lapsed_skyblue
Well-Known Member
In this long running saga one constant has been the lack of transparency as to SISU's gameplan (ok, assuming they have one) and how they intend to gain the return on their investment that they seek.
They seem to view delays in publishing accounts as part of their strategy and structure their companies to take full advantage in order to retain control.
It is clear that CCFC only continues to trade because SISU choose not to collapse it by calling in their loans: they are only constrained by a non binding assurance that they won't. Through the publishing on the accounts they have now introduced a suggestion that a 3rd party, ARVO, now has a large say in whether CCFC continues to trade with an apparent time constraint. If you believe that ARVO is independent of SISU, and who can say otherwise considering the lack of transparency of their ownership, SISU can now say that whether CCFC continues to exist is no longer in their full control.
Are SISU setting things up to put pressure on the FL to ensure an extension to their stay in Northampton or perhaps a further distancing of the club from the city whose name they bear?
As it stands the FL have no idea who effectively has control of the club, and have no guarantee that CCFC will complete next season's fixtures. They could also legitimately question whether SISU has actually done enough to discharge their undertaking to return to the Coventry area. Would the penalty attached to this undertaking be payable if ARVO call in the liquidator rather than SISU?
The only course of action I can see that the FL can take to avoid disruption to fixtures, which seems to be their prime concern, is to allow CCFC to fulfill this season's fixtures and then withdraw the golden share citing the unsatisfactory progress on the new ground, and the financial uncertainty coupled with the lack of transparency on ownership.
Given the flexibility of their rules it is difficult to see how SISU could win any legal challenge.
The FL could then invite the club to reapply for the golden share, albeit in a lower league, but apply more stringent conditions.
Have the FL got the balls to do this? No.
Incidentally, I do not believe that SISU will liquidate the club in the short term: you can extract more money from a trading company especially if you run it without worrying about it's ability to continue to exist.
They seem to view delays in publishing accounts as part of their strategy and structure their companies to take full advantage in order to retain control.
It is clear that CCFC only continues to trade because SISU choose not to collapse it by calling in their loans: they are only constrained by a non binding assurance that they won't. Through the publishing on the accounts they have now introduced a suggestion that a 3rd party, ARVO, now has a large say in whether CCFC continues to trade with an apparent time constraint. If you believe that ARVO is independent of SISU, and who can say otherwise considering the lack of transparency of their ownership, SISU can now say that whether CCFC continues to exist is no longer in their full control.
Are SISU setting things up to put pressure on the FL to ensure an extension to their stay in Northampton or perhaps a further distancing of the club from the city whose name they bear?
As it stands the FL have no idea who effectively has control of the club, and have no guarantee that CCFC will complete next season's fixtures. They could also legitimately question whether SISU has actually done enough to discharge their undertaking to return to the Coventry area. Would the penalty attached to this undertaking be payable if ARVO call in the liquidator rather than SISU?
The only course of action I can see that the FL can take to avoid disruption to fixtures, which seems to be their prime concern, is to allow CCFC to fulfill this season's fixtures and then withdraw the golden share citing the unsatisfactory progress on the new ground, and the financial uncertainty coupled with the lack of transparency on ownership.
Given the flexibility of their rules it is difficult to see how SISU could win any legal challenge.
The FL could then invite the club to reapply for the golden share, albeit in a lower league, but apply more stringent conditions.
Have the FL got the balls to do this? No.
Incidentally, I do not believe that SISU will liquidate the club in the short term: you can extract more money from a trading company especially if you run it without worrying about it's ability to continue to exist.