The long-term future of troubled Southampton Football Club (SFC) appears to have been secured after Swiss businessman Markus Liebherr acquired the club for an undisclosed sum.

The curiosly named DMWSL613, a company owned and controlled by Liebherr along with the Switzerland-based Mali Group, has taken control of the League One club after purchasing the assets of Southampton Leisure Holdings (SLH) from administrators. Mark Fry and David Hudson of Begbies Traynor were appointed as joint administrators of SLH in April after the company was unable to secure the necessary finances to enable it to continue trading. Further more, a proposed rescue bid by a consortium led by former footballer Matt Le Tissier collapsed at the end of June.

However, SFC will now be able to start the 2009-10 season after securing a new owner, albeit with a 10-point deduction imposed by the Football League. Liebherr said: "We will assemble a strong management team at every level of the Club. We will act rapidly, but also plan for the long term, because I am here for the long term. I also look forward to the Club re-engaging with the fans and the local community. We cannot succeed with out their backing.

"We should not expect instant success, but our fans, employees and other stakeholders can expect 100 per cent commitment from me and my team."