Takeover / New Investment - What Rumours Have You Heard?

[Monty Burns]

Just now, Monty Burns said:

Thought the trust would be better served spending their time being nice to AL in order to maintain relations?

 

[underdog]

1 hour ago, wiseowl said:

I feel quite depressed after reading the translated article. Paints a pretty grim picture of our owner.

 

This is published information so, if satisfying the requirements, anything false may be viewed as libellous. The people concerned must feel on firm ground with their views to have published the article.

 

I genuinely fear for the future of our club.

 

Can I make a suggestion to the Trust please? It should be a priority to write to the football authorities concerned and ask them a) what are their criteria for the "fit and proper person" test? b) what investigations took place regarding that test in the case of our takeover? and c) are the people who undertake such investigations competent and qualified to do so?

If people in authority approved the sale, what do you want us to do? These are the people that have approved of and should have learned from other previous clubs sales

 

We did raise concerns with the EFL at the time and the sale was still approved.

[kowenicki]

Don't know of this is a better transaltion....

 

 

Abdallah Lemsagam, a stormy shadow between Nantes and Oldham

 

In the small world of clubs and negotiations, there are presidents, team managers, players and intermediaries. Among the latter, one of them has long seen its influence flourish on the Nantes side. And now in England, in Oldham.

 

Many called him Marco. Yes, Marco, or rather Abdallah Lemsagam, the real name of the man who was pulling some strings at FC Nantes. "He called himself that," said a French agent. But today, everyone knows him." Those who dare to talk about it prefer to remain anonymous. With this kind of rascal, tongues come loose, faces less. Presented to Waldemar Kita by Gilles Favard, former Canary leader, in 2009, Abdallah Lemsagam should help reduce the number of employees thanks to the overweight of his Middle East address book. Built over many years in the Gulf, partly through real estate, the network of this Moroccan by birth is round and transactions facilitated.

 

His Dubai-based company, Sport2jlt - now run by his brother Omar - praises those of Moussa Sow, Juninho, Ze Roberto, Lassana Diarra, Ismaël Bangoura, Alvaro Negredo and some coaches. From all over the world to the Middle East, Abdallah Lemsagam often manages transit. "Years ago, he started acting as an agent, a broker, retraces an incognito knowledge of the character. He has worked in Qatar, the United Arab Emirates, Saudi Arabia... He had a specialty: targeting the players that sheikhs and club owners wanted, while ignoring European agents. He called directly to the players and presidents. It's always been a problem." As an unlicensed agent - as the current regulations allow - Abdallah Lemsagam is the keystone of the journey to another El Dorado, where emoluments are generous, sports projects unpredictable and traceability volatile. Some find it beneficial, others less so, while some cases turn into an imbroglio, in the midst of new Chinese developments.

 

Oldham, ghost players and frogs

Abdallah Lemsagam has also joined the line of these agents with contiguous relations with the clubs. If he doesn't box in the heavy goods vehicle category, Oldham's purchase, in D3 and then down to the English D4, is official. Via RLJ Capital Global FZC, a company based in a free zone - areas that help trade through legal and tax advantages - in Dubai, the 41-year-old multilingual offered himself the Latics in early 2018, which he had already advised before. No one can say with certainty the reasons for this acquisition, while several sources put forward a hypothesis: "Abdallah works for a bigger fish." The truth, on the other hand, lies between business, ambition and ego, while the club has been marked by the recent arrival on the bench of Paul Scholes, who finally left the club after thirty days, disappointed by the stinking environment. Because Oldham, it is the opportunity for Lemsagam to bring back some elements, some overpaid, including Wilfried Moimbé and Queensy Menig from Nantes, or Mohamed Maouche and more recently Sohny Sefil, who passed through Auxerre. A well-chosen entourage, even if a stormy current of thought sets in around the new owner: "I wish Oldham a bright future despite the uncertainty of this circus owner," said forward Craig Davies after his departure. He calls his players into his office to criticize their teammates, organizes meetings to humiliate others in front of the team before the most important game, pays late players. I wish the club (and not the owner) success."

 
 

January 24, 2018 : Abdallah Lemsagam is heading for Oldham. (D.R.)
 
On the same day, the Dubai-based company "RLJ Capital Global FZC", owned by Lemsagam, is registered as the new owner of the club with a share of "75% or more". (D.R.)
But also to dictate instructions to the coach, interference badly digested by the temporary staff of the Boundary Park bench - five coaches in two years - while gas and telephone bills remained unpaid for a while. More than 35 employees were also dismissed, some anti-Lemsagam - sponsor as supporters - even banned from the stadium. As for the players, Queensy Menig, who had been on loan from Nantes to Oldham for a while, arrived at the FCN on 30 August 2017 on Abdallah Lemsagam's recommendation, never played for Nantes. A few matches in England and a deleterious attitude according to fans, the young winger who played for Ajax will not leave Oldham with much to remember, despite the club's highest salary: £11,000 a week. 6 months later, he returned to square one in Nantes, which temporarily transferred him to Zwolle (FC Raiola) in the Netherlands. He has now made his return to the banks of the Loire, in reserve. Without any real success. "Abdallah tried to get Kita to do things that are out of control," says one FCN familiar. There was talk of a Moroccan central defender, El Yamiq. Nantes already had 4-5 central defenders and young people. It had no interest." All this was obviously commissioned, while the agent specialized in fabulations. In Oldham, where financial worries are accumulating, as in Nantes, where the YellowPark and 11-member restructuring projects have been echoed in the intermediary's ear. "Of course he sold the arrival of investors to Kita. It's his big thing," confirms a new anonymous.

 

Discord around Amine Harit

Described as Rocancourt, a danger or a crook, Abdallah Lemsagam nevertheless has the merit of being able to place himself and sneak in. Intelligent, multilingual and efficient dealmaker when it comes to the Middle East, he has built a reputation. Not always charitable, certainly, like the Amine Harit case. As the young midfielder left for Germany, Abdallah Lemsagam stepped in, going so far as to invite him for a sumptuous holiday in Dubai. "He did everything he could to destroy Harit's transfer," says an adjacent informed trader. He thought he could block the player to change his agent, pick him up and send him away the next season. What mattered to him was to get paid." A dossier that will see the names of birds gradually merge together. However, if Abdallah Lemsagam found the door open to the club's management, a counter-current also emerged near Beaujoire. Like the Loire Brigade, which deplored "the bad influence of crooked and unscrupulous agents" in a press release last summer.

Or Franck Kita, sports director, who did everything possible to keep the Moroccan matchmaker out of his grandfather's circle. "Son Kita (Franck) has moved heaven and earth to keep his father away from Abdallah, deciphers a supporter of the club. He can't stand his father talking to this guy. For El Yamiq, he was the one who broke the deal when the medical check-up was scheduled. Waldemar Kita wears, or at least wears, a very attentive ear to Abdallah." And while he also tied up Andrei Girotto's arrival and was close to signing Enock Kwateng's loan - he too was part of the Dubai trip - to Oldham last year, Abdallah Lemsagam has long been a key figure in La Jonelière. The situation, opaque and misty, is necessarily irritating. Starting with Waldemar Kita: "When it comes to buying or selling a player, everyone is close to everyone. That's the way it works. Why don't you talk about the others?" The subject is eminently taboo, but time has had its effect. Lemsagam is now non grata in Nantes, to the delight of the yellow and green and the offspring Kita. Even if the misunderstandings there, elsewhere, but especially in Oldham, continue to persist.

 

[latics22]

 Well I won’t be locking horns with the guy, he will have me buried in the desert, mafia style. Good luck trust, are we sure this Diane women resigned ? She didn’t just go missing did she?

 

ITS ALL IN HIS SMILE!

[singe]

Truthfully, there is not much more than we know already. Which is a shame. My hope is that someone does more digging on the back of this.

Doesn't change the way I feel about him, but I was hoping for more concrete evidence that would take things further.

As much as some may hate it, no one can deny Mike Keegan's articles contain a lot more facts.

Look at Bury, the fit and poper persons test is not fit for purpose, but getting the clubs to agree to change it is like turkeys voting for Christmas.

[Nohairdontcare]

At this stage, I hope that by the next time I bring my two young boys to Oldham to see where half their family came from, there’s still a football club to bring them to see. 

 

Even in previous bad times I always thought OAFC would pull through. 

 

But with this current shyster in charge, that safety net of deep down optimism is gone. 

 

I better start planning that trip sooner rather than later... 

 

 

[BP1960]

44 minutes ago, underdog said:

If people in authority approved the sale, what do you want us to do? These are the people that have approved of and should have learned from other previous clubs sales

 

We did raise concerns with the EFL at the time and the sale was still approved.

 

But will the EFL have been alerted to that article?

[underdog]

9 hours ago, BP1960 said:

 

But will the EFL have been alerted to that article?

We alerted them to the ones that were out at the time.

 

I am pretty sure the EFL have us currently on the radar anyways so I am sure this article will somehow reach them

 

https://www.footballeconomy.com/content/efl-review-conduct-club-owners

 

https://www.skysports.com/football/news/11688/11398842/efl-tighten-ownership-rules-after-agm-ruling

 

 

[BP1960]

20 minutes ago, underdog said:

We alerted them to the ones that were out at the time.

 

I am pretty sure the EFL have us currently on the radar anyways so I am sure this article will somehow reach them

 

 

 

I doubt the EFL will be aware of it, they don't strike me as being very thorough.

[underdog]

9 minutes ago, BP1960 said:

 

I doubt the EFL will be aware of it, they don't strike me as being very thorough.

I am sure I mentioned our meeting with supporters Direct this week. ....hmmmmm

 

With regards to our membership, advice and access to help

 

Marvellous work done by Jorvik and Andy B by the way

[dannyboy55555]

Looks like Bury in deep trouble,

[kowenicki]

11 minutes ago, dannyboy55555 said:

Looks like Bury in deep trouble,

 

Whats new. They stagger from CCJ to CCJ and nothing seems to happen?   Although a know asset stripper being appointed was never looking promising. 

 

Bolton ‘cheating’ for years? Still here. 

 

 

[League one forever]

12 minutes ago, dannyboy55555 said:

Looks like Bury in deep trouble,

Thank god we’ve got Marco.

[archiecat]

17 minutes ago, League one forever said:

Thank god we’ve got Marco.

Marco from Tropoje  

[Worcester Owl]

6 hours ago, wiseowl said:

I feel quite depressed after reading the translated article. Paints a pretty grim picture of our owner.

 

This is published information so, if satisfying the requirements, anything false may be viewed as libellous. The people concerned must feel on firm ground with their views to have published the article.

 

I genuinely fear for the future of our club.

 

Can I make a suggestion to the Trust please? It should be a priority to write to the football authorities concerned and ask them a) what are their criteria for the "fit and proper person" test? b) what investigations took place regarding that test in the case of our takeover? and c) are the people who undertake such investigations competent and qualified to do so?

You're spot on.

 

The article can only increase concerns about AL. I definitely agree that the Trust should be contacting the EFL regardless of whether they are monitoring the club or not. It also underlines the need I'd say for the Trust to be firm in its dealings with him and to be ready to step up pressure on him if he does not reply to questions raised.

 

The guy has to be removed.

[jorvik_latic]

7 hours ago, wiseowl said:

I feel quite depressed after reading the translated article. Paints a pretty grim picture of our owner.

 

This is published information so, if satisfying the requirements, anything false may be viewed as libellous. The people concerned must feel on firm ground with their views to have published the article.

 

I genuinely fear for the future of our club.

 

Can I make a suggestion to the Trust please? It should be a priority to write to the football authorities concerned and ask them a) what are their criteria for the "fit and proper person" test? b) what investigations took place regarding that test in the case of our takeover? and c) are the people who undertake such investigations competent and qualified to do so?

 

Here you go, this covers a) which is called the Owners’ and Directors’ Test, not “fit and proper”. 

 

https://www.efl.com/-more/governance/efl-rules--regulations/appendix-3---owners-and-directors-test/

 

If you expect honest answers to b) an c) then you’re on a hiding to nothing. What do you want them to say? “Yeah, we did nowt and we’re incompetent”. There’s no point asking the EFL these questions. 

[losesome]

25 minutes ago, Worcester Owl said:

You're spot on.

 

The article can only increase concerns about AL. I definitely agree that the Trust should be contacting the EFL regardless of whether they are monitoring the club or not. It also underlines the need I'd say for the Trust to be firm in its dealings with him and to be ready to step up pressure on him if he does not reply to questions raised.

 

The guy has to be removed.

 

And on the long list of oil sheiks waiting to replace him which one would you pick!!!!!

 

[Andy b]

1 hour ago, Worcester Owl said:

You're spot on.

 

The article can only increase concerns about AL. I definitely agree that the Trust should be contacting the EFL regardless of whether they are monitoring the club or not. It also underlines the need I'd say for the Trust to be firm in its dealings with him and to be ready to step up pressure on him if he does not reply to questions raised.

 

The guy has to be removed.

Meeting with Supporters Direct took place this week. They are our liaison with EFL. We have agreed some immediate steps. 

[latics22]

What good is alerting the efl? He’s already in place?

[ghostofcecere]

1 minute ago, latics22 said:

What good is alerting the efl? He’s already in place?

Can’t remember properly, didn’t they suspend the Leeds owner from having anything to do with the running of the club for a period?... mind you I suppose the “Sporting Director” would still be in place so I’m not sure what effect that would have.

[Dave_Og]

8 hours ago, wiseowl said:

I feel quite depressed after reading the translated article. Paints a pretty grim picture of our owner.

 

This is published information so, if satisfying the requirements, anything false may be viewed as libellous. The people concerned must feel on firm ground with their views to have published the article.

 

I genuinely fear for the future of our club.

 

Can I make a suggestion to the Trust please? It should be a priority to write to the football authorities concerned and ask them a) what are their criteria for the "fit and proper person" test? b) what investigations took place regarding that test in the case of our takeover? and c) are the people who undertake such investigations competent and qualified to do so?

There is no such thing as a fit and proper test. 

[latics22]

2 minutes ago, ghostofcecere said:

Can’t remember properly, didn’t they suspend the Leeds owner from having anything to do with the running of the club for a period?... mind you I suppose the “Sporting Director” would still be in place so I’m not sure what effect that would have.

Then who pays the bills?

[Midsblue]

8 hours ago, bozman said:

There is a positive side to the story. When referring to the owner  on these pages we don't need to type out Abdallah or Lemsagam anymore.We can just call him Marco. If it catches on, it might even stop people calling him Abdullah.

 

He’s Abdallah but we call him Abdullah so if he’s now Marco do we call him Murco... sounds more apt... dark (dealings not skin by the way), dirty, unclear  

 

The more we hear about this Clown, the more I question how the fuck did the EFL sanction the sale of our club to him.

[rudemedic]

2 hours ago, jorvik_latic said:

 

Here you go, this covers a) which is called the Owners’ and Directors’ Test, not “fit and proper”. 

 

https://www.efl.com/-more/governance/efl-rules--regulations/appendix-3---owners-and-directors-test/

 

If you expect honest answers to b) an c) then you’re on a hiding to nothing. What do you want them to say? “Yeah, we did nowt and we’re incompetent”. There’s no point asking the EFL these questions. 

Exactly, Marco declared his role as a football agent and relinquished his interest in his company to be eligible to buy us. 

 

While his dealings as detailed in the article (considering the less stringent libel laws in France) are immoral, there's no serious allegation of illegality. He's a former football agent a profession not known for being very moral. But that's in the past and he can presumably highlight that his shares in the business have been relinquished. 

 

Football is corrupt, and the EFL's test of ownership isn't worth the paper it's printed on. However, any fan of a number of EFL clubs know this, as well as wider knowledge throughout the football fan base. 

 

Leeds current owner has two convictions related to financial malpractice. He is still allowed to own Leeds. If the EFL had stopped Marco from owning us, even after he stopped being a football agent, he would have had a very strong case of racial discrimination. 

 

Our owner isn't the first owner of a football club with a history of dodgy (although not illegal) business activities, he won't be the last. 

 

We are currently in the unfortunate position of being one of the (many) football clubs with a dodgy owner. If the EFL's test of ownership was worthwhile I doubt Marco would have been our only owner to struggle to meet the requirements. 

[wiseowl]

8 hours ago, Monty Burns said:

Thought they would be better being nice to him in order to maintain relations?

 

8 hours ago, underdog said:

If people in authority approved the sale, what do you want us to do? These are the people that have approved of and should have learned from other previous clubs sales

 

We did raise concerns with the EFL at the time and the sale was still approved.

 

2 hours ago, jorvik_latic said:

 

Here you go, this covers a) which is called the Owners’ and Directors’ Test, not “fit and proper”. 

 

https://www.efl.com/-more/governance/efl-rules--regulations/appendix-3---owners-and-directors-test/

 

If you expect honest answers to b) an c) then you’re on a hiding to nothing. What do you want them to say? “Yeah, we did nowt and we’re incompetent”. There’s no point asking the EFL these questions. 

 

49 minutes ago, latics22 said:

What good is alerting the efl? He’s already in place?

Monty - you got nothing better to do?

 

Situations change as things develop, you know - it's called changing tack.

 

My fluid position is no different, for example, than the Trust (as above) stating that they had concerns about our owner right from the off (and alerted the EFL), to later telling us his ownership was a welcome and refreshing change, to then start cranking up the pressure on him as they have done recently.

 

I just thought a formal, short letter to the EFL expressing Latics' fans concerns at the situation we find ourselves in just might help someone, somewhere in the future - you know, the football family and all that. No worries, it was only a thought.