Times Online - Sunday Times
Hidden payments plunged Leeds deeper into debt
THE Monaco-based partner of Jason Ferguson contributed to the deepening financial crisis at Leeds United, according to documents seen by The Sunday Times.
Mike Morris, described by insiders as an unofficial “fifth” director in Ferguson’s Elite sports agency, shared an unauthorised commission of £200,000 from the club when it was already mired in debt.
This weekend Leeds are desperately seeking a benefactor to help pay back spiralling debts estimated at £105m. The club has until midnight tomorrow to raise at least some of the money or it will be forced into administration.
Last summer, when Leeds already owed £78m, Morris and two other agents collected large commissions by cutting themselves into two of the club’s bargain basement transfer deals. Documents seen by The Sunday Times show that Morris was secretly colluding with an agent who had been retained by Leeds to prevent the club being ripped off in transfer deals.
Having sold a number of its stars to recoup much-needed cash, Leeds attempted to replenish its squad in the summer by signing players on loans or free transfers.
One of their targets was Roque Junior, the Brazilian international defender who was available on loan from AC Milan. While Leeds were not required to pay a transfer fee, they did have to pay £200,000 to Allessandro Lucci, an unlicensed Italian agent, for arranging the loan.
According to the documents, Lucci had secretly struck a deal for his fee to be split equally with Morris and another agent called Hayden Evans. Correspondence from Evans’s company HN Sports to Morris states: “Leeds United are due to pay the first instalment of the Roque Junior monies (£100,000) directly to Allessandro — these monies are to be split equally three ways between Allessandro, yourselves and us, ie £33,333 each.”
There is no clear reason why the two men should have been paid as they were not, on the face of it, involved in the negotiations. Professor John McKenzie, then chairman of Leeds, said he was unaware of Morris’s role. He was even more perplexed by the payment to Evans — as at the time he had been hired as an “in-house consultant” to monitor the club’s transfer dealings and should not have been taking a cut from them. Leeds are now disputing claims for payment from Evans for the work he did.
Morris and Evans had also been involved in another Leeds transaction earlier last summer. Morris charged Leeds £150,000 for his work on the free transfer of Chelsea’s England under-21 midfielder Jody Morris, and then made a payment to Evans.
Documents show Mike Morris’s World Football company paid £40,000 to Sandfield Ventures, a company linked to Evans, but not listed in Companies House records. Although Morris’s role in the deal was known by Leeds, McKenzie said he had no knowledge of Evans’s involvement.
The FA is investigating agents’ payments in the Roque Junior transfer and The Sunday Times’s findings have been sent to Trevor Birch, the club’s chief executive. He said he would investigate the transactions. Morris declined to answer any questions about his payments from Leeds.
Evans denied receiving any payment from Morris in relation to the Roque Junior transfer, despite the evidence in the documents. He admitted, however, that he had helped in the Jody Morris transfer and was paid by Morris’s World Football.
Hidden payments plunged Leeds deeper into debt
THE Monaco-based partner of Jason Ferguson contributed to the deepening financial crisis at Leeds United, according to documents seen by The Sunday Times.
Mike Morris, described by insiders as an unofficial “fifth” director in Ferguson’s Elite sports agency, shared an unauthorised commission of £200,000 from the club when it was already mired in debt.
This weekend Leeds are desperately seeking a benefactor to help pay back spiralling debts estimated at £105m. The club has until midnight tomorrow to raise at least some of the money or it will be forced into administration.
Last summer, when Leeds already owed £78m, Morris and two other agents collected large commissions by cutting themselves into two of the club’s bargain basement transfer deals. Documents seen by The Sunday Times show that Morris was secretly colluding with an agent who had been retained by Leeds to prevent the club being ripped off in transfer deals.
Having sold a number of its stars to recoup much-needed cash, Leeds attempted to replenish its squad in the summer by signing players on loans or free transfers.
One of their targets was Roque Junior, the Brazilian international defender who was available on loan from AC Milan. While Leeds were not required to pay a transfer fee, they did have to pay £200,000 to Allessandro Lucci, an unlicensed Italian agent, for arranging the loan.
According to the documents, Lucci had secretly struck a deal for his fee to be split equally with Morris and another agent called Hayden Evans. Correspondence from Evans’s company HN Sports to Morris states: “Leeds United are due to pay the first instalment of the Roque Junior monies (£100,000) directly to Allessandro — these monies are to be split equally three ways between Allessandro, yourselves and us, ie £33,333 each.”
There is no clear reason why the two men should have been paid as they were not, on the face of it, involved in the negotiations. Professor John McKenzie, then chairman of Leeds, said he was unaware of Morris’s role. He was even more perplexed by the payment to Evans — as at the time he had been hired as an “in-house consultant” to monitor the club’s transfer dealings and should not have been taking a cut from them. Leeds are now disputing claims for payment from Evans for the work he did.
Morris and Evans had also been involved in another Leeds transaction earlier last summer. Morris charged Leeds £150,000 for his work on the free transfer of Chelsea’s England under-21 midfielder Jody Morris, and then made a payment to Evans.
Documents show Mike Morris’s World Football company paid £40,000 to Sandfield Ventures, a company linked to Evans, but not listed in Companies House records. Although Morris’s role in the deal was known by Leeds, McKenzie said he had no knowledge of Evans’s involvement.
The FA is investigating agents’ payments in the Roque Junior transfer and The Sunday Times’s findings have been sent to Trevor Birch, the club’s chief executive. He said he would investigate the transactions. Morris declined to answer any questions about his payments from Leeds.
Evans denied receiving any payment from Morris in relation to the Roque Junior transfer, despite the evidence in the documents. He admitted, however, that he had helped in the Jody Morris transfer and was paid by Morris’s World Football.
