Alviro Patterson wrote:A part of me wanted Yorkshire to default on their debts and go bust. International cricket and Headingley has been a millstone around Yorkshire's neck. Rather than clearing the debts by 2019, the debt pile has increased with no sign of ever paying it off.
The thing that I find most annoying about this, and other similar scenarios is, someone like Graves can take over Yorkshire cricket club and have the club loan millions out of his own pocket under whatever terms he decides, and then 22 years down the line after he has nearly bankrupted them by paying 10s of millions buying the stadium, renovating it, investing loads in players etc.... the club struggle to exist to pay all that money back. 75-80% of Yorkshires debt according to what I have read in the press is owed to Graves, and they apparently owed 500,000 to Graves in interest last year. How can an owner of a failing club personally benefit from its crippling debts in the former of interest on his loans?
It should be illegal. Sporting clubs are communities, and important ones at that.... if millionaires want to play sporting managers, then make them commit that money to clubs as gifts, not loans. And stop this nonsense where owners can take money out of struggling clubs in form of payments for their management or generosity.