DrummerMan
Well-known member
Middlesbrough FC has welcomed the statement from the EFL, who have requested a meeting with the administrators of Derby County and the following stakeholders: the current highest bidder(s), Middlesbrough FC, Wycombe Wanderers FC, Mel Morris, MSD Partners and HMRC.
MFC is available to attend any meeting, wherever or whenever this may be, just as we always have been.MFC has always maintained that its claim against Derby County is a football related debt and that it should be treated as such. MFC welcomes the EFL’s confirmation that it shares this view. If the administrators believe that the EFL are not entitled to take this stance, MFC has offered to refer the matter to a judge to decide.
The administrators were appointed in September but have consistently refused to engage with MFC’s attempts to engage with them to reach a resolution. There are several letters from us which the administrators have ignored. MFC is extremely disappointed that this administration has not been concluded successfully and that the administrators have, instead, through the media, continuously sought to make scurrilous and unfounded suggestions that it is the claims of our club and Wycombe, and the EFL, that are preventing a successful outcome. It is not true and these statements are deeply unfair, not only to our club, but also to the Derby County supporters who deserve better.
There has been no suggestion that the administrators have reached an agreement with Derby County’s other main creditors. We believe that the administrators have a duty to the public to answer the questions we asked in our open letter of 20 January 2022. MFC understands that the debt owed to MSD is (i) personally guaranteed by Mr Morris and (ii) is secured against the stadium. This means that Mr Morris has agreed to pay the MSD debt if there is a shortfall. Is this correct? And, if so, what contribution is being sought from Mr Morris?
A significant focus of MFC’s claim against Derby County relates to the sale of Derby County’s stadium and the belief that it was done in a way which manipulated the Profit and Sustainability Rules. The same transaction is now a material reason why the administration cannot be resolved. MFC, and many other stakeholders in football, do not understand why the administrator refuses to acknowledge this problem and, instead, chooses to unfairly blame us, Wycombe and the EFL.
Source: https://www.mfc.co.uk/news/mfc-response-to-efl-statement-on-derby-county