Leeds owners GFH Capital say that they have rejected an offer for a majority stake in the club. A Yorkshire-based consortium tabled a bid for a 51 per cent intial share with a view to a phased buy-out.
The identity of the consortium members has not been disclosed, but it has been linked with former Hull City chairman Adam Pearson. He has said that he would like to return to football and in particular to Leeds where he was commercial director for six years until 2001.
Leeds owners GFH Capital say that they have rejected an offer for a majority stake in the club. A Yorkshire-based consortium tabled a bid for a 51 per cent intial share with a view to a phased buy-out.
The identity of the consortium members has not been disclosed, but it has been linked with former Hull City chairman Adam Pearson. He has said that he would like to return to football and in particular to Leeds where he was commercial director for six years until 2001.
GFH said in a statement, ‘Although we continue to seek strategic investors, we will only bring on board those who can make a positive contribution to the sustainable success of Leeds United.’ This suggests that the door may not be completely closed.
GFH Capital, who are wholly owned by Bahraini investment bank Gulf Finance House, took control through subsidiary LUFC Holdings Limited, based in the Cayman Islands for a reported £52m in December.
But some fans and club staff have since expressed doubts about their ability to run the club on a day-to-day basis. GFH Capital have three representatives on the board — David Haigh, Salem Patel and Hisham Alrayes — but none of them had any previous experience of running major sports clubs.
The trio had said they were hoping to re-engage with fans who had become disenfranchised during Bates’ eight-year tenure. However, since completing their purchase, GFH Capital have failed to respond to a number of requests from Leeds United Supporters Trust to engage in dialogue with them and other fans groups. A fans forum with Haigh and Patel was arranged for February 18 and is still expected to go ahead.