Became The Premier League’S Youngest Manager [EN]: Chapter 23

23: Qualification Review for Owners and Directors

A short-haired blonde British beauty greeted Helena with a bright smile in her office, offering her a seat.

“I didn’t expect you so soon. Would you like a cup of tea?”

“I’d prefer coffee, if that’s alright.”

Amanda Staveley smiled at Helena’s request.

“Of course.”

While Amanda Staveley poured Helena’s coffee and her own tea, Helena reorganized the information she had crammed into her head on the way here.

Amanda Staveley had worked as a model to pay for her tuition at Cambridge University and was a vibrant beauty with short blonde hair, once rumored to have dated Prince Andrew of the British royal family.

After dropping out of university, she took out a loan to acquire a restaurant in Newmarket, the heart of horse racing, which naturally connected her with powerful figures in the Arab world, including the royal families of Dubai and Jordan, who had a strong interest in horse racing.

Based on this, she started a consulting business that mediated overseas investments for the Arab world’s power elite.

She facilitated major deals such as Barclays Bank raising emergency funds from various Middle Eastern countries during the 2008 financial crisis and Sheikh Mansour of Abu Dhabi acquiring Manchester City Football Club.

Now in her late 40s, her external activities had decreased significantly, but she still retained the imposing presence of a financier who once orchestrated mega-deals between Britain and the Arab world.

Helena with her coffee cup and Amanda Staveley with her teacup sat facing each other on the sofa in Amanda Staveley’s office, located in the temporary headquarters of the PIF [Public Investment Fund] Consortium in London.

“To be honest, I didn’t expect you to contact me first.”

At Helena’s candid opening, Amanda Staveley smiled with interest, pointing out what Helena hadn’t said.

“But you thought I would respond?”

“Indeed.”

Amanda Staveley’s smile deepened at Helena’s answer, grasping Helena’s thoughts.

“…Because you thought the qualification review for Burnley’s owners and directors would be connected to Newcastle. Mike Garlic and John Vanaskyweitz may be supporting you from the sidelines, but I know you haven’t been in the football scene for long. It’s amazing you figured that out.”

“Do you know about me?”

At Helena’s question, Amanda Staveley shrugged without losing her smile.

“Only what others know. Of course, being in this industry, I can’t help but hear about Cartwright Fund. Wall Street and the City of London unanimously praise it as the best in corporate turnaround, with the unbroken Cartwright DNA passed down for three generations.”

Amanda took a sip of her tea and continued.

“Some of my clients have invested in or participated in consortiums with Cartwright Fund, so I hear about it occasionally. Consequently, I’ve also heard a bit about Andrillis Automotive. They say it turned the global auto parts industry upside down. They also say the daughter of the Cartwright family inherited her father’s abilities just like her brother.”

“Hmph. I guess you haven’t heard about my misadventures in the Amazon?”

Amanda Staveley raised her eyebrows with interest.

“I’d love to hear that story sometime. Unfortunately, it seems we need to talk about the more pressing matter at hand.”

With that, the young American financier from Wall Street and the seasoned British financier began their serious conversation.

“They don’t want their exclusive club to be disrupted. Or, to go further, they’re afraid that a lot of money will come in and shake their positions. Are you familiar with the European Super League incident from last season?”

At Amanda Staveley’s question, explaining the background of the sudden qualification review for Burnley’s owners and directors, Helena, who had crammed on the way to London, nodded.

The incident where top clubs from Spain, England, and Italy, including Real Madrid and Juventus, tried to form their own European competition to monopolize broadcasting rights and exclude challengers, only to fail miserably due to fierce fan opposition.

“Clubs considered the top names in Europe are even trying to create their own European competition to monopolize broadcasting rights and exclude challengers.”

Amanda Staveley gracefully waved her hand in the air, drawing a shrinking spiral.

“If the game results aren’t good, the ranking drops. If the ranking drops, they can’t participate in European competitions. If they can’t participate in European competitions, they don’t get a share of the broadcasting revenue. Then it’s hard to acquire players, and then the ranking drops again next season.”

Helena nodded.

It was the pressure that all underperforming organizations, especially industries like finance and sports where results can be seen in the short term, inevitably had to endure.

“So all the Premier League clubs opposed it. They opposed the Saudi Arabian Public Investment Fund acquiring Newcastle and injecting unlimited funds because they would lose out in the competition.”

Amanda Staveley clicked her tongue.

“The top teams have a higher chance of losing one of their precious Champions League or Europa League qualification spots. The bottom teams have one more firmly established team above them, making the relegation battle even more intense.”

“Isn’t that understandable? The competition becomes unfair, doesn’t it?”

At Helena’s rebuttal, Amanda Staveley shook her head.

“Helena, the competition is unfair now. Did you know that Chelsea’s Roman Abramovich lent the club 1.5 billion pounds? Interest-free?”

Helena raised an eyebrow at the unexpected amount, and Amanda Staveley raised a corner of her mouth, as if she had anticipated that she wouldn’t know.

“My client, the Abu Dhabi Group, owner of Manchester City, supports the club with all the funds it needs through various means, such as providing sponsorships of unprecedented amounts. They even buy clubs around the world like the Red Bull Football Group and supply players to Manchester City at low prices.”

Amanda Staveley sighed softly.

“It would be sad if football was only about money, but it’s foolish to think that football isn’t influenced by money.”

Helena nodded in agreement, and Amanda Staveley continued her explanation.

“So the Premier League clubs opposed the PIF Consortium acquiring Newcastle. But to oppose it, they needed a justification, so the Premier League Secretariat chose to bring up Saudi Arabia’s human rights issues.”

Amanda Staveley frowned, annoyed.

“I’m not in a position to express my opinion on human rights issues. I’m talking about double standards. Does it make sense? When Roman Abramovich, one of the Russian oligarchs who emerged from the collusion between politics and business after the collapse of the Soviet Union, acquired Chelsea, did the Premier League Secretariat check how he made his money? When the Abu Dhabi Group acquired Manchester City, did they check Abu Dhabi’s human rights record?”

Amanda Staveley continued, dumbfounded.

“When Fosun Group acquired Wolverhampton, did they assess where that huge conglomerate was operating, what kind of business it was in, and how legally and appropriately it was being run? It’s all just an excuse. An excuse to prevent another competitor from emerging.”

“That’s all true.”

Helena, who had been listening intently while agreeing with Amanda Staveley, opened her mouth.

“But you didn’t ask me to see you to talk about this. What do you want to talk about?”

At Helena’s demand to skip the introduction and get to the point, Amanda Staveley smiled faintly.

“The Premier League Secretariat’s logic is simple. Becoming the owner of a Premier League club is no ordinary matter anymore. Therefore, we will evaluate not only the ability to raise funds but also the source of funds, and even the owner’s morality and character.”

Amanda Staveley explained concisely, getting to the main point.

“Therefore, we cannot hand over Newcastle United, once a prestigious club in the Northeast and the pride of the city, but neglected for ten years under the indifference and incompetence of the owner, even suffering the humiliation of relegation to the second division, to the dirty hands of the PIF Consortium.”

*Do British schools teach you how to make such elegant and arrogantly contemptuous expressions in class?*

As Helena admired, Amanda Staveley changed her expression and raised an eyebrow.

“But suddenly, Burnley’s owner changed. The new owner is a prestigious family from Wall Street that no one can find fault with. However, if the Premier League Secretariat doesn’t conduct a review, it can’t avoid criticism for applying double standards.”

Amanda Staveley suddenly lowered her voice subtly.

“On the other hand, what if they could disqualify or at least penalize individuals with well-established identities like the Cartwright family in the qualification review for owners and directors? Hmph, the PIF Consortium, which is the subject of controversy, would have no chance of becoming an owner.”

Now clearly understanding the Premier League Secretariat’s position, Helena swallowed and leaned back in her chair.

Nine years ago, as global concern and worry about the Amazon’s environment grew, the Brazilian government wanted to internationally promote that they were doing their best to protect the environment.

She felt like she had suddenly returned to the position of a vulgar and dirty American merchant who arbitrarily fired diligent miners and sold off assets indiscriminately, the target of that situation.

Watching Helena’s face, which was twitching with anger and annoyance as someone dragged into a fight unrelated to her, Amanda Staveley suggested.

“I won’t ask you to become an ally. But like the saying goes, ‘the enemy of my enemy is my friend,’ it seems that at least for this moment, the PIF Consortium could be an ally of the Cartwright Fund.”

“What does the PIF Consortium gain?”

“If they accept that Burnley’s owner has been legitimately changed – without penalties like point deductions – there will be no justification for rejecting the PIF Consortium, which has made a legitimate request for acquisition. The Secretariat has already dragged its feet for too long. The residents of Newcastle and the local members of parliament are also protesting the Secretariat’s behavior.”

Amanda Staveley mocked the Premier League Secretariat.

“Moreover, relations with the Saudi Arabian government are also deteriorating. The British government doesn’t want to antagonize the Middle East’s powerhouse with the world’s largest oil and natural gas reserves over just one football club. They know that if they drag this out any longer without justification, the next qualification review will be a hearing in the House of Commons for the Premier League Secretariat Director.”

Helena paused and pondered.