"If you want some accessible but informative insight into football then I suggest you couldn't do better than the Political Economy of Football website, which is not only intelligible but comes with the added bonus of being written by Addicks fan Wyn Grant." Ben Hayes - Charlton Athletic programme
Bus tycoon James Easdale has resigned from the Rangers board in response to fan pressure. His brother Sandy, who is a bigger shareholder, is chairman of the board. James Easdale’s home in Greenock was targeted by vandals last year who painted graffiti.
Birmingham City’s troubles have gone on for a long time with it being suggested that the club was effectively being controlled from the majority shareholder’s prison cell. It is therefore not a great surprise to learn that the parent company has gone into administration with the various parties seemingly fighting like cats in a sack.
Valeri Belokon has called for tighter controls by the Football League on club’s finances. The Latvian was interested in taking over Blackpool, but lost interest after he discovered that £27m had been transferred from club funds to accounts or companies controlled by owner Owen Oyston.
It is not implied that these movements were not lawful, but more transparency about club finances would be welcome.
This article suggests that unstable finances and poor pay for largely part-time players leaves Maltese football open to the temptation of match fixing for Asiann betting syndicates. For example, a top team might go behind in the first half without arousing too much suspicion.
However, the article also suggests that such behaviour is also a problem in other low profile leagues across the world.
The Brazilian FA is going to attempt to bring greater discipline and transparency to the financial affairs of its clubs by introducing new regulations. The challenge will be to implement and enforce the new rules and stop them being evaded.
Massimo Cellino has lost his appeal against being disqualified from owning Leeds. He will not be able to be involved in running the club until April 10th when his conviction is regarded as being spent.
Quite what this will mean for the club is uncertain. It is unlikely that he would be required to sell the club, but he might have to transfer his shares in the interim to a relative, probably his two sons, or a lawyer. He will have to stand down from the board within 48 hours.
Hereford United have been suspended from ‘all football activity’ by the Football Association. the club failed to answer questions in relation to the owners’ and directors’ test.
The club’s majority shareholder, Alan McCarthy, had been charged with acting as an officer of Hereford United without written confirmation from the FA to do so.
Motherwell fans are confident that they are close to taking control of the club. They have not raised quite as much money as they hoped, but retired businessman Lee Hutchinson has stepped in to help them.
The club has made losses of £780,000 over the past two seasons and is expected to record another loss this season, so there is a big financial challenge ahead.
The Football League has asked for an explanation of abusive comments made by director Peter Pannu on a supporter’s website. In a statement the club characterised the rambling comments as ‘unprofessional’ and ‘ludicrous’.
Among other points made by Pannu, he alleges that the board do not want to sell to Jeremy Wray who has put in a fornal bid, but to another party, possibly located in China.
The long drawn out saga of Hereford United continues with the hearing of the winding up petition against the club in the High Court deferred again until December 15th. The petition was originally brought in June by the Inland Revenue in relation to a debt of £116,000. The legal bills for all these hearings must be mounting.