World Series of Poker Europe (WSOPE) champion James Bord is leading a consortium to acquire Scottish Championship soccer team Dunfermline Athletic, with the deal expected to be finalized next week.

Bord, alongside US investors Wai Yin Kelly Kung and Justin Royce Harkema, is set to purchase a 75% stake from German soccer investment group DAFC Fussball GmbH, pending Scottish Football Association (SFA) approval. The group already holds minority ownership in Spanish La Liga 2 team Cordoba CF.

A former Citigroup banker, Bord won the WSOPE Main Event in London in 2010 for $1.1 million. He later founded Short Circuit Science, a San Francisco-based company specializing in sports data analytics, medical prescription technology, and climate adoption analysis.

Bord's venture into soccer ownership follows the path of his former mentors. He previously worked for Tony Bloom, whose gambling syndicate Star Lizard is renowned in soccer betting. Bloom purchased Brighton FC in 2019, successfully leading them to the English Premier League.

He also worked with Matthew Benham, another Star Lizard alumnus, who acquired Brentford FC in 2012 and achieved Premier League promotion in 2021. Both Bloom and Benham demonstrated how data-driven analysis could transform soccer club management.

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