Leeds United takeover edging near
Yorkshire Evening Post 24/9/12
By Phil Hay
Ken Bates was joined by representatives of the group bidding to take control of Leeds United as the club inflicted a 2-1 defeat on Nottingham Forest.
Members of senior management at GFH Capital Limited, the Dubai-based firm involved in the planned takeover of Leeds, sat alongside Bates in the directors’ box at Elland Road with a major investment deal edging closer. United’s chairman and owner invited four of the group’s representatives to Saturday’s Championship match after a lengthy and productive meeting in Leeds on Friday.
Among their number were David Haigh, deputy chief executive of GFH Capital Limited, and Salem Patel, a board member at the private equity company. Both men had previously attended Elland Road for United’s victory over Wolverhampton Wanderers on the first day of the season.
They were accompanied on Saturday by Hisham Alrayes, another prominent employee of GFH Capital Ltd who also works as acting chief executive officer for Gulf Finance House, an investment bank situated in Bahrain. GFH Capital Ltd is a subsidiary of Gulf Finance House.
Writing on Twitter, Alrayes said: “Well done Leeds...I really enjoyed the match.” Haigh also tweeted at the end of United’s win over Forest, saying: “Great City, The Best Club, Great Match.”
An offer to acquire a controlling interest in United, submitted by investors from the Gulf region, has been on the table for almost four months without reaching completion.
Bates revealed over the weekend that talks with a “banking institution” were at an “advanced” stage, though the nature of the bid fronted by GFH Capital Limited is still to be revealed. The firm were widely believed to be brokering a takeover on behalf of other buyers.
Bates, who did not disclose the identity of the bank in question, said: “Four of their top people were here for a long meeting (on Friday) and here as our guests (for the game against Nottingham Forest). Four of the top people – top executives, directors from the institution.
“We had one bit of bad luck because the chairman was coming to meet me. We were going to resolve a few things chairman-to-chairman, some things only chairmen can do, but unfortunately he had to pull out at the last minute for personal reasons.
“We’re both disappointed but we’re going to try to get together as soon as possible once his personal situation has been resolved.”
Ken Bates was joined by representatives of the group bidding to take control of Leeds United as the club inflicted a 2-1 defeat on Nottingham Forest.
Members of senior management at GFH Capital Limited, the Dubai-based firm involved in the planned takeover of Leeds, sat alongside Bates in the directors’ box at Elland Road with a major investment deal edging closer. United’s chairman and owner invited four of the group’s representatives to Saturday’s Championship match after a lengthy and productive meeting in Leeds on Friday.
Among their number were David Haigh, deputy chief executive of GFH Capital Limited, and Salem Patel, a board member at the private equity company. Both men had previously attended Elland Road for United’s victory over Wolverhampton Wanderers on the first day of the season.
They were accompanied on Saturday by Hisham Alrayes, another prominent employee of GFH Capital Ltd who also works as acting chief executive officer for Gulf Finance House, an investment bank situated in Bahrain. GFH Capital Ltd is a subsidiary of Gulf Finance House.
Writing on Twitter, Alrayes said: “Well done Leeds...I really enjoyed the match.” Haigh also tweeted at the end of United’s win over Forest, saying: “Great City, The Best Club, Great Match.”
An offer to acquire a controlling interest in United, submitted by investors from the Gulf region, has been on the table for almost four months without reaching completion.
Bates revealed over the weekend that talks with a “banking institution” were at an “advanced” stage, though the nature of the bid fronted by GFH Capital Limited is still to be revealed. The firm were widely believed to be brokering a takeover on behalf of other buyers.
Bates, who did not disclose the identity of the bank in question, said: “Four of their top people were here for a long meeting (on Friday) and here as our guests (for the game against Nottingham Forest). Four of the top people – top executives, directors from the institution.
“We had one bit of bad luck because the chairman was coming to meet me. We were going to resolve a few things chairman-to-chairman, some things only chairmen can do, but unfortunately he had to pull out at the last minute for personal reasons.
“We’re both disappointed but we’re going to try to get together as soon as possible once his personal situation has been resolved.”