Dispatches - How to buy a football club.

[drfcsteve]

Anybody else see this tonight on channel 4? Well worth a watch online if you didn't catch it. A whole host of clubs were mentioned including the wendies, blunts, leeds and even the dingles.

Makes you realise (although most do already) how lucky we are to have JR.

[RedJ]

I saw it.

I was absolutely disgusted - but not shocked - at what I saw. There really is only one John Ryan, it would seem.

[Lewis Guys Dentist]

It didnt suprise me one bit, alot of investers use football as a business and forget how passionate some fans are. Its really unfair.

[Uhtred]

This was a real wake=up call for all true football fans. The far east is now awash with money, I wonder what leicester fans make of it all. Sven needs big money and has already spent bucketfulls.
Genuine clubs like Rovers need more backing from the regulators. Please try and see this programme when it is repeated

[ctay]

Yeah just watched it.

Makes you wonder what Sir Alex is up to?

Thank god for John Ryan

[jucyberry]

And he has a brother from another mother aparently, well acording to the Little chappy doing the wheeler dealing. Not going to do Bryan Robsons reputation much good either I guess is it.

[silent majority]

We spoke to the journalists who put this together last week whilst at the Supporters Direct Conference, and some of what they had they couldn't use. They are preparing another programme as soon as they can confirm and sort all the extra information.

It was no surprise though to see the clubs named in that programme, and certainly no shock to see Leicester either, I've been saying for sometime that their financial model stinks. If you saw and heard what Bryan Robson had to say about getting clubs into the Premiership then Leicester are doing exactly that.

[redmist]

Makes you realise just how lucky we are to have a \"fan\" on the bridge in JR!
And more bad press for the Sheffield clubs.....and Barnsley Town!!!! wtf:laugh:

[DonnyBazR0ver]

Some interesting observations of who own clubs or the uncertainty of who owns them.

Even Barnsley mentioned, linked with some Germans?

I have just been on Wednesday's, Blade's and Leicester's forums and the concerns about these 'money laundering' plans, in operation at different ends of the spectrum.

Blades fans clearly now see them as ripe and McCabe willing to sell to owners of uncertain background. Laugh is Owls fans are laughing at them, yet they cannot see they are at the next stage of this !! Mandaric is no better the Mr Sim, and he will be looking to offload them to the highest bidder, just as he did to Portsmouth and Leicester. Does he care who he sells to ??

I bet Birmingham fans are keeping a low profile at the moment.

As said above though, when you see all that money swimming about just thing about where is comes from and ultimately where it will be going. Be careful what you wish for.

I'm grateful we are who we are and let's not ever allow ourselves to get involved in this. Long live JR !!

[Snods Shinpad 2]

It does stink, but I don't think there were any particular new revelations in the programme. Ownership of football clubs being concealed by offshore trusts and companies is nothing new...see Ken Bates and others. This issue has even been discussed in parliament recently and is not illegal. If the ultimate owners of a club are unknown, it obviously means it is possible to own more than one club. It also exposes clubs to money laundering/asset stripping shysters/criminals. The football authorities know this, but have failed to deal with the issue. It all stinks, but it's hardly anything new.

Also nice they called Barnsley, Barnsley Town!

[Alickismyhero]

I think I am right in saying that our club files its accounts in the Iles of Man, perfectly legal but I wonder what the reason for that is?
FIFA is corrupt, Our FA cannot control ownership of clubs where does it all end,

\" we are doomed, doomed I tell ya\"

[PDX_Rover]

Watched a very interesting documentary about Columbian football on ESPN called 'The Two Escobars' - about money laundering by the drug cartels, led by Pablo Escobar, in the 1980s and 1990s.  So called Narco-soccer. Culminating in the death of Andrés Escobar, who scored in infamous own in the '94 world cup.   Very interesting viewing also.

http://30for30.espn.com/film/the-two-escobars.html

[Dr Fundlekrotch]

So...Bryan Robson - sleazy conman or foolish stooge?

I reckon he's been duped big time and is feeling beyond embarrassed today

[roversontheup]

I watched the programme last night and by the end felt absolutely sickened.  OK there was probably nothing we didn't know or suspect but to actually see the process in motion was sickening. I doubt it has done Robson's reputation much good.  When i see things like that it makes me appreciate the enjoyable times we had in our conference years! I know we didnt have the quality etc etc but at least it really felt like MY club.