Sheffield Wednesday Banter Archive July 19 2014

19 Jul 2014 07:25:51
Lens have now been given an explanation for the rejection of their appeal and still the position is confused. They appeal, hopefully on Monday or Tuesday, to Arbitration for Sport -either on the grounds that they have reduced their budget from 48million to 38 and can float in the higher division or that the money that they said had arrived before, now hasn't because the French banks were in their turn closed for the national holidays. It has a whiff about it. Don't like it.

Its got nothing to do with what Lens or Mammadov have or haven't done, its simply that the French FA don't want them in the top flight.
If you had spent any time living in France you would understand a bit better believe me!
All the authorities use, abuse, ignore, and change their rules regarding anything they like just to suit there own ends!
I'm convinced this is just another example of how they operate.
I read a French article the other day which said that with the 38million euros that Mammadov HAS ACTUALLY DEPOSITED with Lens, they probably have mare cash reserves than half of the other sides in the top division!
But still the French FA are using that as an excuse to block their promotion?
We have nothing to worry about at S6 - unless there are Frenchmen sitting on FL ratification panel!

I've read other reports that it's not just the money issue that is stopping Lens promotion but also that there ground isn't up to scratch. I think if there was any problem with Mammadov having money issues, i. e. bankruptcy as a lot of post say or just a lack of funds to do anything but buy the club then the FL would have thrown the takeover out by now. As I said in a previous post a few days ago, some of the paperwork is having to go through Azerbijani bureaucracy, which having dealt with them in the past for charity work is incredibly slow and it can take a while for a simple form to get through it and I imagine the paperwork for a football club takeover is far from simple

19 Jul 2014 13:40:53
I appreciate what you say about the doubtful dealings of the French authorities. There is a long history of such manipulation in politics and international affairs as well as in sport. What bothers me in this case is the shifting of the stories coming from RC Lens. Obviously conflicting statements cannot both be true : either HM has paid up or he has not. Whilst I, like you, tend to believe that the money has, indeed, been paid, while ever the Lens accounts show no receipt, what effect will that have in the FL's deliberations under the Fit and Proper Persons regulations? Perhaps we should call for a forensic accountant.

If it helps High Green, every trusted French source says they have had the money (38m) for a good while, the only debate (if that's the right word?) is about the other 10m.
Thats what the conflicting reports from Lens are about. The Lens President tried to stir things up by saying Mamma had promised the whole 48m, Mammas people denied that initially saying the other shareholders were stumping up the other 10m.
Then when the French FA got wind of it they saw an opportunity to step in, Mamma tried to head that off by paying the 10m at the Bank Holiday, and rest is history.
I get the feeling that Mammas version is true, the Lens President was just being French (an arse!) and its backfired on the whole club.
Can't see Mamma being impressed and may well speed up him shifting his focus from Lens to the MUCH BIGGER club!
But I repeat what I, and just one or two more, have said earlier - the Lens issue will have no bearing on events at S6.
Its just the FL going through due process which, although most Owls fans don't like it, takes time!
But we will make it up on the pitch once we 're cleared, I'm confident of that.