By David Gold
May 1 – The Parliamentary inquiry into football governance is seeking answers over the award of merchandise contracts to Glue Creative Production Solutions, a company which is part owned by the son of Sir Dave Richards (pictured), the Premier League chairman.
The Independent on Sunday report that a letter will be sent on Tuesday asking the Premier League and Football Association to explain “what mechanisms are in place to avoid conflict of interest” and to detail the “steps taken by Sir Dave to declare his interests” regarding Glue – a story first brought to the attention of the inquiry by insideworldfootball.
Sir Dave was previously a director of Glue, before he left last December, and both the FA and Premier League told The Independent on Sunday that the arrangement with Glue was minimal.
A marketing agency, Unspun, commissioned the material from Glue for England’s 2018 World Cup bid, and Glue insist that the tender process for the award of the work was transparent.
Damien Collins MP, a key figure in the Parliamentary Inquiry, said: “It’s important to establish how these procurement decisions were made given that Sir Dave had an interest in Glue.
“Why, when there are hundreds of event companies based in London, would a London-based PR company sub-contract a company in Sheffield?
“The question is, where a senior member of an organisation has got a commercial interest in a company chosen as a supplier, how was that decision made?
“It’s about principle and procedures. We only know about this because it’s been discovered.
“Was it coincidence that Glue were chosen?
“And were the Premier League and FA made aware at the time that Sir Dave had an interest in the company?”
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