Swansea investor Snoop Dogg drops in on Championship club for first time

Fresh off his star turn at the Winter Olympics in Italy, Snoop Dogg made his way over to south Wales to get acquainted with his latest sporting love: Swansea City.

The American rapper made his first appearance in front of Swansea’s fans since becoming an investor of the team when he attended its home match against Preston North End on Tuesday.

Snoop Dogg had asked Swansea supporters to serenade him by twirling towels — emblazoned with the words “Make some noise” — when he walked on the field ahead of the second-tier Championship game. They did just that, by the thousands, and Snoop Dogg twirled a towel of his own as he walked along the field and pumped up the crowd.

Swansea went onto salvage a draw against Preston as Liam Cullen cancelled out Daniel Jebbison’s first-half strike in the fifth minute of second-half stoppage time with a fine header.

Manager Vitor Matos revealed that Snoop Dogg spoke to Swansea’s players following the full-time whistle.

“After the game he came to the dressing room and spoke with the players,” Matos said.

“He’s someone that likes to be involved, not only with us but with the [United States] Olympic team as well.

“He loves sports, loves sports people. He loves the club, loves the city, and wants to be here.

“I think that’s all positive and he was really happy because he felt that the team had the right mentality. He felt that the team could push.”

Snoop Dogg became what Swansea described as a “co-owner and investor” last July, though his stake in the club hasn’t been disclosed. The club also counts American businesswoman and media personality Martha Stewart and Ballon d’Or winner Luka Modric as minority owners.

Their involvement shines a spotlight on another unheralded team from Wales, after Wrexham’s well-documented journey under the ownership of Hollywood celebrities.

Swansea are 15th in the Championship. The team were most recently in the Premier League in 2018.

His visit was announced last week and he said on the club’s official website: “I know it has been a long time coming, but I cannot wait to finally make my first visit to Swansea.

“From the moment we talked about me becoming an owner, I have been looking forward to the chance to be with you all at the Swansea.com Stadium.

“I have heard so many great things about the atmosphere, especially when we play under the lights.

– Snoop Dogg wants to take Swansea to Premier League
– Martha Stewart joins Snoop Dogg, Modric as Swansea minority owners

“When I watched the Wrexham game, where we showed we are the capital of Welsh football, the noise in the stadium sounded incredible even from over 5,000 miles away. I can’t wait to be a part of it.”

The rapper hit headlines at the Winter Olympics, where he was an honorary coach for Team USA as well as a special correspondent for broadcaster NBC, when he asked British curlers Bruce Mouat and Jennifer Dodds for a photo.

The Associated Press and PA contributed to this report.