Prem Chief Shock Move
PREMIER LEAGUE boss Dave Richards is trying to stop his battle with Fulham from going to court.
Football's most powerful man yesterday wrote to all 20 top-flight chairmen in a bid to head off Fulham's legal campaign over Peter Crouch's controversial move from Portsmouth to Spurs.
Fulham have served a petition in the Companies Court claiming Richards helped broker a deal which saw Crouch join Spurs last summer for £2million LESS then they offered.
Fulham are also unhappy at the nature of an independent inquiry which exonerated Richards of any wrong-doing.
But Richards wants to stop the battle going to court and wrote to the club chairmen: "As you are aware, the rules of every football body... provide for the principle that issues be resolved within the game rather than with the involvement of the courts.
"Fulham signed the Premier League Chairmen's Charter as recently as June of this year.
"It commits football matters to be resolved 'without recourse to the law'."
Fulham refuse to accept the findings of an initial inquiry into the matter which was conducted by Peter McCormick - a lawyer with close ties to the Premier League.
In fact, Sir Dave writes on the lawyer's website: "The personal and total commitment of Peter McCormick and his team is a wonderful ally to have on your side."
Fulham say they were prepared to pay debt-ridden Pompey £11m for Crouch last summer. But he joined Spurs for £9m.
Fulham claim Richards influenced the deal and they lodged a complaint at the end of last summer's transfer window.
The findings did not emerge until March this year when Premier League chairman Richards was cleared by McCormick.
Richards added in his letter: "Fulham's allegations were the subject of an independent legal enquiry... which exonerated me. I strongly deny any inappropriate behaviour on my part."
Read more: http://www.thesun.co.uk/sol/homepage/sport/football/3084048/Prem-chief-Dave-Richards-in-shock-move.html#ixzz0voQZ6PN7 (http://www.thesun.co.uk/sol/homepage/sport/football/3084048/Prem-chief-Dave-Richards-in-shock-move.html#ixzz0voQZ6PN7)
Whatever the outcome it really does prove that our game is far from clean. This so called independent inquiry seems to be run on the same lines as the last British Governments independent inquiries.
Our game deserves so much better than the people we have running it.
Quote from: Lighthouse on August 06, 2010, 09:42:34 AM
Whatever the outcome it really does prove that our game is far from clean. This so called independent inquiry seems to be run on the same lines as the last British Governments independent inquiries.
Our game deserves so much better than the people we have running it.
Agreed, our game is wrong on so many levels, the rules are messed up and controlling!
The footballers creditors rule, home grown players rule, lack of debt rules are all jokes! If an independent (truly) made up of financial directors of successful non football clubs took over we'd have a chance.
I wish we had the German FA! No Bundesliga clubs in debt, 3rd best league in Europe, top priced tickets in league are 40 euros.
Sounds like Richards is scared sh**less. If you notice in his statements, he doesn't say he isn't guilty of influencing the transfer. He just says he hasn't done anything wrong.
That's not the same thing.
...so he writes the rules (and presumably can change them to suit) with a provision that any external monitoring or accountability is waivered.
It STINKS...
This smells similar to MP's expenses. The argument 'we didn't do anything illegal' 'we operated within the rules' etc. Of course that still means that they could have done someting morally objectionable.
What am I talking about, of course they did something morally objectionable, its the premier league we are talking about..
Quote from: FC Silver Fox on August 06, 2010, 11:18:13 AM
Sounds like Richards is scared sh**less. If you notice in his statements, he doesn't say he isn't guilty of influencing the transfer. He just says he hasn't done anything wrong.
That's not the same thing.
Scared sh**less??? pardon your French, Mr. French.
me thinks there is more to this than meets the eye,there seems to be a bit of panic surrounding the actions of Richards :001:
pardon the left-of-the-Atlantic [and left of pretty much everyone else around here who isn't named Dan], instant analysis, but The FA and The Prem is traditional British business-as-usual. That means that it is COMPLETELY about back-handers and old-boy's-clubs, none of which would stand up under fair and impartial scrutiny. You bet your bum-bags that Richards is scared to death about this.
Having said that, MAF is never going to be accepted by these public school nancies. He's always going to be treated as "less than" by people whose families haven't accomplished in several generations what he gets done in a relatively slow week. MAF is never going to be given his props, and every time he cries out for justice he proves that he's not "one of them." We applaud the fact that he's not, but it rips his heart out.
I think that, occasionally, he should let one of these go by.
Go get him, Mo!!
it will be intresting to see the outcome of this it would seem there is a cover up going on go get the mo
