Dubai fiasco piles pressure on Parry
By Charles Sale, The Daily Mail, 31st January 2007
Dubai International Capital’s withdrawal from the Liverpool takeover saga will put chief executive Rick Parry under immense pressure to explain what has gone wrong during the club’s three-year search for new funding.
Even if American sports tycoon George Gillett buys the club, it won’t stop people asking why it has been such a tortuous process to sell the club compared to far less attractive Premiership rivals.
Liverpool have attached great importance to any potential backers buying into the way Parry and owner David Moores believe the club should be run, which, it is understood, includes Moores keeping some high honorary position and Parry carrying on as chief executive.
One of the reasons why the Liverpool hierarchy were never keen on local building magnate Steve Morgan taking charge is that it would have meant both Moores and Parry having to go.
The talks with DIC have been going on for two years and one would expect a good enough relationship would have been built up in that time to safeguard against a last-minute disagreement kiboshing the deal. But the Parry regime is not known for friendliness.
Australia defender Lucas Neill says one of the reasons he joined West Ham rather than Liverpool, apart from the extra money, was because he was made to feel far more welcome by the London club.
Even Steven Gerrard nearly joined Chelsea because he felt unloved at Anfield.
Expect Newcastle to be the next port of call for DIC, who are still keen to buy a Premiership club.
It has emerged that the cost of funding a new stadium at Liverpool, which would have cost them a minimum of £215million, was one of the main sticking points in their proposed £450m deal.
Buying Newcastle would be a lot cheaper, with a modern ground in place and the Hall family desperate to sell their shares.
Only the firm opposition of chairman Freddy Shepherd, the other major shareholder, prevented the club being sold for £227m to American hedge fund Polygon, backed by the United Bank of Switzerland, before Christmas.
Former England coach Sven Goran Eriksson is now on half pay — £6,500-a-day — from the FA until the end of June. And surprise, surprise, the latest word on Eriksson’s next managerial move is that he won’t be taking up any potential job offer until the start of July.
No wonder relieved Premiership chairmen believe they have heard the last of the pretty meaningless Stevens bung inquiry, which has cost £800,000 without uncovering any definitive wrongdoing.
The lack of desire within the FA and Premier League to carry on the investigation is clear from the fact that, more than a month since Stevens reported his findings, the two authorities still haven’t got together with investigative team Quest to decide how the probe might proceed. Parking? £200k please Members of the Wembley Corinthian Club, who are paying nearly £100,000 over 10 years for the privilege, shouldn’t take any notice of the promotional literature for their super seats, which says their VIP status entitles them to a car parking space at the stadium.
It doesn't. For a Corinthian Club member to have a guaranteed slot in the ludicrously small car parking area that has only 2,900 spaces, he or she has to buy two Corinthian Club seats.
Mike Soper, deputy chairman of the ECB, the one dissenting voice on the 12-strong management committee about the independent review of England’s abject surrender in Australia this winter. Soper, who has received messages of support from county chairmen, believes the inquiry should have been handled in-house. His big fear is what might happen if the ECB do not agree with the findings of the team led by Ken Schofield.
Nufcmismanagement view:
More baseless rumours, let's hope this turns out to be true.
For those who do not know who Dubai International Capital are, they are an arm of Dubai Holding.
Dubai Holding was created with a view of bringing together the projects that were contributing towards Dubai's various developments. Dubai is a very small country (Emirate) which has gone from strength to strength, both with and without oil.
While many oil rich countries have become lazy and corrupt, Dubai has invested much of it's wealth to become a country which will prosper long after the oil money has gone, we can all learn from this. They have planted the seeds which will carry them onwards and upwards for many years to come, the rulers (Makhtoum family) have been far sighted and spent money wisely, it could be said that they have a country with foundations which aren't built on sand.
Dubai is sometimes known as "The gateway to the middle-East," a term which is well deserved. The ruling family have done a superb job and gone a long way in a short space of time. 60 years ago they had nothing but good intentions, today they have a country which is usually viewed by outsiders as an oasis in a very disfunctional region.
Shepherd Out