By Andrew Warshaw
February 4 – The Leeds United ownership saga shows no sign of being resolved as the club prepares for fresh talks while re-instated manager Brian McDermott says he is going nowhere – for the moment anyway.
Leeds chairman Salah Nooruddin has insisted that current owners GFH Capital remain in charge even though Italian entrepreneur Massimo Cellino has agreed to buy a 75% stake in the club.
Two separate consortia, Sport Capital and Together Leeds, have reportedly teamed up to match Cellino’s offer for the iconic English club who were the greatest team in England in the early 1970s and still command a large and passionate fan base.
The latest development at the Championship club, who have struggled to get back to the top flight of English football following relegation in 2004, follows the re-instatement of manager Brain McDermott who was apparently sacked prematurely by Cellino’s representatives ahead of last weekend’s game against Huddersfield.
Nooruddin has issued an email to Leeds United staff in an attempt to bring some clarity to the situation, informing them not to take instructions from anyone other than GFH.
“You will all, of course, be aware of the speculation surrounding the ownership of Leeds United FC and I wanted to let you know that GFH Capital currently retains its ownership of the club,” wrote Nooruddin.
“The existing board remains in control of the club and David [Haigh] is the managing director. No instructions or directions whatsoever should be taken from anyone outside the existing management structure and the board. Please do not hesitate to contact me or any senior member of staff should any issues arise.”
Meanwhile McDermott explained the bizarre train of events that led to him being axed and then brought back within 24 hours.
“I got a phone call Friday night from the football club, Chris Farnell (a lawyer representing Cellino), to say I’d been relieved of my duties and a letter was on its way,” he said. “Saturday morning I got another phone call from GFH to say that wasn’t the case. This situation should never happen to a football manager and let’s hope it never happens again. Whoever sacks the manager has to own the football club.”
A proposed takeover by Sport Capital on its own, led by Haigh and Andrew Flowers, the managing director of club sponsor Enterprise Insurance, fell through last week reportedly because of lack of financial backing.
Cellino, 57-year-old owner of Italian Serie A side Cagliari, has yet to gain the approval of the Football League to take over Leeds and has to pass a “fit and proper person” test first.
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