Why are football club owners so dodgy?

Why are football club owners so dodgy?

Author
Discussion

Thankyou4calling

Original Poster:

10,744 posts

184 months

It strikes me that running a football club seems to attract wrong uns.

There's a fit and proper person's test some seem to get past and later it's discovered the person was up to varying levels of mischief.

I'm not saying every club, or every owner but it does seem an inordinate amount fly close to the wire.

Is it football? Is it sport? Is it ? Well what is it?

TownIdiot

2,912 posts

10 months

Relatively large amounts of money moving round a very lightly regulated environment.

Possibility of fame and glory.


Dingu

4,724 posts

41 months

What about it attracts right ones? It’s a crap thing to do, you’ll always end up unpopular and you will almost certainly lose money, unless right at the top end.

BoRED S2upid

20,486 posts

251 months

I wouldn’t say Wrexhams owners are dodgy although he has been in some dodgy films in his time.

nicanary

10,440 posts

157 months

Delia Smith is a saint. How very very dare you......

drdel

453 posts

139 months

Any (well most I'd say) business that uses cash has a big temptation because the opportunity for creative accounting is in the mindset.

mikef

5,474 posts

262 months

Saturday
quotequote all
I get the impression that Tony Bloom, majority owner of Brighton, is not so much dodgy as a very shrewd businessman

He's made much of his money out of gaming and horse racing, which might in itself be viewed as dodgy, but he's clearly been putting into the club rather than taking out

Maybe he's the exception ?

jazzybees

1,005 posts

133 months

Saturday
quotequote all
YES DODGY , SAME AS PEOPLE WHO MAKE BETS, AND DONT PAY UP, WHEN THEY LOSE THE BET.

aeropilot

37,558 posts

238 months

Saturday
quotequote all
mikef said:
I get the impression that Tony Bloom, majority owner of Brighton, is not so much dodgy as a very shrewd businessman

He's made much of his money out of gaming and horse racing, which might in itself be viewed as dodgy, but he's clearly been putting into the club rather than taking out

Maybe he's the exception ?
No, as similar to Mathew Benham's ownership of Brentford as well.

Both also happen to be lifelong fans of their respective clubs, which I think is the big difference, and can be seen in the way both clubs are run.


OldPal

151 posts

151 months

Saturday
quotequote all
Relatively easy access to huge amounts of finance, large assets to strip, loyal fan bases to make sure it doesn’t go out of business.

Some of the stuff that went on at rangers was unbelievable back in 2012-2015. Agreeing deals to sell future season ticket revenue for cash injections now which was then embezzled away in overly lucrative contracts to the then owners at the time. Giving Mike Ashley the rights to the club shirt and rangers were only making something like 8p in every £1 of club merchandise.

Gargamel

15,371 posts

272 months

Yesterday (19:21)
quotequote all
Lots of clubs syndicate future ticket sales as the asset against which they borrow.

Rangers case was special.

Agree through over the years Football club owners have been involved in a disproportionate numbers of financial scandals.

I think there is something about owning a club that gives undue prestige to people