Richards faces Fulham legal probe

[BBC Sport]

Fulham are taking legal action against Premier League chairman Sir Dave Richards, BBC Sport understands.

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[Jack Fulham]

Mr Al Fayed loves a court case. Sir Dave Richards does have a bit of a reputation as a dodgy character though. This is to do with the transfer of Peter Crouch to Spurs, not sure what were complaining about though, if Pompey accepted Spurs bid, it shouldn't be a problem.

 

[Ride The Walrus]

What's gone down?

 

[Max]

Basically we accepted Spurs' bid instead of Fulham's because Fulham's bid was in installments which wouldn't of helped us at all really at the current time. We needed the money upfront and that's what Spurs offered, not to mention we owed money to them from the Kaboul transfer still so it was about clearing our own debts to Spurs aswell. I don't really see the problem and why Fulham are so annoyed, it's just business.

 

[Andy]

What's gone down?

Read the article.

 

[Jack Fulham]

Basically we accepted Spurs' bid instead of Fulham's because Fulham's bid was in installments which wouldn't of helped us at all really at the current time. We needed the money upfront and that's what Spurs offered, not to mention we owed money to them from the Kaboul transfer still so it was about clearing our own debts to Spurs aswell. I don't really see the problem and why Fulham are so annoyed, it's just business.

I think Dave Richards must have done something about our bid though, I think all bids must go via the Premier league and the rumour that was going around at the time was that Pompey never actually recieved our bid and by the time they did, Spurs bid had already been accepted, not sure if that is solid information though.

 

[Max]

I think Dave Richards must have done something about our bid though, I think all bids must go via the Premier league and the rumour that was going around at the time was that Pompey never actually recieved our bid and by the time they did, Spurs bid had already been accepted, not sure if that is solid information though.

Yeah he probably did, we're always part of dodgy deals (mostly when Redknapp was here but it seems he still gets us involved in situations when he's not even here), we've been questioned on a lot of deals since we've been promoted, when we bought Amdy Faye that was being questioned for about 2 seasons until it was finally resolved. I never heard anything about Portsmouth not receiving a bid etc, I knew Sunderland, Fulham and Spurs were all interested and at one point he was extremely close to going to Sunderland but as soon as Spurs made a bid we cancelled the deal, so Richards probably did have something to do with it.

 

[Jack Fulham]

Fulham want Sir Dave Richards thrown out as Premier League chairman

• Fulham anger over failed Peter Crouch deal reaches high court
• Club claim Richards's involvement scuppered transfer last year

Details of Fulham's court action against Sir Dave Richards emerged today showing the club has demanded his removal as chairman of the Premier League, or at least a ban from any involvement with transfers, the Guardian can reveal.

The Premier League chief executive, Richard Scudamore, confirmed in an email to all member clubs this week: "Fulham are asking the court to order an injunction restraining the chairman [Richards] from taking any role in the transfer of players or, alternatively, that the court remove the chairman from the board of the Premier League."

It is an extraordinary and unprecedented step from a shareholder club to take recourse to the high court against the chairman, whose role it is to represent their interests as the custodian of his organisation's corporate governance. Fulham's fury was ignited over Richards's involvement in Peter Crouch's transfer from Portsmouth last summer.

According to Scudamore's email, the fact Richards became involved is not in dispute. It states the League ordered an inquiry and found there had been no impropriety on Richards's part. "The inquiry concluded the chairman's actions had not been detrimental to Fulham, and that it was not inappropriate for the chairman to assist in such matters when requested to do so by a club," Scudamore wrote.

However, Fulham are not satisfied by the outcome of the inquiry and on 27 April delivered their petition to the companies court. They maintain their allegation that it was Richards's intervention that prompted Crouch to abandon his pledge to join Fulham, for £11m, in favour of a switch to Spurs, for £2m less.

Though he accepts he did speak with Portsmouth's then chief executive, Peter Storrie – a personal friend – Richards denies he sought to assist Spurs over Fulham.

Scudamore said: "The claim is that Fulham have been unfairly prejudiced in their capacity as a member of the Premier League, as a result of alleged assistance provided by the chairman to Portsmouth in securing the transfer of Peter Crouch to Tottenham Hotspur in August 2009."

Richards maintains Portsmouth, under pressure from HM Revenue & Customs over an eight-figure debt that threatened to push them into administration, sought to receive cash up front.

Spurs' payment to Pompey was indeed in a single lump sum of £9m but it will be for the courts to test how Fulham's offer would have been arranged.

If the courts accede to Fulham's request for the removal of Richards it would be a seismic shift in English football. After 11 years as Premier League chairman, Richards has built arguably the biggest powerbase in the game. The 66-year-old former Sheffield Wednesday chairman is also vice-chairman of the Football Association, chairman of Club England and on the FA's international committee, an array of interests that is attracting increasing scrutiny and would prove untenable if he is toppled at the Premier League.

http://www.guardian.co.uk/football/2010/jul/30/fulham-court-action-premier-league-dave-richards

 

[Mike.]

i'd love him to be thrown out, since hes also FA chairman. dodgy, money motivated so and so