Sport Opinion • February 8 2004

The ‘M’ factor, a racecourse and an over-rated professor of economics

Strangely enough the letter ‘m’ featured in most football headlines covered by the international media, during these last few days. Milan, Manchester City, (Real) Madrid, Middlesborough, Monaco, Manchester United , (Olympique) Marseille, Morocco, Materazzi, Magnier, McManus, McKenzie, Moggi, Maradona and Moratti, just to mention a few, were in the limelight for different reasons, which raised a few eyebrows or brought some smiles depending, obviously, on the subject matter.
Though they slipped against Lazio in the Coppa Italia first leg semi-final tie at San Siro, Milan’s magic moment with eight consecutive victories in just 30 days, was even applauded by two former wizards who hardly mix up their words. Michel Platini and ‘golden boy’ Gianni Rivera, two super advocates for attractive football dished out superlatives, for Carlo Ancelotti’s team, with the Ukranian Andrej Shevchenko and the Brazilian wizard Ricardo Izecson Dos Santos Leite, better known as Kaka singled out for special praise. He proved that he can do without the malicious tag that Premier Silvio Berlusconi, gives the occasional suggestions regarding match tactics.
Inter’s former President Massimo Moratti was delighted with the performance of the new boys Dejan Stankovic (ex Lazio) and Adriano (ex Parma), but like his successor Giacinto Facchetti and team manager Alberto Zaccheroni, was disgusted with the violent behaviour of his international defender Marco Materazzi. The former Everton stopper, though not even a reserve there, continually insulted Siena’s Bruno Cirillo before punching him in the face as they entered the tunnel after the match. Materazzi earned a two-month suspension and the club also inflicted a heavy fine for disgusting attitude.
Massimo Moratti, who in nine years as President of Inter spent more than 600 million euros signing 203 players and 10 coaches, continued to spend millions on his beloved Inter, with the last-minute signing of the Serbian Stankovic, despite Luciano Moggi of Juventus claiming that the Serbian had signed a contract with his club.
Such a statement, had to be checked by the football authorities, and an inquiry is being conducted by General Italo Pappa. However, Moggi failed to make an appearance when he was due to appear before the commission, He claimed that he was not feeling well, but, on that same morning, he attended the launching of a Juve fan club formed of parliamentarians. The ceremony was held at Montecitorio, which also hosts a similar group of Inter supporters.
Maybe Moggi’s medical certificate to justify his quick flight back to Turin from Rome may be connected with Jaap Stam’s future! Who knows? Moggi has still to face Pappa, but the manner in which he missed his appointment lacked style!
Meanwhile. former Juventus captain Didier Deschamps is certainly having a great time managing Monaco, current leaders in the French League.
And what about Morocco’s young generation of footballers? Their impressive performances at the African Nations Cup is an added bonus for their bid to stage the World Cup 2010 edition.

Maradona’s unpaid taxes
While the bidders are studying ways and means to raise funds for the much-needed expenses to organise the World Cup, Maradona’s advisors are trying to save him a few bob.
A group of 132 lawyers, businessmen, economists and entrepreneurs, is ready to organise, what they are terming a spectacular match, featuring Maradona and his colleagues of yesteryear, so that Maradona pays his outstanding 30 million euros to the taxmen through the proceeds from the gates, and the sponsors. The promoters have announced that they have made a lot of progress in their discussions with the Government authorities!

Meanwhile Real Madrid have been offered 10 million euros to play a match in the Bahrain during the summer, and with other exhibition fixtures in the Far East, the Madrilenos are assured of adding 30m euros to the club’s coffers. Big names, big money, big business. That’s to-day’s football, even if sometimes, the ‘minnows’ have their moment of glory because of their performances on the field of play. Man City’s win at White Hart Lane winning 4-3 after being 0-3 down at half time is a clear example. Middlesbrough’s win over Arsenal is yet another, not because of the Gunners’ new boy, Jose Antonio Reyes’ own-goal, but because they have a date against Bolton at the Millenium Stadium for the Football League Cup.

Internal quabbles at Man U
Perhaps the most interesting piece concerns the latest goings-on at Man Utd. All because of a racehorse. But this is not just any racehorse. This is the Rock of Gibraltar, worth up to £200million. What caused all the turmoil at one of the biggest, richest and most popular football club in the world?
Once upon a time, two very rich men, John Magnier, a leading shareholder in Manchester United and Sir Alex Ferguson, the manager, were good friends. In a deal done over a handshake, Ferguson who had paid nothing for his half-share of the horse thought that he would receive half that cash when the horse retired. Magnier declines, saying Ferguson could breed just one mare per year for five years from the horse. Things became bitter when Ferguson started a legal action against Magnier and turned down a £7m settlement. It just so happens that because of this small disagreement, a rash of stories appeared in the press, attacking the Board, United’s transfer deals, agents’ fees, secret payments and conflicts of interests, possibly referring to Ferguson’s son Jason and his Elite Agency. Two Irish mega-rich men, John Magnier and his business partner JP McManus own 25.49 percent shares in the club, through their company Cubic Expression. They have put 99 questions to the Board, which brought a seven-page document, as answers to their exhaustive list of queries about recent transfers and business dealings. The two billionaires are studying the contents at their winter retreat in Barbados. The battle can easily end at the High Court. And fans are contemplating taking the matter before the EU!
As Manchester United aim at solving the internal quabbles, Leeds United are struggling to stave off the threat of administration.
At the end of October, Leeds United had announced losses of almost £50million for the year - a record annual loss for a Premiership football club. That’s when Trevor Birch was appointed as chief executive so that the club’s chairman Professor John McKenzie, could concentrate on resolving the Elland Road club’s finances. Despite a year of frantic cost-cutting and players sales, Leeds’ long term debt is believed to have passed the £100million mark. Haunted by relegation fears, the signs are looking ominous for Leeds.
How did this madness come about? Former chairman Peter Rinsdale was paid £600,000 a year; another £600,000 represented the yearly expenses on a fleet of 70 company cars; £70,000 a year on plane hire, and a similar figure was spent on hiring an employee who stayed just six months! There were also some expensive goldfish during Peter Rinsdale’s time. When Professor John McKenzie arrived and tightened the belt, those trousers continued to slip down.
Despite seeing the likes of Rio Ferdinand, Lee Bowyer, Jonathan Woodgate, Robbie Keane, Robbie Fowler and Olivier Dacourt leave during the last fifteen months, the club’s wages bill rose by £3million! That is not surprising when one recalls that Leeds are paying a lot of money to the three sacked managers and part of the wages of players who moved on to other clubs!
Leeds Utd should never be in such a financial mess.
There could be light at the end of the tunnel, though, if a Yorkshire-based consortium’s bid for a take-over is accepted. Talks were speeded up last Thursday, but the outcome is unknown at the time of writing. According to the consortium’s spokesman, Gerald Krasner, ‘they have the take-over funds in place.’
Trevor Birch hopes "to have the creditors agreement to a standstill which will see us through to the end of the season." This reprieve, if achieved, helps!
The players have agreed to defer 25 percent of their wages, but those out of contract like Dave Batty, Lucas Redebe and others will have to go in June.
The Leeds United trailer has careered off track and is currently balancing precariously on the edge of a rocky-looking precipice. Will McKenzie succeed in helping the club escape plummeting to a very untidy death. The world is full of good, bad or indifferent professors. One gets all sorts, some are really brilliant, others are pitifully lousy and over-rated.
Where does McKenzie fit? Last October he said "Why does everyone always want to knock Leeds down all the time? We have turned the corner and we are now on our way back."
Leeds United is a big club, so surely they’ll be back. But then the question is, back where?