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Frosty · 16th August 2007, 23:43

The Football League's decision to reject chairman Ken Bates' plea not to penalise the relegated club with a 15-point handicap at kick-off in League One is no surprise. Bates has few friends or admirers amongst his football peers.

Similarly, he does not hav much success with partners or investors. They recall how the late Matthew Harding, Chelsea's pre-Abramovich saviour, was treated. Efforts by Bates to find a similar saviour at Leeds fell on deaf ears. Which brings us back to who exactly are his offshore benefactors there?

The original Bates backer was the Swiss-backed Forward Sports Fund. It, along with the Guernsey based Astor Investment Holdings, still backed the Bates bid to buy the club out of administration, despite taking a nearly £18m hit.

Forward is managed by Chateau Fidicaire SA of Geneva. Last July, a Julie Welsh became a director/manager there. It is believed that this is the same Julie Welsh who was an accountant living in Guernsey, from where Bates used to locate his offshore interests until his pal Patrick Murrin was forced to resign from Harbour Trustees. Murrin too was an investor in Forward.

All, no doubt, entirely coincidental. because Bates has insisted - and the Leeds administrators KPMG have accepted as true - that he has no link to Forward or Astor.

16th August 2007, 23:43	#50 (permalink)
Frosty Logical and sensible but turns women gay Join Date: Jan 2007 Posts: 8,007	Bateswatch The Football League's decision to reject chairman Ken Bates' plea not to penalise the relegated club with a 15-point handicap at kick-off in League One is no surprise. Bates has few friends or admirers amongst his football peers. Similarly, he does not hav much success with partners or investors. They recall how the late Matthew Harding, Chelsea's pre-Abramovich saviour, was treated. Efforts by Bates to find a similar saviour at Leeds fell on deaf ears. Which brings us back to who exactly are his offshore benefactors there? The original Bates backer was the Swiss-backed Forward Sports Fund. It, along with the Guernsey based Astor Investment Holdings, still backed the Bates bid to buy the club out of administration, despite taking a nearly £18m hit. Forward is managed by Chateau Fidicaire SA of Geneva. Last July, a Julie Welsh became a director/manager there. It is believed that this is the same Julie Welsh who was an accountant living in Guernsey, from where Bates used to locate his offshore interests until his pal Patrick Murrin was forced to resign from Harbour Trustees. Murrin too was an investor in Forward. All, no doubt, entirely coincidental. because Bates has insisted - and the Leeds administrators KPMG have accepted as true - that he has no link to Forward or Astor.