LUST Interview with BBC Radio Leeds
Transcript of interview with Trust Chairman, Gary Cooper, on West Yorkshire Sport, BBC Radio Leeds 17th July 2012
It was understood that due diligence continues as the interested party looks at the clubs books. It was the Leeds United Supporters Trust who, a few months ago, told us that they knew of an offer to buy the club that was on the table. The Trust has today issued a statement asking the club for concrete news on the deal, Adam Pope spoke to the Trust Chairman Gary Cooper earlier after he had returned from the Football Supporters Europe conference in Turkey.
GC: Yes, it's gone really well. I attended the three day event in Istanbul and I was very impressed. It was the first congress that I have actually attended and I think as an organisation the FSE has made leaps and bounds over the last 2 or 3 years. It certainly is ringing the doorbells of UEFA in very high places and I think it is an organisation which will assist supporters trusts and supporters groups of all kinds to attain the ear of some very influential people.
AP: Well of course this is where it all began with regards to Leeds United. It was yourselves as the Leeds United Supporters Trust that came forward and told the BBC and everybody else that you had been approached by several parties one of which you believed had put a bid on the table. What has happened since then as far as you're concerned? Are things going ahead towards a takeover still?
GC: They certainly are Adam, but this has been a long, protracted, drawn out period where little information, official information, has been put in the public realm. That's been really frustrating, not only for the thousands of fans that are clamouring for information and fans that we believe as a Trust that deserve more than they're been told. The silence surrounding the details of this has been quite incredible. We're certain that everything is going ahead, that there's been no change. Our statement this evening tells you that as far as we're aware that there have been no major issues as regards to due diligence, so we have no reason at all to believe that anything has changed other than we're now into the third week of July and still officially we still know no more than we did a few weeks ago. That's very, very, very frustrating for everyone concerned.
AP: Are you still in touch with the interested party or parties?
GC: Certainly we are still in contact, yes. We're still receiving advice on a regular basis, but there is actually nothing more I can say there. As a Trust we've tried to apply pressure where we can to get all parties concerned to speak out and say what they can to at least keep the fans informed.
AP: The interesting thing now clearly is the name Sheikh Abdulrahman bin Mubarak Al Khalifa linked with the club nine years ago, nothing happened then, is the name that keeps cropping up, the Bahraini Sheikh. Is it fair, is it accurate to put all the eggs in one basket to say this is the man who's going to sort it out?
GC: All we can say Adam is that I think the fact that there is a middle-east connection here is well in the public domain now. That, certainly as we're concerned, is accurate. In terms of the details of that, we are not at liberty to say any more at the present time, but I would urge all Leeds United fans not to put all your eggs in one basket. It may be that there is a wider group involved.
AP: Because there is an inevitable question that would be is there still a chance that Leeds could be owned by offshore owners like they were until recently, until the Chairman came out and said that he owned the majority shareholding.
GC: Absolutely, of course there's always that chance with middle-eastern involvement, you would certainly expect that to be the case at some level. I think the structure of the club will change dramatically, I'm pretty certain we won't be tied up in 16 or 17 companies, a dozen of which we know nothing about. I am sure that will be a little bit more straight forward. The detail will be there to be had once the deal is announced, finalised and that the buyers have made themselves known to Leeds United supporters.
AP: So in essence things still are moving, we spoke to the club while you were away on business there Gary, they said that due diligence as far as they were concerned the spokesman said that it was still ongoing, I mean that exclusivity will run out at some point surely.
GC: It will and the clock is ticking. So I am sure that whoever and whatever the teams that are involved in getting this deal signed off are doing so as quickly as they possibly can. I don't think we can make any more comment on due diligence, more important to me and to the Trust board is that our members and the wider Leeds United supporters base deserve to be told something, and at the moment we are being told very little if nothing.
AP: Yes, interesting and as you are aware now, Gary, while you were away that the information arm of the Bahrain government, the IAA, have done a complete turnaround and of the possibility of Sheikh Abdulrahman being involved, they divorced themselves from it saying it was nothing to do with us. This in essence, whoever it is if this is accurate, is a private investment this is a group or an investor that will look to come in under their own free will, if you like.
GC: Such is the nature of the people involved that have such high levels and I have no doubt with the amount of money that we're talking about that you saw there yourself with the information office do a complete U-turn. I don't think that's in any way incredible or amazing at all, I think that's probably par for the course in these matters. I'm not one who does multi-million pounds deals every day of the week, so I don't honestly know, but it doesn't surprise me that that's now the case.
AP: Tell you what, talking about multi-million pound deals, or a few hundred thousand pound deals, obviously Rodolph Austin, who we we spoke to yesterday a player that is desperate to come along with his wife, who we spoke to as well yesterday to come from SK Brann in Norway, the Jamaican international to come and play. Mirror that, how many times and with so many players who want to come to Leeds United and you'd hate for £100,000, or whatever it is, for it to fall short. They've sold Lonergan today...
GC: That's so true Adam, and the frustrating thing is that we seem still to be in a position, before this deal is finalised, that we seem to have to sell before we buy. It's not that we're bringing in new players, we have players on the books that Mr. Warnock was very clear at the outset of the close season that he wanted to keep, players who are dedicated to Leeds United, the likes of Robert Snodgrass and Ross McCormack. These guys we're told want to stay and yet, Aidy White another one, their futures are still in doubt with the club and it would be really nice to be in a position to be able to say to these players 'we appreciate your faith in Leeds and here's a decent contract to stay with the club and stay with us to win promotion'. Fans of Leeds United are passionate, when you buy into Leeds United you buy into that dream that the fans have and whether you are the present owners or the future owners get off on the right foot, lets have the fans informed, lets have the fans brought up to date and lets just give them something that they can hold on to. I am sure that there is a positive for Leeds United, but it's for me the Chairman of the trust saying that. The bottom line is at the end of the day that I’m just another person, another volunteer, another working bloke. We need the people involved in this deal to give something to the fans of Leeds United, something positive so that they know that we're moving ahead.
Leeds United Supporters Trust Chairman Gary Cooper speaking to Adam Pope earlier today.
It was understood that due diligence continues as the interested party looks at the clubs books. It was the Leeds United Supporters Trust who, a few months ago, told us that they knew of an offer to buy the club that was on the table. The Trust has today issued a statement asking the club for concrete news on the deal, Adam Pope spoke to the Trust Chairman Gary Cooper earlier after he had returned from the Football Supporters Europe conference in Turkey.
GC: Yes, it's gone really well. I attended the three day event in Istanbul and I was very impressed. It was the first congress that I have actually attended and I think as an organisation the FSE has made leaps and bounds over the last 2 or 3 years. It certainly is ringing the doorbells of UEFA in very high places and I think it is an organisation which will assist supporters trusts and supporters groups of all kinds to attain the ear of some very influential people.
AP: Well of course this is where it all began with regards to Leeds United. It was yourselves as the Leeds United Supporters Trust that came forward and told the BBC and everybody else that you had been approached by several parties one of which you believed had put a bid on the table. What has happened since then as far as you're concerned? Are things going ahead towards a takeover still?
GC: They certainly are Adam, but this has been a long, protracted, drawn out period where little information, official information, has been put in the public realm. That's been really frustrating, not only for the thousands of fans that are clamouring for information and fans that we believe as a Trust that deserve more than they're been told. The silence surrounding the details of this has been quite incredible. We're certain that everything is going ahead, that there's been no change. Our statement this evening tells you that as far as we're aware that there have been no major issues as regards to due diligence, so we have no reason at all to believe that anything has changed other than we're now into the third week of July and still officially we still know no more than we did a few weeks ago. That's very, very, very frustrating for everyone concerned.
AP: Are you still in touch with the interested party or parties?
GC: Certainly we are still in contact, yes. We're still receiving advice on a regular basis, but there is actually nothing more I can say there. As a Trust we've tried to apply pressure where we can to get all parties concerned to speak out and say what they can to at least keep the fans informed.
AP: The interesting thing now clearly is the name Sheikh Abdulrahman bin Mubarak Al Khalifa linked with the club nine years ago, nothing happened then, is the name that keeps cropping up, the Bahraini Sheikh. Is it fair, is it accurate to put all the eggs in one basket to say this is the man who's going to sort it out?
GC: All we can say Adam is that I think the fact that there is a middle-east connection here is well in the public domain now. That, certainly as we're concerned, is accurate. In terms of the details of that, we are not at liberty to say any more at the present time, but I would urge all Leeds United fans not to put all your eggs in one basket. It may be that there is a wider group involved.
AP: Because there is an inevitable question that would be is there still a chance that Leeds could be owned by offshore owners like they were until recently, until the Chairman came out and said that he owned the majority shareholding.
GC: Absolutely, of course there's always that chance with middle-eastern involvement, you would certainly expect that to be the case at some level. I think the structure of the club will change dramatically, I'm pretty certain we won't be tied up in 16 or 17 companies, a dozen of which we know nothing about. I am sure that will be a little bit more straight forward. The detail will be there to be had once the deal is announced, finalised and that the buyers have made themselves known to Leeds United supporters.
AP: So in essence things still are moving, we spoke to the club while you were away on business there Gary, they said that due diligence as far as they were concerned the spokesman said that it was still ongoing, I mean that exclusivity will run out at some point surely.
GC: It will and the clock is ticking. So I am sure that whoever and whatever the teams that are involved in getting this deal signed off are doing so as quickly as they possibly can. I don't think we can make any more comment on due diligence, more important to me and to the Trust board is that our members and the wider Leeds United supporters base deserve to be told something, and at the moment we are being told very little if nothing.
AP: Yes, interesting and as you are aware now, Gary, while you were away that the information arm of the Bahrain government, the IAA, have done a complete turnaround and of the possibility of Sheikh Abdulrahman being involved, they divorced themselves from it saying it was nothing to do with us. This in essence, whoever it is if this is accurate, is a private investment this is a group or an investor that will look to come in under their own free will, if you like.
GC: Such is the nature of the people involved that have such high levels and I have no doubt with the amount of money that we're talking about that you saw there yourself with the information office do a complete U-turn. I don't think that's in any way incredible or amazing at all, I think that's probably par for the course in these matters. I'm not one who does multi-million pounds deals every day of the week, so I don't honestly know, but it doesn't surprise me that that's now the case.
AP: Tell you what, talking about multi-million pound deals, or a few hundred thousand pound deals, obviously Rodolph Austin, who we we spoke to yesterday a player that is desperate to come along with his wife, who we spoke to as well yesterday to come from SK Brann in Norway, the Jamaican international to come and play. Mirror that, how many times and with so many players who want to come to Leeds United and you'd hate for £100,000, or whatever it is, for it to fall short. They've sold Lonergan today...
GC: That's so true Adam, and the frustrating thing is that we seem still to be in a position, before this deal is finalised, that we seem to have to sell before we buy. It's not that we're bringing in new players, we have players on the books that Mr. Warnock was very clear at the outset of the close season that he wanted to keep, players who are dedicated to Leeds United, the likes of Robert Snodgrass and Ross McCormack. These guys we're told want to stay and yet, Aidy White another one, their futures are still in doubt with the club and it would be really nice to be in a position to be able to say to these players 'we appreciate your faith in Leeds and here's a decent contract to stay with the club and stay with us to win promotion'. Fans of Leeds United are passionate, when you buy into Leeds United you buy into that dream that the fans have and whether you are the present owners or the future owners get off on the right foot, lets have the fans informed, lets have the fans brought up to date and lets just give them something that they can hold on to. I am sure that there is a positive for Leeds United, but it's for me the Chairman of the trust saying that. The bottom line is at the end of the day that I’m just another person, another volunteer, another working bloke. We need the people involved in this deal to give something to the fans of Leeds United, something positive so that they know that we're moving ahead.
Leeds United Supporters Trust Chairman Gary Cooper speaking to Adam Pope earlier today.