SFA, The Offshore Game, flogging assets

The SFA surprised many by refusing Mike Ashley permission to buy up to 29.9% of a second club.  As I said earlier in the week, don’t get too hung up on this one.  Ashley could play The Offshore Game, like the anonymised Blue Pitch or Margarita, or he could just do what he’s already done, ignore the SFA and underwrite the share issue anyway.  What would the SFA do?

Well, they could impose the ultimate sanction, but that’s unlikely.  They could impose a heavy point penalty, enough to ensure the club are not promoted this season, and refuse to register signings of players older than 21-years.

It’s perhaps more likely that Ashley will loan the money required in return for whatever assets are left.  Oldco went out of business a few months after they were sold to a liquidation expert.  The path newco will follow down the lavvy will be different.  Like any other squeezed business, they will redeem assets, sell the training fields, and the stadium, before putting themselves into the hands of a liquidator.

As for long-term financial viability, does anyone think this looks likely?

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