Response from MEP regarding SISU complaint to EU Commission (4 Viewers)

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Colin Steins Smile

Colin Steins Smile

Well-Known Member
I've just received this response from Rupert Lowe this morning, who is one of the West Midland MEPs, when or if I receive any further information I'll post again :
Dear.....

I am still waiting for more information from the Commission re the ongoing dispute between Sisu, the owners of CCFC, and Wasps.

The complaint was filed to the European Commission in February and it is still being assessed so therefore it has not moved into full investigation yet.

If the European Commission decide to investigate, this could take many more months and would be classed as a legal investigation into Coventry City Council to see if Wasps underpaid in their purchase of the Ricoh Arena.

There is a dispute between Sisu and Wasps on whether this is legal action or not. However, the European Commission do define this as a “legal process”. This is a new process as the UK Court process ended in the Supreme Court.

If the commission establishes that there is a breach of the competition rules, then it will act accordingly.

If the final result of the European Commission is appealed, then this process could take many more years.

I will let you know as soon as I hear from the Commission, but unfortunately it looks like this is going to be a very long process and by the time any conclusion is made, the football clubs future will have already been decided.

Very best,

Rupert Lowe MEP
 
JimmyHillsbeard

JimmyHillsbeard

Well-Known Member
Colin Steins Smile said:
I've just received this response from Rupert Lowe this morning, who is one of the West Midland MEPs, when or if I receive any further information I'll post again :
Dear.....

I am still waiting for more information from the Commission re the ongoing dispute between Sisu, the owners of CCFC, and Wasps.

The complaint was filed to the European Commission in February and it is still being assessed so therefore it has not moved into full investigation yet.

If the European Commission decide to investigate, this could take many more months and would be classed as a legal investigation into Coventry City Council to see if Wasps underpaid in their purchase of the Ricoh Arena.

There is a dispute between Sisu and Wasps on whether this is legal action or not. However, the European Commission do define this as a “legal process”. This is a new process as the UK Court process ended in the Supreme Court.

If the commission establishes that there is a breach of the competition rules, then it will act accordingly.

If the final result of the European Commission is appealed, then this process could take many more years.

I will let you know as soon as I hear from the Commission, but unfortunately it looks like this is going to be a very long process and by the time any conclusion is made, the football clubs future will have already been decided.

Very best,

Rupert Lowe MEP
Click to expand...

Rupert Lowe now a Brexit Party MEP was the former Southampton chairman who decided after weeks of negotiation not to sell that club to SiSU
 
Colin Steins Smile

Colin Steins Smile

Well-Known Member
One of the key statements in this response was: "the European Commission do define this as a “legal process”. =
Therefore, unless Wasps move from their position of not committing to a new contract for the club to play at the Ricoh until legal action is concluded. Then we face years playing away from Coventry, as this process could take years.
 
chiefdave

chiefdave

Well-Known Member
Colin Steins Smile said:
There is a dispute between Sisu and Wasps on whether this is legal action or not. However, the European Commission do define this as a “legal process”. This is a new process as the UK Court process ended in the Supreme Court.
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Isn't the dispute over who would be taking any legal action? With Wasps and the council declaring it to be legal action taken by the club and CCFC saying it is for the commission to decide if there is a case to answer and therefore any legal action would be taken by them/
 
ajsccfc

ajsccfc

Well-Known Member
Colin Steins Smile said:
One of the key statements in this response was: "the European Commission do define this as a “legal process”. =
Therefore, unless Wasps move from their position of not committing to a new contract for the club to play at the Ricoh until legal action is concluded. Then we face years playing away from Coventry, as this process could take years.
Click to expand...

This is my fear, I don't see how we're back in the city any time soon with all this
 
Colin Steins Smile

Colin Steins Smile

Well-Known Member
chiefdave said:
Isn't the dispute over who would be taking any legal action? With Wasps and the council declaring it to be legal action taken by the club and CCFC saying it is for the commission to decide if there is a case to answer and therefore any legal action would be taken by them/
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It's a question of interpretation by the parties & wasps out of financial need may drop their current position.
However, the issue for the club is the potential for this to be a long process with the uncertainties attached. Therefore, they may wish to hold off making a decision to build a bespoke stadium until the conclusion.......assuming our owners are serious about funding it & an agreement could be reached with CCC for land. I'm not holding my breath.
In the interim, following OSB's assessment of the finances of SISU and the lack of impact NOPM has on the hedge fund.....I whilst I respect those who have chosen to stay away, I feel I must back the club and attend St Andrews.
 
fernandopartridge

fernandopartridge

Well-Known Member
Of course it's a 'legal process'. I think a lot of terms are conflated, court cases are not always legal cases and legal cases aren't always court cases.
 
Sky Blue Pete

Sky Blue Pete

Well-Known Member
Received the same word for word this morning too.

Very good point about who Rupert Lowe was and now is. Surely a story there for a journalist to ask him from his perspective why he didn’t sell to Sisu and what he know thinks of the situation

Also for a solution
 
hill83

hill83

Well-Known Member
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oldskyblue58

oldskyblue58

CCFC Finance Director
Tie those responses in with what the wasps sports CEO Steve Vaughn was saying on CWR last night and it is hard to see any imminent return to the Ricoh. It is also pretty clear that wasps are setting up to continue without CCFC being there for foreseeable future. The problem is viewed by wasps as a legal dispute and that dispute is between the two sets of owners not the two clubs.

BBC Coventry & Warwickshire - BBC Coventry & Warwickshire Sport: The Sky Blues phone-in, 02/09/2019 after about 30 minutes or so

There is as ever a lot of playing with words. Bottom line is both sets of owners are entitled to act as they see fit for their respective businesses, so long as it is legal. SISU cant really hide behind its not us taking the action, they instigated the process knowing full well what would happen next and set it in motion for a purpose. Wasps owners have chosen not to engage with SISU any further, they could have done a deal despite the EC investigation but have taken a decision not to.

From the their own individual and selfish stand points neither is actually wrong in the actions they have chosen to take no matter how much it hurts the two clubs or the fans disagree. Brinksmanship pure and simple, but you could argue SISU have lost control of their side because they can not now stop or change how it all runs out.
 
D

Deleted member 5849

Guest
oldskyblue58 said:
you could argue SISU have lost control of their side because they can not now stop or change how it all runs out.
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As you say, they knew what would happen.

It plays into their PR efforts better than previous legal moves, as it allows them to say they can't stop it. With the others, that was always the option. Now? Well, they can play the victim...
 
oldskyblue58

oldskyblue58

CCFC Finance Director
Deleted member 5849 said:
As you say, they knew what would happen.

It plays into their PR efforts better than previous legal moves, as it allows them to say they can't stop it. With the others, that was always the option. Now? Well, they can play the victim...
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they can play it but a lot of interested parties and fans simply do not believe it

It is very difficult to believe given all of their business experience and £££££££'s of legal advice spent that they simply did not see how things would play out when they made the complaint in February....... it was their choice to do it, and clearly had an objective in mind in doing so, i doubt said objective was ever centred on CCFC and its fans mind you. They knew exactly what they were doing, they knew the likely reaction.

You can argue they had a fair idea of process and timescales involved and have planned accordingly. Complaint made in February, knowing timescales and probable reactions, not disclosed till April. Accounts signed off as going concern for at least 12mths to February 2020 by directors and auditors 28 February 2019 you would assume just after complaint made. There must have been some assessment of going concern risk to be able to sign off, there must have been a plan that involved staying and not staying. SISU very often leave things to the last moment to go public in order to cut down opponents reaction time but to think they hadn't carefully planned ahead would be quite wrong
 
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D

Deleted member 5849

Guest
covcity4life said:
Im just stikcing to hope that promotion chnages sumthing in this sorry saga

Will get me thru season
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It may be the mindset of a Cov fan, but I always think the higher up the ladder we are, the more cushion there is for when we fall!
 
RegTheDonk

RegTheDonk

Well-Known Member
So what's the difference in £ what Wasps paid compared to how much they should have paid, under the same terms (ie. eleventy billion years or whatever the lease was)?
 
S

SkyblueBazza

Well-Known Member
oldskyblue58 said:
they can play it but a lot of interested parties and fans simply do not believe it

It is very difficult to believe given all of their business experience and £££££££'s of legal advice spent that they simply did not see how things would play out when they made the complaint in February....... it was their choice to do it, and clearly had an objective in mind in doing so, i doubt said objective was ever centred on CCFC and its fans mind you. They knew exactly what they were doing, they knew the likely reaction.

You can argue they had a fair idea of process and timescales involved and have planned accordingly. Complaint made in February, knowing timescales and probable reactions, not disclosed till April. Accounts signed off as going concern for at least 12mths to February 2020 by directors and auditors 28 February 2019 you would assume just after complaint made. There must have been some assessment of going concern risk to be able to sign off, there must have been a plan that involved staying and not staying. SISU very often leave things to the last moment in order to cut down opponents reaction time but to think they hadnt carefully planned ahead would be quite wrong
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Let's face it...they are huge chancers.

They have chanced their way through from the start. Sometimes it works, mostly it hasn't.

Sent from my SM-G935F using Tapatalk
 
shmmeee

shmmeee

Well-Known Member
covcity4life said:
Im just stikcing to hope that promotion chnages sumthing in this sorry saga

Will get me thru season
Click to expand...

Our only hope at the moment is cooler heads prevailing at Wasps and then deciding we’re worth more than the principle of not dealing with people trying to put you out of business.

You’d hope promotion, and the crowds that came with it, would strengthen our case.

Of course it also means we’re a richer target for a fleecing on the deal and round we go again. Remember the issues with the Ricoh rent only really arose after relegation.
 
oldskyblue58

oldskyblue58

CCFC Finance Director
RegTheDonk said:
So what's the difference in £ what Wasps paid compared to how much they should have paid, under the same terms (ie. eleventy billion years or whatever the lease was)?
Click to expand...

anywhere between 0 and £27m apparently depending on your view point
 
ccfcricoh

ccfcricoh

Well-Known Member
None of this reads too well for us, I do think SISU are just waiting for W*sps to be financially in trouble, which i imagine will come before CCFC are, in the hope they either disappear or change their stance and let us back.

Best get used to my seat at Stans in the meantime...

Just build a ground please SISU so we never have to deal with them again (optimistic i know!)
 
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