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The so-called ‘pubcasting’ cases refer to pub landlords showing live football matches by subscribing to services from outside the UK rather than obtaining a license from Sky. They were discussed by Daniel Geey, a solicitor from Field Fisher Waterhouse at last week’s Sport and the European Union conference.
West Ham United are taking legal action against Tottenham Hotspur and the Sunday Times over allegations surrounding the validity of the Olympic Stadium bidding process.
At the end of last week I attended the 6th annual conference of the Association for the Study of Sport and the European Union at Nottingham Trent University. I was presenting on the Premier League, but there were a number of other fascinating papers that gave me new insights into the interface between sport and law, the governance of football and future business trends. I will be reporting on these papers over the next week or so.
Carson Yeung has assured Birmingham City fans that he will continue to bankroll the club despite his arrest in Hong Kong. He also says that he wants to continue attending games, although whether his bail conditons will allow that remains to be seen.
Carson Yeung, Birmingham City’s president and largest single shareholder, has been arrested in Hong Kong on money laundering charges. He will appear in court later today. A statement issued by Birmingham City has emphasised that the charges have nothing to do with the club’s holding company. Nevertheless, they clearly have implications for the orderly running of the club if the matter is not cleared up soon.
Leyton Orient and Tottenham Hotspur have been refused permission by the High Court for a judicial review of the decision to award use of the Olympic Stadium to West Ham after next year’s Olympic Games. The clubs are unhappy about Newham Council’s £40m loan to help finance the move. Needless to say, West Ham are delighted with the court’s decision.
Marcel Seip has won a case against Blackpool for bonus payments arising from their promotion to the Premier League. He was loaned out from Plymouth Argyle to the Tangerines from September to December 2009.
Tottenham Hotspur have broadened their fight over the allocation of the Olympic Stadium to West Ham. Last month they applied for a judicial review into Newham Council’s role in arranging a £40m loan to finance West Ham’s move to the stadium. Now they have applied for a judicial review against the Olympic Park Legacy Company, the Mayor of London, the Minister for Sport and the Olympics and the Secretary of State for Communities and Local Government.
The Serious Fraud Office is considering whether to launch an investigation into how Notts County FC was taken over by a convicted fraudster.
Two years ago the club was ‘gifted’ by the supporters’ trust to Munto Finance, a company registered in the British Virgin Islands and claiming to be from the Middle East. It promised significant investment in the club, but these promises turned out to be a sham. Russell King, the man allegedly behind the deal, served a jail sentence for insurance fraud in the 1990s.
Spurs are gearing up for possible legal action over the allocation of the Olympic Stadium to West Ham. Their lawyers have sent a series of questions to the Olympic Park Legacy Company (OPLC) to which it has four weeks to respond. The UK Government and the office of the Mayor of London are joint owners of the OPLC and would be involved in any court action.