This week’s Economist has a most curious article on the football business, entitled “Welcome to the beautiful game. Football clubs can easily be used as stealing machines. Here is an instruction manual. The stories are real, but most details are concealed”.
They assert, “It is a good time to enter the football racket. Banks are less generous and sentimental about loans. Tax officials are less lenient, too, as Rangers, a big Glasgow club, discovered”.
“Set up a holding company (or a nest of them) in a discreet jurisdiction, as many owners do, and you have a money-laundering and embezzlement machine at your disposal.
“Exaggerating the attendance at matches lets you run some of the dirty takings from your previous career through the turnstiles, turning them into legitimate income (this particular ruse works best if you buy a middling club, where games are not routinely sold out).”
They conclude, “Some national associations do a spot of due diligence on new owners, but this is unlikely to interfere with your plans.”
Brazil, Balkans, Russia, Serbia and Bulgaria all get a mention but there was only the one club got a name check.
Nest of holding companies in discreet jurisdictions, money-laundering, embezzlement, exaggerated attendances, dirty previous businesses!! Read it and weep, football fans, just don’t expect the blazers to watch out for your best interests.
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Kojo
14:02 on
14 July, 2013
aye lad …there,s a saying about being nice to people on your way up the ladder…and that was there choice….never mind not your problem…
TSD
Even when you try to be witty and urbane,your inherently nasty persona always wins through.
Try to love your neighbour just that little more. A wee bit of tolerance goes a long way.
Yep if we are only get 3-4mill for Hooper then better to keep him until January and sell for £500k
All this stuff about the Zimmerman verdict
None of us ( i presume ) sat in the courtroom and listened to the evidence or have read the transcripts of the trial
Had the victim been a white male none of us would have ever even heard of the case.
Perhaps the jury who listened to all of the evidence came to the correct verdict
THE HUDDLE
Aye,I know what you are saying.
I just think we may hold on to him more out of principle than wisdom.
BOBBY MURDOCH’S CURLED-UP WINKLEPICKERS
How did Zimmerman get a bloody nose and lacerations on the back of his head, Zimmerman was no match for the young thug, If he didn’t have the gun he would be dead.
BMCUWP:
Hooper is unfortunately no win situation, we play hardball and hold out for we reckon he is worth. If we do and are unfortunately out of Europe in January we could realistically get £2 milion or he could sit tight and sign a precontract in January.
It would appear we are not going to give him the contract he wants and is set to leave, even if that is next summer.
A rock and hard place. £4/5 milion now, £2 milion or nothing in January. Gary’s leaving may buck the trend of buying young cheap players, developing them and signing them for a higher price.
Keep the Faith!
Hail Hail!
WEEMAN67
And that is why I said it is down to the courts to decide.
I have no problem with the verdict. But the case demanded a trial.
signing = selling. ..
Keep the Faith!
Hail Hail!
Some of the posters on here are either very stupid, very naive or just despicable individuals.
BOBBY MURDOCH’S CURLED-UP WINKLEPICKERS
No problem with that, someone was killed during an altercation, it has to go to court.
Ernie
can you explain what you mean please
bmcuw. the swinging dickhead attacks you shortly after you wished his immigrant alter ego a happy retirement in his new adopted homeland……. odd that!
hamiltontim
I would drive him to airport.
A combined £18M for Two players who cost £3.5M. Loving it.
LENNYBHOY
I know. I didn’t suggest it was necessarily the right policy.
On here,we have been bemoaning the paucity of decent and affordable strikers.
Other clubs also have that problem.
That is probably the only ace in PL’s hand. We’ll see how it goes,but I think he wants £7m,and is happy to hang on for the offer.
Ernie there’s one in particular,
The grammar is not an intentional attempt to copy the old scots, it’s a keyboard issue, he can’t see the keys due to the white pointy hood slipping over his eyes.
EDWARDBURNS5
Ach,he’s leaving somebody else alone…..
WEEMAN67
Nae bother,bud.
Glad we finally got the common ground.
@Pmacgiollabhain: http://t.co/1hkpdiDW4P
Phil’s latest
Word reaches the Gallowgate that the louden tavern and the Bristol bar have both cancelled their subscriptions for the economist, the beano commando and hotspur ones remain unaltered.
BOBBY MURDOCH’S CURLED-UP WINKLEPICKERS
I am the easiest guy to get along with, everyone has a right to their opinion.
BMcuw. that shows a much greater genoristy than you could ever expect to be reciprocated from the grusome twosome
To Kojo and the Dyslexic Detective
I blame the native Americans. Their immigration laws were crap.
Do you feel that its just like the United States of Apache?
For anyone interested, some of the innocent 17 year old’s tweets.
“WARNING NOT FOR KIDS”
http://www.rightwingnews.com/10-random-140-character-thoughts/20-trayvon-martins-tweets-that-stand-out-language-warning/
WEEMAN67
Well said,sir.
I like a difference of opinions,as it’s the only way to learn.
Sometimes the hard way,right enough!
Imagine going for a night out and everyone just nodding and agreeing?
It would bore the pants off me-or the month-old y-fronts!
WEEMAN67
In Scotland,that sort of nonsense would have made him a candidate for a right good kick up the arse!
BMCUWP….
A Problem That I Have With You….
And Your Lefty Pals…….
Is Your BASIC DISHONESTY……
To Come To Conclusions About Issues…
You Do Not Sift Through The Best Available Evidence….
Before Forming Your Opinion….
You Reach For The First Piece Of Evidence That SUPPORTS Your Desired Scenario….
And Then Ignore The Rest…..
* Take The Other Day….You Informed Petec That Obama Could Not Be A Muslim
Because a Report In The Washington Post Stated That He Attended A Catholic Primary School For The First Three Years,Run By A Dutch Religious Order…
The School Had A Religiously Mixed Roll..
His Relevant School Admission Certificate…
States That Obama Was A Muslim….
Most Likely,His Parents First Sent Him To A ‘Dutch’ School……
As He Would Only Have Spoken English..
But ‘BMCUWP’ PRONOUNCES….
And The World Sits Up An Takes Notice…
” A Lie Goes Right Around The World…..
Before The Truth Has Time To Put Its. Pants On..”
* “At No Stage Was The ‘Victim’ A Threat To The ‘Assailant’…..”
Another CRACKER From You…..
Ignores The Testimony Of The Witness Who Was Closest To The Incident….
And Spoke Of Martin Being On Top Of Zimmerman….
And Beating Down On Him In ‘Grinding’ Mixed Martial Arts Style…..
Did You See The State Of Zimmie’s Nose..
And The Cuts On The Back Of His Head ?
Why Didn’t Zimmie Have His Weapon Drawn…
When The Physical Encounter Occured?
~~~~~
Outwith Matters Concerning ‘Celtic’…..
The Mindsets Of You And Your Lefty Pals……
Are Indistinguishable From Those Of The Unwashed Huns You Affect To Despise…
When It Comes To Consideration Of Most Other Moral Issues…..
(ThumbsUp?)
EDWARDBURNS5
My thanks.
I learned,but it was a long lesson.
TSD
The Obama comment.
Do you have it to hand?
I recall a very different interpretation of my ONLY post to PETEC on the subject.
IIRC,I mentioned that in such a largely-Moslem country,it would be no surprise were he at a Moslem school.
But please feel free to prove wrong my memory,otherwise I shall have to draw my own conclusion about your own basic dishonesty.
Weeman
Re Trayvon Martins tweets
In fairness he was 17 and his tweets reflect the attitudes of a lot of 17 year old boys of all creeds and colours
It doesnt have any bearing on the shooting
ernie lynch
16:48 on 14 July, 2013
Some of the posters on here are either very stupid, very naive or just despicable individuals.
Glad to say that my wife has told me that I’m none of the above.
can i have raspberry on that champions league ice cream
What-and you believed her?
I have to say that having read that boy’s tweets and been made aware he was 6’2″ has brought me to the conclusion he probably deserved to be shot.After all,when you throw his being a wrong ‘un into the mix he probably had it coming!????
What a sad and tragic waste of a young life.A 17 year old human being now gone.That’s what really matters.
Why do some posters feel the need to post non football sporting results? Sitting down to watch the tour in the US and the result has been posted on here already. We arent all in Glasgow. Wtf?
I heard Obama was catholic because he went to catholic school.
If he turned out to be a muslim I blame catholic schools.
WeeMan 67…..
You Are Wasting Your Time Providing The Background For The Case…..
Lefties Only See What They WANT To See
They Live In A Parallel Universe…..
Look Around Right-Of-Centre Blogs….
One Thing That Strikes You Is Their Basic Honesty And Integrity…..
They Do Not Tend To Make Any Claims Or Speculation….
That They Cannot Substantiate With Solid Evidence….
Look Back Through Their Archived Content…..
Which Invariably Bears Out The Accuracy Of Their Initial Judgements And Conclusions….
Virtually Without Exception….!
~~~~~~
Compare And Contrast With Left Wing Blogs….
Or Even The Output Of The Guardian/Huff.Post/New Statesman……
They Cannot Help But Lie & Spin…..
Shamelessly…!!
If There’s Any Justice In This World…..
Ernie Lynch Is Going Straight To The BURNY FIRE……
Pinkety..?
Reading this blog has been a somewhat depressing experience this afternoon.
I read the last posting of the Singing Detective (Perhaps Dennis Potter’s estate should sue for breach of copyright) and his assertions as to the religion of the current President of America with particular interest. Other than stating the obvious that being a Muslim is not in itself a bad thing I’d have thought that there is little if anything in Obama’s record suggests any sympathy with predominantly Muslim countries or Islam itself
Unlike others on this blog I do not claim to know everything about everything and although I do wear clean underwear I am sure my personal hygiene is below the standards set by others.
As always sorry that I a mere ignorant , disaffected lefty has strayed into the grownups arguments.
Jimbo
In August 2010, a Pew Research poll showed that 18% of Americans and 30% of Republicans and a schizophrenic loonie on CQN believed that Obama is a Muslim