Marwan Koukash, a bullet dodged?

[Matt]

From Private Eye, No. 1340

"Successful racehorse owner Marwan Koukash emerged earlier this year as the rescuer of Salford Reds rugby league club. He acquired control of the club as it was threatened with winding up by the tax man.

Koukash, a Palestinian from Kuwait who has lived in Britain for many years, was described as a millionaire businessman on the back of his training business EuroMaTech, which has operations in Liverpool and the United Arab Emirates. However, other ventures have been less successful.

El Layla Properties and Layla Hotels Liverpool collapsed in January and March last year. The property company was owned by Koukash and his wife Amanda. El Layla owned a site in St Helens that cost £500,000 in 2006, was bought with a £392,000 mortgage from the Co-operative bank but was valued last year at just £250,000 and received a bid of just £10,000 - no doubt typical of the bad loans that threatened Co-Op bank's future. Creditors are owed £1.4m.

 

Layla Hotel Liverpool was a proposed prestige project subject to prolonged delays but is no operating as a Hilton hotel. Koukash transferred his 50% to the company Iliad Koukash in 2011. Iliad reportedly sold out to Dubai investors. The hotel company listed no assets and a deficiency for creditors of £292,000.

 

Koukash is also a director and shareholder of the Oxford Management Centre, which is being threatened with striking off due to the failure to file any accounts since 2011.

No doubt the prospects for Salford Reds will be much brighter."

 

 

 

[help_shiny]

I guess we just have to watch how things pan out at Salford. He's done alright by them so far. They'd be out of business but instead have a whole new squad and what looks like an exciting future.

I actually bumped into him outside Old Trafford the other week and briefly congratulated him on shaking things up in the RL World. Would have loved to talk about Latics with him but he had his little girl with him in a big,moving crowd so let him be (for which he was most probably thankful!)

[LaticsPete]

Salford seem to have a growing list of financial problems .

We did well to avoid Koukash

 

Salford Red Devils ordered to pay £35k to kit supplier... or face the bailiffs

http://www.manchestereveningnews.co.uk/news/greater-manchester-news/salford-red-devils-ordered-pay-7802190

Edited September 20, 2014 by LaticsPete

[palmer1]

Corney has said he will sell to the right person. He has done well by us again in this case.Despite the clamour on here to sell.

Edited September 20, 2014 by palmer1

[Stagger Lee]

There are a lot of stories down under that he is interested in buying a rugby league club - and bare in mind rugby league is a way bigger game down here than soccer. Many reports of him now been classed as a billionaire.

 

He comes across as a dodgy self promoter to me, glad we did not sell.

[Stagger Lee]

here is a link

 

http://www.abc.net.au/news/2014-09-19/koukash-says-nrl-club-purchase-27very2c-very-likely27/5756892

 

Maybe it was the money he saved from cancelling his English Super League club Salford's end-of-season party.

Or perhaps it was the cash he forgot to use on promoting Salford's home games.

No matter, outspoken English billionaire Marwan Koukash has upped the ante in his bid to buy an NRL club, saying it is now "very, very likely".

While Nathan Tinkler's involvement left a sour taste, Koukash still looms as a white Knight for Newcastle after holding further talks with the NRL before a proposed visit Down Under next month.

St George Illawarra is another mooted as a Koukash target.

"Is it likely? It's very, very likely," Koukash told BBC Radio on Friday (AEST) about buying an NRL club.

"Currently I'm in discussions and it's going really, really well with at least a couple of the clubs over there and hopefully something will happen pretty soon.

"But it needs to be the right deal for me personally."

[longtimeblue]

Coincidentally, just spoke to Mr Corney at the platform at

Piccadilly (he missed the bus apparently). Nothing to report other than Ebanks-Blake wasn't with him.

[peanuts]

Coincidentally, just spoke to Mr Corney at the platform at

Piccadilly (he missed the bus apparently). Nothing to report other than Ebanks-Blake wasn't with him.

does he have to pay a fine for missing the bus ? ;-)

[Gaz_Oafc]

Salford supporting mate of mine reckons the MEN have an agenda against them...also reckons that long term, the owner wants to build a new stadium and groundshare with swinton.

 

I did chuckle the other day when he said the stay away had cost him over £1million... Can you imagine if he'd have bought us? Lol

[perfectOzblue]

There are a lot of stories down under that he is interested in buying a rugby league club - and bare in mind rugby league is a way bigger game down here than soccer. Many reports of him now been classed as a billionaire.

 

He comes across as a dodgy self promoter to me, glad we did not sell.

Yeah, me too...I think Newcastle Knights would be better off without him, especially give the chaos they've endured over the last year or so. Glad he didn't end up with Latics 2bh.

[help_shiny]

I still can't see what the problem would have been. He would have poured a lot more money in than Corney would ever be willing or able to and we could have dared to dream. He hasn't destroyed Salford yet so no reason to think he would have been bad for us. I think we've all been a tad traumatised by Mr Torex. As there is no hope of us ever being fan owned - the only time 'the fans' ever had any potential clout or money we just gave it all away - then we are solely at the whim of whoever owns us. I for one would rather that was Koukash than Corney*

 

* this is not to be read as a criticism of SC, I'm really past caring

[Stagger Lee]

I still can't see what the problem would have been. He would have poured a lot more money in than Corney would ever be willing or able to and we could have dared to dream. He hasn't destroyed Salford yet so no reason to think he would have been bad for us. I think we've all been a tad traumatised by Mr Torex. As there is no hope of us ever being fan owned - the only time 'the fans' ever had any potential clout or money we just gave it all away - then we are solely at the whim of whoever owns us. I for one would rather that was Koukash than Corney*

 

* this is not to be read as a criticism of SC, I'm really past caring

Maybe you have not had chance to read some links or the other posts but if you have what money are you referring too? Has SC got the baliffs coming tomorrow? Has SC got a stack of companies that owe money? Just because a lazy Journalist calls Marwan a billionaire does not make him a billionaire.

 

From now on we should call SC a Trillionaire - It's not true but now I have posted it online it will become true soon enough

[Magic Mikey]

I read somewhere that SC is a trillionaire. The loose change at the back of his sofa would get us a decent striker, sort it out Simon you tight get.

[SavageTheBeast]

Massive bullet dodged we would have been playing in Salford in 3 years

[opinions4u]

Massive bullet dodged we would have been playing in Salford in 3 years

I doubt it. From what I hear Salford are fed up of playing in Salford.

[Chaddy_Ender]

Massive bullet dodged we would have been playing in Salford in 3 years

The opposite was more likely.

[BP1960]

I doubt it. From what I hear Salford are fed up of playing in Salford.

 

Oldham Rugby won at York.

[laticsrblue]

 

Oldham Rugby won at York.

 

Well done Roughyeds, does that mean they are promoted?

.

Edited September 21, 2014 by laticsrblue

[OAFCM35]

Massive bullet dodged we would have been playing in Salford in 3 years

No one in there right mind would move a league 1 side from its catchment area which is already shared with fans "customers" of two premier league teams to an area that is almost entirely populated by fans of the said two premier league teams it makes no business sense at all

[SavageTheBeast]

So what would be the reason why Corney rejected, he did not want to see all his hard work with the stadium go to waste.

[OAFCM35]

So what would be the reason why Corney rejected, he did not want to see all his hard work with the stadium go to waste.

I think that was the reason giving to the press, MK wanted to build a multipurpose arena for both Latics and RoughyEds in Oldham and SC didn't want to sell to him unless he stayed at BP (a bit like saying you can buy my house but you can't decorate it) if these recent stories are true then we've definitely dodged a bullet but at the time I thought we had missed out potentially good deal not just for Latics but the town itself

[oafcmetty]

 

Well done Roughyeds, does that mean they are promoted?

.

Into the playoff final. Which they'll probably lose, again.

[al_bro]

There are a lot of stories down under that he is interested in buying a rugby league club - and bare in mind rugby league is a way bigger game down here than soccer. Many reports of him now been classed as a billionaire.

 

He comes across as a dodgy self promoter to me, glad we did not sell.

Koukash was interviewed on the local BBC TV News. He said that he was definitely looking into buying Newcastle Knights ARL club, to form a partnership. He is also wanting to buy Swinton Lions. http://www.bbc.co.uk/sport/0/rugby-league/29244216

Koukash is very disappointed with how RL is run in this country with FFP rules. He is also not happy with he fans for not turning out and reckons he needs to double the gate. He admits he made mistakes in bringing in the wrong people to advise him in choosing players. He also said that he may reduce his investment in Salford because of the above.

Sounds like he wants instant success, and that just doesn't happen.

[singe]

I am sure he said the same about us, but had not even contacted SC. Do the knights know?!!

[opinions4u]

I am sure he said the same about us, but had not even contacted SC. Do the knights know?!!

If they do, they've probably started following him on Twitter.

 

Although that won't last long because they'll soon realise that he's just about the most boring user of that place that there is.

Edited September 21, 2014 by opinions4u