Bold bid to takeover Heart

Huge offer ... Melbourne Heart coach John Aloisi with CEO Scott Munn. Source: George Salpigtidis / News Limited

South Melbourne FC has confirmed an offer of more than $3.5 million to buy Melbourne Heart A-League club, and raised the prospect of Brazilian ex-international Emerson as coach.

South Melbourne responded via its Facebook account to reports that they had approached Heart with the offer, only to be rejected.

The statement read in full: "Following yesterday’s (Wednesday) media reports … and statements made by the CEO of the Melbourne Heart (Scott Munn) South Melbourne FC wishes to confirm the following:

• South Melbourne FC that it made an offer to acquire 100% of the Melbourne Heart Licence.
• The offer was in excess of 3.5 million
• The offer was made after several discussions between Heart & SMFC Directors.
• South Melbourne FC has received an expression of interest from Emerson (Brazilian Legend) to coach and has already secured Major Sponsors for its A-League ambitions."

Munn said on Wednesday that Heart’s owners had no intention of selling.

South Melbourne, which currently competes in the Victorian Premier League – and was also in recent discussions with cash-strapped Central Coast Mariners – reportedly offered a combination of cash and shares and included relocation to Lakeside Stadium, a facility it currently shares with Athletics Victoria.

Munn confirmed the offer and revealed that two offers from overseas investors had also been received in recent months but the club's owners weren't interested in selling a controlling stake.

While Heart's crowds have stagnated, the club will turn a small profit this season and Munn said this made the model enticing to potential investors.

"We've made it very clear we have no interest in taking their offer any further," Munn said.

"We've been approached this year a couple of times, from the Middle East and a European consortium.

"Those conversations were quite open and transparent but we made it very clear that there were some non-negotiables and one of them is that the founding owners always want to retain control.

"We'd love to invest more in areas such as marketing, advertising and most importantly the footy department.

"We can sustain a club, we can post a small profit and that puts us in an enviable position for investors, knowing they won't have to reach into their pocket each year."

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Bold bid to takeover Heart

Huge offer ... Melbourne Heart coach John Aloisi with CEO Scott Munn. Source: George Salpigtidis / News Limited

South Melbourne FC has confirmed an offer of more than $3.5 million to buy Melbourne Heart A-League club, and raised the prospect of Brazilian ex-international Emerson as coach.

South Melbourne responded via its Facebook account to reports that they had approached Heart with the offer, only to be rejected.

The statement read in full: "Following yesterday’s (Wednesday) media reports … and statements made by the CEO of the Melbourne Heart (Scott Munn) South Melbourne FC wishes to confirm the following:

• South Melbourne FC that it made an offer to acquire 100% of the Melbourne Heart Licence.
• The offer was in excess of 3.5 million
• The offer was made after several discussions between Heart & SMFC Directors.
• South Melbourne FC has received an expression of interest from Emerson (Brazilian Legend) to coach and has already secured Major Sponsors for its A-League ambitions."

Munn said on Wednesday that Heart’s owners had no intention of selling.

South Melbourne, which currently competes in the Victorian Premier League – and was also in recent discussions with cash-strapped Central Coast Mariners – reportedly offered a combination of cash and shares and included relocation to Lakeside Stadium, a facility it currently shares with Athletics Victoria.

Munn confirmed the offer and revealed that two offers from overseas investors had also been received in recent months but the club's owners weren't interested in selling a controlling stake.

While Heart's crowds have stagnated, the club will turn a small profit this season and Munn said this made the model enticing to potential investors.

"We've made it very clear we have no interest in taking their offer any further," Munn said.

"We've been approached this year a couple of times, from the Middle East and a European consortium.

"Those conversations were quite open and transparent but we made it very clear that there were some non-negotiables and one of them is that the founding owners always want to retain control.

"We'd love to invest more in areas such as marketing, advertising and most importantly the footy department.

"We can sustain a club, we can post a small profit and that puts us in an enviable position for investors, knowing they won't have to reach into their pocket each year."

View the original article here

Mariners sweat on takeover attempt

Inspiring ... the Mariners soldier on despite the distractions. Source: Paul Miller / AAP

The future of Central Coast Mariners, one of the most successful clubs in the A-League, could be in jeopardy if a restructure of its ownership fails.

Football Federation Australia has confirmed that discussions are under way for one of the club's investors to take a controlling interest in the embattled Mariners and take on their considerable debts, although fears emerged yesterday that the move might have come too late.

English businessman Michael Charlesworth is understood to have been negotiating for several weeks with FFA and the Mariners' major stakeholder and chairman, Peter Turnbull, to take the reins of the club, which has had mounting financial problems for the past three or four seasons.

The situation came to a head after players and staff had not been paid last week and were told they would get their wages either on Tuesday or Wednesday. As of 5pm, no money had been deposited into their accounts.

That follows news the club was told last week that its back-of-shirt sponsor, Primo Smallgoods, would not renew its $250,000-a-season, three-year contract next season. The Australian foreshadowed that move in January.

It also has been revealed the Mariners made an application to FFA recently for a special assistance financial package but were knocked back.

While a club insider denied its future was in doubt, different sources claimed the situation was "dire" and "the worst it has ever been".

Turnbull, a property investor who has poured $6 million into the club, has been searching for a buyer for several years.

While Charlesworth is seen as the Mariners' likely saviour, it is understood a Melbourne consortium has been looking at the club with a view to relocating to Geelong.

A businessman who shares his time between his eastern suburbs home in Sydney and England, Charlesworth owns Mediatel, a global mobile phone number company.

He has been with the Mariners for the past two years and, like Turnbull, has been know to pay many bills out of his own pocket. But as much as he has a passion and desire to get the club out of its financial mess, The Australian understands he may be wavering.

FFA meanwhile will be eager to ensure the survival of the Mariners as it can't afford to lose another club following the demise of North Queensland Fury (2010-11) and Gold Coast United (last season). Losing the Mariners would reduce the competition to nine teams and also adversely affect the $160m, four-year television deal FFA signed last November.

However, FFA is unlikely to rescue the club should it go under, as it is already heavily committed to funding the Wanderers, which it owns.

View the original article here

Mariners sweat on takeover attempt

Inspiring ... the Mariners soldier on despite the distractions. Source: Paul Miller / AAP

The future of Central Coast Mariners, one of the most successful clubs in the A-League, could be in jeopardy if a restructure of its ownership fails.

Football Federation Australia has confirmed that discussions are under way for one of the club's investors to take a controlling interest in the embattled Mariners and take on their considerable debts, although fears emerged yesterday that the move might have come too late.

English businessman Michael Charlesworth is understood to have been negotiating for several weeks with FFA and the Mariners' major stakeholder and chairman, Peter Turnbull, to take the reins of the club, which has had mounting financial problems for the past three or four seasons.

The situation came to a head after players and staff had not been paid last week and were told they would get their wages either on Tuesday or Wednesday. As of 5pm, no money had been deposited into their accounts.

That follows news the club was told last week that its back-of-shirt sponsor, Primo Smallgoods, would not renew its $250,000-a-season, three-year contract next season. The Australian foreshadowed that move in January.

It also has been revealed the Mariners made an application to FFA recently for a special assistance financial package but were knocked back.

While a club insider denied its future was in doubt, different sources claimed the situation was "dire" and "the worst it has ever been".

Turnbull, a property investor who has poured $6 million into the club, has been searching for a buyer for several years.

While Charlesworth is seen as the Mariners' likely saviour, it is understood a Melbourne consortium has been looking at the club with a view to relocating to Geelong.

A businessman who shares his time between his eastern suburbs home in Sydney and England, Charlesworth owns Mediatel, a global mobile phone number company.

He has been with the Mariners for the past two years and, like Turnbull, has been know to pay many bills out of his own pocket. But as much as he has a passion and desire to get the club out of its financial mess, The Australian understands he may be wavering.

FFA meanwhile will be eager to ensure the survival of the Mariners as it can't afford to lose another club following the demise of North Queensland Fury (2010-11) and Gold Coast United (last season). Losing the Mariners would reduce the competition to nine teams and also adversely affect the $160m, four-year television deal FFA signed last November.

However, FFA is unlikely to rescue the club should it go under, as it is already heavily committed to funding the Wanderers, which it owns.

View the original article here