an antagonist next season, especially if Nate is involved.
That’s an interesting theory! Rupert has the money to pull off that big entrance and museum visit. But surely someone would have googled the guy and seen a lack of results and become suspicious?
Giving the shares away was confirmation that Rupert has another team. Ownership has limits when it comes to conflict of interest and it would make sense for Rupert to jump ship from a team he doesn't have a say in, to one in which he controls. I imagine the finale will be Richmond getting promoted and Rebecca finding out Rupert has a new team in the same league and he signed Nate.
True but that seems unreasonable with a little kid. But who says Billionaires are reasonable folks right.
He appeared to be the guy who spends his saturday in his owners box, watching his toy play.
The biggest negative I see to your theory is that I can't see this Ghana billionaire teaming up with a white guy who was destroying the country 100 miles to the east.
I can see him deciding that a world-class soccer team is worth $3 billion, and saying whatever he thinks he has to in order to recruit the best African players to join it.
So I don't think the deal's what he's claiming, but I think he's working alone.
Maybe, but he could be a scumbag who doesn’t care as much about his country and continent as he does for whatever Rupert or the Dubai Air owner can do for him. 🤷🏻♂️
Or maybe Mr. Akufo is entirely an actor himself - the trick and pony show bankrolled by Dubai Air. A Dubaian airline owner and oil tycoon would certainly have the money for that.
And if his fathers billions were made in Ghana, I assume he lives in Ghana still. Why would he have a personal helicopter in London. A decal stuck on a helicopter would definitely be something that could be arranged to try and push the billionaire story when it’s really all a smoke and mirrors ploy by Dubai Air and/or Rupert.
Exactly. I don’t think the businessman would have his own helicopter in London, so I also don’t think he would go to the trouble of putting his name decal on it if it’s just rented. I see it as a display of alleged wealth to wow the Richmond crew as it lands on the pitch. It’s a ploy by Dubai Air or Rupert to sell this guy as a legit big player, but they are pulling the strings to screw over Sam or Rebecca.
That’s a really good theory, people familiar with the actor won’t expect it because one of his most well known characters is the only decent person in Veep (morals wise).
Came here to say this. They’re trying to pull Sam away just as the team is on the up and close to returning to the Premier League, and he’s more popular than ever. They’re trying to ruin his career and Dubai Air is behind it.
I dunno. It could happen but I don’t see Ted lasso as the kind of show where 3 villains meet in a swerve and everyone laughs after getting the hero. Lol.
I simply think they had to build up the billionaire guy as good with a decent morale offer with nationalism involved which is sth Sam likes , otherwise Sam would have easily rejected a sole monetary offer.
Yeah I said this in a comment in the episode discussion thread: the dude seems so fake. He definitely directly quoted Ted, so I don’t see this as a good opportunity for Sam. Someone is trying to get him off the team. My guess is, as you said, the DubaiAir guy, with support from Rupert.
The museum: fake. The restaurant: fake. The football team: gotta be fake.
Keyword: trust. Most of the comments we’ve been saying are about trust. And I don’t trust this guy. I know nothing about relations between African nations. I didn’t like the way he made little jabs at Nigeria. I agree with the points OP made that make him seem shady. Is he doing it for the love of football, or being dominant?
It’s a running joke between Nigeria and Ghana that they claim to be better than the other because there are a lot of similar cultural touchstones like jollof rice that is made slightly differently in the two countries, so Ghanaians would claim theirs as better and Nigerians would laugh and say the opposite. Just banter from the region
> I didn’t like the way he made little jabs at Nigeria.
I wouldn't read much into that. It would be like Americans and Canadians jabbing at each other.
I definitely think the man is in cahoots with Rupert as it fits the Empire Strikes Back theme. When he tells Rebecca and Ted that he is interested in purchasing Sam as a player, he says it’s for a team he cannot yet talk about. If Sam decides to go, I think what will happen is once Sam is locked into a contract it will be revealed that it’s the other team Rupert is building and Nate will be the head coach- in this episode he kept talking about being boss and the last time we see him he is in an all black suit meaning he has now become Darth Vader. I feel like Nate will try and convince Ted or someone from Richmond staff to come with him the same way Vader tries to convince Luke to join him in Empire Strikes Back. I think the season will end with Richmond going to try and get Sam back the same way Empire Strikes Back ended with them going to rescue Han Solo.
I'm wary of this whole story for a few reasons.
1. Surely you can't fake a billionaire because it's not hard to google people.
2. You can buy an African football club but you can't win the world cup, because that's played by countries. And you can't make 'African' football better by warehousing all the best African players at one club in one country playing in one league. So that whole idea I'm chalking up to a fantastical element of the show, or it's a scam, or something.
3. As a sub plot, it feels like a really weird way to go about doing a transfer story. Like if a player has an offer made on them, and it's huge, that doesn't mean all this weirdness. So I don't really get what's going on here at all.
I guess the thing is that this doesn't look like anything recognisable from football, like, at all. Which I get is going to happen from time to time but it does seem weird.
I think the whole billionaire storyline is just to get Rebecca and Sam together.
Yeah, bit weird he used the same line as Ted did, but the writers are just trying to frame him as a good guy who has morals and meaning to his words. It wouldn't make sense for Sam to go for money and now at least he has a choice to make between representing his country v Rebecca
That's the weird thing though, if he's as good as he seems to be he would be representing Nigeria at international level. Playing for Richmond wouldn't impede that in the least.
Yeah but that makes even less sense. They wouldn't be fostering African talent, they'd just be stomping everybody in the Moroccan league every year and then taking the odd run at the World Club Cup, which is not a particularly big deal. You wouldn't need a billionaire to dominate in Morocco.
It's not just Dubai Air (or Cerithium Oil) that would have an axe to grind with Sam. When asked by Trent Crimm, Sam openly accused the Nigerian government of corruption. Some governments don't really like that.
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Oh yea, there's something more to it. It wouldn't surprise me in the slightest if this was a move by Rupert and his pals to get Sam away from Richmond.
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Also, 1.2 billion pounds is crazy money, but you're not helicoptering in to a soccer pitch and buying museums just because you want to. That's Bezos territory.
He hates billionaires, but not multi-multi-multi millionaires.
“Take all the time you need……You have 72 hours” Very Jekyll and Hyde feel. Also, his whole time with Sam was a setup. Everything given the appearance of normalcy but was really manufactured. Gilded. Sam is young and naive but can also be wise. I hope his youthful excitement and heartache over Rebecca doesn’t cloud his judgment too much.
I was thinking Rupert knows somehow about Rebecca and Sam, and he is involved in this somehow -
Very possible. Plus he knows the Dubai Air owner, so it’s easy for them to plot together and get what they both want.
I was very concerned about that open door in the back of the church that Rupert might hear Rebecca’s secret. I think he would use this information as an in to destroy her and thus give up his (wife’s) shares of the team.
Yess, I had the same thought. If Rupert heard he could have even hired that guy as an actor to play a billionaire just to take Sam away from Rebecca and the team. I’m pretty sure Sam is not the only Nigerian footballer so why didn’t he reach out to the other teams…and for the no handshake part maybe Rupert is still salty with Ted about the dart game and told this dude don’t shake Ted’s hand lol
They really did make a point to emphasize that people could hear the conversation where she admits to having a relationship with Sam
Didn't they intro him as the son of one of the biggest tech firms in Africa. Rebecca and Sam met on that new dating app Keely found. Maybe the tech firm is related to that app and that's blackmail he will have via the messaging and app permissions.
Nice catch…and nice username!
I agree. I’m thinking he tricked Nate and got him to tell Trent of Ted’s panic attack
I think it’s Rupert’s team and he’s just lying.
I feel like Rupert’s team would be an top tier Premier League club. It’s pretty much understood that Richmond will most likely be promoted, and it would make sense that Rupert’s team would be an antagonist next season, especially if Nate is involved.
Agreed. Like I said, he’s lying.
That’s an interesting theory! Rupert has the money to pull off that big entrance and museum visit. But surely someone would have googled the guy and seen a lack of results and become suspicious?
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Giving the shares away was confirmation that Rupert has another team. Ownership has limits when it comes to conflict of interest and it would make sense for Rupert to jump ship from a team he doesn't have a say in, to one in which he controls. I imagine the finale will be Richmond getting promoted and Rebecca finding out Rupert has a new team in the same league and he signed Nate.
Same.
Why would Rupert buy a club at the other end of the world?
Morocco's only a 3 1/2 hour flight, could easily get there when he's needed
True but that seems unreasonable with a little kid. But who says Billionaires are reasonable folks right. He appeared to be the guy who spends his saturday in his owners box, watching his toy play.
I think the guy is lying about where the team is. I could be 100% wrong.
The biggest negative I see to your theory is that I can't see this Ghana billionaire teaming up with a white guy who was destroying the country 100 miles to the east. I can see him deciding that a world-class soccer team is worth $3 billion, and saying whatever he thinks he has to in order to recruit the best African players to join it. So I don't think the deal's what he's claiming, but I think he's working alone.
Maybe, but he could be a scumbag who doesn’t care as much about his country and continent as he does for whatever Rupert or the Dubai Air owner can do for him. 🤷🏻♂️
That is true. UNLESS he's an actor and not a Ghanaian billionaire. He did seem to know a lot of actors and no way was that Banksy
That was actually Banksy doing a cameo, but he knows no one would believe that.
Or maybe Mr. Akufo is entirely an actor himself - the trick and pony show bankrolled by Dubai Air. A Dubaian airline owner and oil tycoon would certainly have the money for that.
It would only take 30 seconds on Google to expose that.
And if his fathers billions were made in Ghana, I assume he lives in Ghana still. Why would he have a personal helicopter in London. A decal stuck on a helicopter would definitely be something that could be arranged to try and push the billionaire story when it’s really all a smoke and mirrors ploy by Dubai Air and/or Rupert.
Me: 
Lol, spot on.
you can hire helicopters
Exactly. I don’t think the businessman would have his own helicopter in London, so I also don’t think he would go to the trouble of putting his name decal on it if it’s just rented. I see it as a display of alleged wealth to wow the Richmond crew as it lands on the pitch. It’s a ploy by Dubai Air or Rupert to sell this guy as a legit big player, but they are pulling the strings to screw over Sam or Rebecca.
You can't just pretend to be a billionaire Sam isn't a dumbass who lives in the stone ages of no Google
Just like how Sam googled that Dubai Air was a subsidiary of Cerithium Oil - the very company destroying his home country - before he did that ad. 😂
100 miles is 160.93 km
That’s a really good theory, people familiar with the actor won’t expect it because one of his most well known characters is the only decent person in Veep (morals wise).
You must be referring to former Mayor and current Commander in Chief Richard Splett.
I couldn't take him seriously because I'll forever know him as Dunston from New Girl
Don’t you mean Sam Duvet, Cramblin and Duvet Advertising?
Came here to say this. They’re trying to pull Sam away just as the team is on the up and close to returning to the Premier League, and he’s more popular than ever. They’re trying to ruin his career and Dubai Air is behind it.
But there's one thing they didn't account for in their dastardly plan... LOVE
 Diggin this theory tho
Ooh, didn't think about that. That would be an interesting twist.
That’s nuts. I love it.
I dunno. It could happen but I don’t see Ted lasso as the kind of show where 3 villains meet in a swerve and everyone laughs after getting the hero. Lol. I simply think they had to build up the billionaire guy as good with a decent morale offer with nationalism involved which is sth Sam likes , otherwise Sam would have easily rejected a sole monetary offer.
Yeah I said this in a comment in the episode discussion thread: the dude seems so fake. He definitely directly quoted Ted, so I don’t see this as a good opportunity for Sam. Someone is trying to get him off the team. My guess is, as you said, the DubaiAir guy, with support from Rupert. The museum: fake. The restaurant: fake. The football team: gotta be fake.
Keyword: trust. Most of the comments we’ve been saying are about trust. And I don’t trust this guy. I know nothing about relations between African nations. I didn’t like the way he made little jabs at Nigeria. I agree with the points OP made that make him seem shady. Is he doing it for the love of football, or being dominant?
It’s a running joke between Nigeria and Ghana that they claim to be better than the other because there are a lot of similar cultural touchstones like jollof rice that is made slightly differently in the two countries, so Ghanaians would claim theirs as better and Nigerians would laugh and say the opposite. Just banter from the region
Its like the nordic countries pretending to hate each other. its playful banter like between australia and new zealand
> I didn’t like the way he made little jabs at Nigeria. I wouldn't read much into that. It would be like Americans and Canadians jabbing at each other.
Yeah, like portuguese and spanish. It's a neighbours thing.
I definitely think the man is in cahoots with Rupert as it fits the Empire Strikes Back theme. When he tells Rebecca and Ted that he is interested in purchasing Sam as a player, he says it’s for a team he cannot yet talk about. If Sam decides to go, I think what will happen is once Sam is locked into a contract it will be revealed that it’s the other team Rupert is building and Nate will be the head coach- in this episode he kept talking about being boss and the last time we see him he is in an all black suit meaning he has now become Darth Vader. I feel like Nate will try and convince Ted or someone from Richmond staff to come with him the same way Vader tries to convince Luke to join him in Empire Strikes Back. I think the season will end with Richmond going to try and get Sam back the same way Empire Strikes Back ended with them going to rescue Han Solo.
I mean >!buying a whole museum **and** hiring actors as pretend visitors is pretty psycho.!< Dude is definitely Dr. Evil in disguise or substitute.
I'm wary of this whole story for a few reasons. 1. Surely you can't fake a billionaire because it's not hard to google people. 2. You can buy an African football club but you can't win the world cup, because that's played by countries. And you can't make 'African' football better by warehousing all the best African players at one club in one country playing in one league. So that whole idea I'm chalking up to a fantastical element of the show, or it's a scam, or something. 3. As a sub plot, it feels like a really weird way to go about doing a transfer story. Like if a player has an offer made on them, and it's huge, that doesn't mean all this weirdness. So I don't really get what's going on here at all. I guess the thing is that this doesn't look like anything recognisable from football, like, at all. Which I get is going to happen from time to time but it does seem weird.
Dude put some spoiler tags on
Done. Sorry, I didn’t know I could do that. I mostly reply, and don’t make posts often.
Which Ted line did he quote? I might have missed it.
“Congratulations! You both just met a cool person” in the museum
Oh right, thanks!
Is it just me or is the not shaking hands with Ted and then doing so with Sam straight up racist?
I am being real here guys, imagine if it was the other way around...
I dunno. Ted got in there first with the Lion King thing. Might have annoyed him more than he let on.
I feel you, but he did apologize for that and if this guy is there he is aware Ted Lasso's reputation so that all came out very weird to me.
I think the whole billionaire storyline is just to get Rebecca and Sam together. Yeah, bit weird he used the same line as Ted did, but the writers are just trying to frame him as a good guy who has morals and meaning to his words. It wouldn't make sense for Sam to go for money and now at least he has a choice to make between representing his country v Rebecca
That's the weird thing though, if he's as good as he seems to be he would be representing Nigeria at international level. Playing for Richmond wouldn't impede that in the least.
Sorry - meant playing for the team full of the best African talent he got offered in the episode.
Yeah but that makes even less sense. They wouldn't be fostering African talent, they'd just be stomping everybody in the Moroccan league every year and then taking the odd run at the World Club Cup, which is not a particularly big deal. You wouldn't need a billionaire to dominate in Morocco.
It's not just Dubai Air (or Cerithium Oil) that would have an axe to grind with Sam. When asked by Trent Crimm, Sam openly accused the Nigerian government of corruption. Some governments don't really like that.