Earlier this week, Portsmouth were staring into the abyss of Administration, with Standard Bank about to call-in their £36m debt from the club. With the new Premier League's Fit And Proper Person Test progressing to scheduled conclusion next week, the Premier League's timescales looked all wrong for Portsmouth.
Al Fahim and Portsmouth made an approach to the Premier League and outlined that the deal needed to be wrapped up by the 24th July or the club would be administration. Initially the Premier League advised that they would not be able to complete the investigation by Friday.
However, fearing the embarrassment of Administration for one of its members and wary of a backlash by angry Portsmouth supporters, the Premier League decided to 'fast track' Al Fahim. Despite the fact that the FAPPT invesigations are ongoing and will not be completed until next week, the Premier League gave the green light in the following, carefully worded statement:
"The Premier League can confirm that Mr. Al Fahim has submitted all the documentation required to satisfy our Fit and Proper Persons Test.
"Based on the information provided the League has found no reason why Mr. Al Fahim would be liable to be disqualified as a Director of a Premier League club.''
Critics of the Premier League will maintain that their tough new stance has been undermined by their approval of Al Fahim before they have concluded their investigations.
No comments:
Post a Comment