Internal audit critical of Cobblers loan

An internal audit has found that a loan of 13.5 million pounds made to Northampton Town by Northampton Council was made too quickly, on the basis of inadequate information and with insufficient safeguards. This was partly because the then council leader and now local MP was pressing for it.  

In particular, the council failed to compare the rapid payment of tranches of the loan with the slow and stalled progress at the Sixfields stadium.

The match fixing problem

The immense growth in football betting in recent decades has increased the incentives for criminals to attempt to engage in match fixing and sometimes they find players who are willing to take part.  It’s a long way from the days of people filling in the football ‘coupon’ and hoping to find instant riches.

According to Swiss outfit Sportsradar something like €375 billion of bets are placed each year on football matches.   Their fraud detection unit thinks that about one per cent of matches have been rigged.

Club clamps down on fan social media dissent

A good reputation is important to all businesses, not least football clubs.   Social media can play a crucial role in shaping that reputation, both positively and negatively.   But should a club seek to control the expression of dissent by fans?

The background to the red card on Spanish football subsidies

It looks as if the days of dodgy deals in Spanish football are over following the European Commission investigation we reported on yesterday.    In particular, interest has focused on a land transfer between Real Madrid and the city administration.   A land swap in 2011 saw a plot of land with a supposed value of €598,000 in 1998 revalued at €22.7m.

Commission clamps down on Spanish practices

The European Commission has blown the whistle on Spanish football practices with a decision that will force Real Madrid and FC Barcelona to repay illegal state subsidies enjoyed for a quarter of a century. Margrethe Vestager, the EU competition commissioner, has told Spain to recoup millions of euros of unlawful state aid to seven clubs that came in the form of soft loans, tax breaks and sweetheart property deals.

Sky Blues owners lose latest round in legal battle

The Court of Appeal has ruled against Sisu, the owners of Coventry City, in the latest round of their legal battle with Coventry City council.   There could be an appeal to the European Court.

Sisu claimed that a loan made to Arena Coventry Limited, the operators of the Ricoh Arena, was not made on normal commercial terms and represented a breach of European Union state aid rules.

Brexit and the Premier League

As with anything concerned with Brexit, there are many complexities and uncertainties.  The lack of reliable information leads to a vacuum which encourages exaggeration and predictions of catastrophe by both sides of the argument.

However, leading sports lawyer Daniel Geey provides an authoritative guide to the key issues concerning players.