Former England striker Allan Clarke will ask fans of Championship side Leeds United to raise a record-breaking £10M ($15M) "to secure a stake and say in the club’s future," according to Rick Broadbent of the LONDON TIMES.
Clarke "is fronting what will be British football’s biggest fan fundraiser if successful."
A group known as Leeds Fans is targeting the 25% share owned by Gulf Finance House. With Massimo Cellino, a convicted fraudster and the club’s owner, "banned until the end of the season," and David Haigh, the former managing director, "admitting to being 'suicidal' after spending more than 300 days in a Dubai jail, the future of the club remains murky." Several groups "are believed to be contemplating a takeover." Leeds Fans "hope to add some clarity." It wants 10,000 supporters to invest £100 ($150) "in the first stage of a three-tiered attempt to raise enough money to buy a minority stake." Clarke: "The fans need someone to act on their behalf so their voices can be heard. I would like to see someone representing the fans at every board meeting" (LONDON TIMES, 4/1).
