 |
EPL side Aston Villa is "now in meltdown on and off the pitch with relegation from the Premier League followed by the immediate resignation" of Directors David Bernstein and Mervyn King, according to Charles Sale of the London DAILY MAIL. Former FA Chair Bernstein "only joined the Villa board last month and was in the middle of a wholesale review of what had gone so desperately wrong this season." King and Bernstein "were brought into the club in March as part of a board shake-up during a turbulent year."
Bernstein's letter of resignation to Chair Steven Hollis "clearly pointed out that the new structure had not been properly accepted by the club leading to Bernstein's shock resignation."
His letter read, "For this new structure to work, it required all at the club to accept new disciplines, clear reporting lines and to adhere to the authority delegated to the new football board. Unfortunately it has proved impossible to implement the agreed structure and my position has quickly become untenable." King, a former chair of the Bank of England, "also tended his resignation at the same time in a letter to Hollis" that made clear Owner Randy Lerner was the "main obstruction" to the planned revamp.
He wrote, "You will be aware of recent communications between the owner of Aston Villa and members of the Football Board. Following these, I am sure you will understand that it is with real sorrow that I am writing to tender my resignation as a director of Aston Villa. ... But it is no longer possible to carry out the role that I was asked to perform. Progress has stalled. It is clear that a sale of the club to a new owner must be brought about as soon as possible." Lerner "has been trying to offload Villa for over two years" (
DAILY MAIL, 4/18). In London, Paul McClean wrote
Aston Villa said a search to appoint a new team manager “remains a priority,” but added that Hollis was “currently engaged in extensive negotiations in relation to the sale of the Club.”
Analysis by Deloitte revealed last week that Villa was "one of only three Premier League football clubs that failed to make an operating profit last season" (
FINANCIAL TIMES, 4/18).
