Mighty Leeds Weblog

Leeds United Supporters Trust 24/3/14 Now that the Football League has made its decision on Massimo Cellino's eligiblity to own Leeds United, the board of LUST feel that answers must come quickly about the future of our club. Our members, and the wider fan base, are understandably concerned about the course the club will now take. When GFH bought the club the fans were promised long-term stability, but little more than a year later Leeds United is again at the centre of a long-running takeover process that is overshadowing every part of the club. Since the end of November the news has been dominated by GFH's attempts to sell Leeds United, with the result that we find ourselves in March with no sale, and no evidence of a plan B. It is time for the people who own and run the club to make substantial and concrete statements about what they are going to do now. While David Haigh has promised in the press that the club will not go into administration, the letter that Gibson Dun...

Guardian 24/3/14 Championship club must find fresh investment funds quickly after the Italian's attempt to buy a majority stake was rejected James Riach For Leeds United the future remains uncertain. There have been turbulent times at Elland Road over the past 10 years but none more so than the situation over recent months. Now, following the decision by the Football League to reject Massimo Cellino's takeover, there is at least a semblance of closure in a saga that has played out dramatically since the Italian's interest first became apparent. Yet the club's plight has arguably never been more fraught with danger. Credit must go to the League who, unbowed by pressure from the club to make an announcement on Friday, declared on Monday that Cellino has been disqualified from buying a majority stake in Leeds under the "owners' and directors' test" after being convicted in Italy of failing to pay €388,500 (£235,000) of import tax on Nélie, a yacht sei...

Sports Mole 24/3/14 By Barney Corkhill, Reporter Massimo Cellino has said that he blames himself for the collapse of his Leeds United takeover bid after it was rejected by the Football League today. Cellino had agreed to purchase a 75% stake in the club last month, but the Football League have refused to ratify the takeover due to a "disqualifying condition under its Owners' and Directors' Test". The 57-year-old, who was recently found guilty of tax evasion, refused to blame the league for their decision but insists that he is not a dishonest person and doesn't deserve to be treated like a "criminal". "At this moment I don't have any energy to react. I feel very weak and exhausted. I cannot blame anyone, I just blame myself - the only thing that hurts me is that I know I am not a dishonest person. To be treated like a criminal is very bad, I know that I am not like that. I can't blame the League, the only thing that I can blame the leag...

Guardian 24/3/14 Preventing Massimo Cellino from taking a majority stake in the Championship club shows a shift from the game's relationship with money to applying the rule book For a fanbase inured to secrecy and broken promises the tale of a yacht called Nélie and the disbarring of Massimo Cellino from owning Leeds Unitedis just another page to add to the club's sorry story since Peter Ridsdale infamously "lived the dream" on borrowed cash. But for the Football League it marks something of a milestone. While intervention under its owners and directors test has recently led to subtle changes behind the scenes at some clubs, not least at Nottingham Forest, this is the first open-and-shut case of a prospective club owner being struck out by the rule. In taking the view that Cellino's recent conviction in a Sardinian court for non-payment of import duties on a boat constituted a disqualifying condition under its "dishonesty" test, it represented one sm...

BBC 24/3/14 Nottingham Forest owner Fawaz Al Hasawi has claimed that full-back Lee Peltier has not joined the Reds from Leeds United despite both clubs announcing the move on Monday afternoon. Forest said the 27-year-old had signed on loan until the end of the season. The move seemed set to reunite Peltier with his ex-boss Neil Warnock, who was expected to be named as the Reds boss. But Warnock has turned the job down and Al Hasawi told BBC East Midlands Today: "He [Peltier] did not sign." Peltier has made 27 appearances for the Elland Road side this season.

leedsunited.com 24/3/14 The club and its shareholders are disappointed at the decision of the Football League not to approve Massimo Cellino as a director of Leeds United FC. However, the Board and Executive Management of the club, will continue discussions with the Football League and Eleonora Sport to find a solution that is suitable to all parties. Our shareholders continue to support the club directly or through additional investments as has always been the case. We would like to reassure the fans of the continuity of our great club.

leedsunited.com 24/3/14 Lee Peltier has joined Nottingham Forest on loan until the end of the season. The 27-year-old, who has made 27 appearances this season, last played in the 5-1 defeat at home to Bolton. Lee, who was signed by Neil Warnock in the summer of 2012 and was made club captain last term, has made 73 appearances in total and scored his only goal in the 1-1 draw at Blackpool on Boxing Day. “We had an offer for Lee to go to Forest on loan,” said manager Brian McDermott. “He felt he wanted to go because he isn’t in the team at this moment in time, and we’ve agreed to let him go.”