“His entry into this is phenomenal,” Jabara said. “He’s an incredibly important person in my life. We hit it off (in) my first meeting with the Padres. I had a 26-year business relationship with my father. My father, my mentor, my best friend, my partner, we lost him in 2015.

“There’s been a void in my life, losing my dad. But I’m quick to tell people, the closest resemblance to my father is Ron Fowler. When someone of Ron’s caliber invests in an English football club 5,000 miles away, it’s very meaningful.”

Donovan said the way Lincoln City leaders and Jabara are wired drew him to the club.

“I’ve had the opportunity to be a part of other things like this, but ultimately if the people aren’t people you want to work with or be around, it’s not exciting,” Donovan said from Germany, where he was calling Euro 2024 for Fox Sports. “I’ve been around the sport my entire life, so I don’t need to be around the sport just to be around it.

“This checked all the boxes.”

Donovan’s gut feeling has been reinforced.

“The biggest thing I passed on to Harvey, I said, ‘The reality for soccer clubs around the world (is that) the fans are the absolute emotional owners of the club,’” Donovan said. “If your stance is, you’re going to dictate what’s happening, you’re going to meet a lot of resistance. It’s different in the United States.

“You see owners ousted (outside the U.S.) because of pressure from the fan base. That’s rule No. 1, No. 2, No. 3, No. 4 and No. 5. (Jabara) came in the right way. He didn’t make it about him, which a lot of American owners do. He made it clear he wants to help, be supportive and that’s it. Having played a long time, that’s the ideal owner.”

Now, the group with San Diego roots hopes to live its own Wrexham story.

“Only once,” Fowler said of seeing the documentary. “But I’m going to binge-watch it in the near future. Those communities, they live it. It’s a huge thing.”

Welcome to Lincoln City.

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