Post by QPR Report on Nov 17, 2009 7:46:38 GMT
Telegraph - Birmingham City owner Carson Yeung risks making enemies in football, warns David Gold
David Gold has warned new Birmingham City owner Carson Yeung that he risks making enemies in the sport if he is suspected of using his position to settle personal scores.
17 Nov 2009
The warning comes after it emerged that police officers specialising in economic crime would visit St Andrew's on Tuesday at the request of the new board to examine paperwork generated by the former administration.
When Telegraph Sport contacted Gold for his reaction to news of the police involvement, the former Birmingham chairman said that he was "shocked" at what he described as an "inappropriate and unreasonable" probe, and stressed that he had "no doubts" that the investigation would be a waste of time.
He also advised Yeung and his associates to remember that football is a small world, and that "what goes around, comes around."
The interest from the economic crimes unit is the latest development in a programme of post-acquisition due diligence at Birmingham which appears aimed at discrediting a regime over which he presided, one consequence of which might be that the new owner could avoid paying the lavish golden goodbye awarded to former managing director Karren Brady, and bills worth £6 million.
Thus far it has been limited to an internal inquiry, although Fifa has been made aware of allegations levelled by the agent Barry McIntosh at the old regime – namely that he was denied a commission for setting up Christian Benítez's summer move from Santos Laguna. Now, however, police officers will spool back through the club's financial paperwork of the past two years in search of discrepancies.
Yeung's methods have met with hostility from the former board. "These are accusations against us which we feel are inappropriate and unreasonable," Gold said. "We took legal advice at every step."
David Sullivan, City's co-owner for 16 years with Gold, has branded Yeung "naive" for expecting to take control of the club without picking up all outstanding bills, and accused the Hong Kong businessman of pursuing a vendetta against them.
Sullivan has grounds for being unhappy. Steve Bruce, Alex McLeish's predecessor who walked out after Yeung took a 29.9 per cent stake in the club, was turned away by stewards at the main gate at St Andrews when he arrived by private car ahead of Sunderland's fixture with Birmingham last month. He had to park his car at a local school and return to the ground on foot.
And after Gold criticised the new board's business acumen by saying the reduction of ticket prices in order to improve attendances could result in relegation, Yeung ordered the Gold Suite at St Andrews to be renamed the Legends Lounge.
"They have a different culture, and they have spent a huge sum of money, so they are entitled to do what they like," Gold cautioned. "But football is a very small family, and what goes around comes around. Maybe these people hold grudges longer than most. They are really going to need to learn quickly, otherwise they are going to make a lot of enemies
www.telegraph.co.uk/sport/football/leagues/premierleague/birminghamcity/6583806/Birmingham-City-owner-Carson-Yeung-risks-making-enemies-in-football-warns-David-Gold.html
David Gold has warned new Birmingham City owner Carson Yeung that he risks making enemies in the sport if he is suspected of using his position to settle personal scores.
17 Nov 2009
The warning comes after it emerged that police officers specialising in economic crime would visit St Andrew's on Tuesday at the request of the new board to examine paperwork generated by the former administration.
When Telegraph Sport contacted Gold for his reaction to news of the police involvement, the former Birmingham chairman said that he was "shocked" at what he described as an "inappropriate and unreasonable" probe, and stressed that he had "no doubts" that the investigation would be a waste of time.
He also advised Yeung and his associates to remember that football is a small world, and that "what goes around, comes around."
The interest from the economic crimes unit is the latest development in a programme of post-acquisition due diligence at Birmingham which appears aimed at discrediting a regime over which he presided, one consequence of which might be that the new owner could avoid paying the lavish golden goodbye awarded to former managing director Karren Brady, and bills worth £6 million.
Thus far it has been limited to an internal inquiry, although Fifa has been made aware of allegations levelled by the agent Barry McIntosh at the old regime – namely that he was denied a commission for setting up Christian Benítez's summer move from Santos Laguna. Now, however, police officers will spool back through the club's financial paperwork of the past two years in search of discrepancies.
Yeung's methods have met with hostility from the former board. "These are accusations against us which we feel are inappropriate and unreasonable," Gold said. "We took legal advice at every step."
David Sullivan, City's co-owner for 16 years with Gold, has branded Yeung "naive" for expecting to take control of the club without picking up all outstanding bills, and accused the Hong Kong businessman of pursuing a vendetta against them.
Sullivan has grounds for being unhappy. Steve Bruce, Alex McLeish's predecessor who walked out after Yeung took a 29.9 per cent stake in the club, was turned away by stewards at the main gate at St Andrews when he arrived by private car ahead of Sunderland's fixture with Birmingham last month. He had to park his car at a local school and return to the ground on foot.
And after Gold criticised the new board's business acumen by saying the reduction of ticket prices in order to improve attendances could result in relegation, Yeung ordered the Gold Suite at St Andrews to be renamed the Legends Lounge.
"They have a different culture, and they have spent a huge sum of money, so they are entitled to do what they like," Gold cautioned. "But football is a very small family, and what goes around comes around. Maybe these people hold grudges longer than most. They are really going to need to learn quickly, otherwise they are going to make a lot of enemies
www.telegraph.co.uk/sport/football/leagues/premierleague/birminghamcity/6583806/Birmingham-City-owner-Carson-Yeung-risks-making-enemies-in-football-warns-David-Gold.html
