Ken Bates Factfile - LeedsUtdMad 20/1/05

LeedsUtdMAD - the definitive Leeds United website. Independent news and stats from footymad.net Ken Bates Factfile Story by Kevin Markey ANYONE who buys a business for £1 and sells it 21 years later for a personal profit of £16,999,999 is obviously no mug. Factfile on Ken Bates.... 1931: Born December 4 in Ealing, West London. Made his personal fortune from a ready-mix concrete business and dairy farming and was briefly chairman of Oldham in the 1960s, as well as buying control of Wigan in 1981. 1982: Bought Chelsea Football Club for £1, albeit taking on significant debts in the process. 1985: The Football Association and the Greater London Council rejected his proposals for electrified fencing to deter hooligans. 1986: Joined Football League management committee and submitted planning application to rebuild Stamford Bridge as a new stadium, rather than an opposing bid by Marler Estates to build flats. 1991: Chelsea fined £105k for alleged illegal payments to players. Bates resigned from the Football League management committee. 1992: Formed Chelsea Village Limited after winning his battle for control of Stamford Bridge. Under Bates, the transformation of the ground began and a hotel was built backing on to the stadium. 1993: Appointed Glenn Hoddle as manager, the decision which initially sparked Chelsea's recovery and they reached the FA Cup final in 1994 only to lose to Manchester United. 1994: Matthew Harding was appointed to the board after Bates called for new investors. 1996: Harding, having been elevated to chairman of Chelsea Village plc, was killed in a helicopter crash. 1997: Bates joined the board of Wembley National Stadium Limited. His vision for Wembley was later scaled down by the Football Association. Chelsea won the FA Cup under Ruud Gullit. 1998: Bates sacked Gullit. Chelsea won the European Cup Winners' Cup and Coca-Cola Cup under new boss Gianluca Vialli. 2000: Chelsea reach the Champions League quarter-finals only to lose to Barcelona. Vialli was sacked four months after leading Chelsea to FA Cup success. Claudio Ranieri was appointed in his place. 2001: Bates resigned from the board of WNSL. 2003: In July, Bates sold his controlling stake in Chelsea to Russian billionaire Roman Abramovich for £17m. Bates remained as club chairman. 2004, March 2: Bates announced his decision to step down as Chelsea Football Club chairman, having already been replaced as chairman of the Chelsea Village parent company. March 25: Announced his willingness to invest upwards of £10m in Sheffield Wednesday if given access to the club's financial records. 2005, January 20: Leeds open negotiations with Bates over a potential investment in the club.

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