As revealed by the club’s former vice president Tony Jimenez, Mike Ashley was in position to sell Newcastle United to the current owners of Manchester City – only for the deal to be ruined by a drunken ‘disturbance’ in a Dubai bar.
Jimenez’s lawyer states that Ashley ‘refused to meet’ Sheikh Mansour in Dubai back in 2008 despite him setting up the meeting – scuppering our chances of a big money takeover that could have changed the club forever.
As the title suggests, this really does expose Mike Ashley, showing everyone his true colours. It not only highlights just how unprofessional he is, but shows the actions of a man who does NOT seem serious about selling the club.
What’s worse is that he’s now telling the likes of Peter Kenyon to show proof that he can ‘take the club forward’. Considering he turned down the chance to sell the club to Sheikh Mansour – a man who has transformed Man City to a title winning club who are now favourites to win the Champions League – the irony behind this request is quite unbelievable.
These Mike Ashley allegations were made during the latest stage of a High Court dispute between the NUFC owner and Jimenez himself – with Ashley trying to sue after accusing the club’s former ‘vice president’ of ‘fraud and forgery’.
Jimenez has disputed the claims, with his lawyer revealing the following about Ashley in court:
“Mr Ashley refused to meet a potential buyer who went on to purchase Manchester City Football Club.
“He (Jimenez) lined up some further potential buyers and Mr Ashley then visited Dubai between September 13 and 18 2008 in order to meet them.
“Mr Jimenez says that on the evening of September 16 2008, Mr Ashley created a disturbance in a bar in Dubai.
“Although Mr Jimenez helped Mr Ashley minimise the impact of the trouble, it again ruined the potential sale of Newcastle United Football Club that Mr Jimenez had lined up.”
Another unbearable case of what could’ve been and another reminder of what we’re dealing with in Mike Ashley.
Good luck to whoever plans to buy the club from him if this is his approach negotiations.
Not only did Ashley make a big mess by missing selling to Mansour, since Man City hit the headlines Manchester has come on leaps and bounds as a city, with big investment everywhere this could have been Newcastle, the Local MPs should be up in arms.
Ged Shaw(Quote)
Makes me laugh that Newcastle fans were writing in numbers before our last game talking about how Man City were plastic, buying success, and bad for football. It seems those same fans would have liked some cash from the same source after all!
Colgor(Quote)
Does seem rather strange with the time lines. Meeting to take place sep 2008 yet City had already been bought on 4 Aug 2008. Maybe he is talking about a different Sheikh!
David Evans(Quote)