The Class of 92-backed Salford City are looking for new investors to back the Greater Manchester side in their bid to become a contender for Championship football.
Having first been taken over by the Manchester United legends back in 2014 and now a decade into their joint ownership, the Class of 92 managed to take Salford out of the lower rungs and National League by 2019 and string together three successive promotions to get them into League Two by 2020.
However, progress has slowed in the years since and despite remaining an established EFL outfit, they are still yet to make the jump to the next division and are currently in 19th place in the fourth tier with a negative goal difference.
Salford City FC and its Board of Directors have launched a process to explore new strategic partners for the club to support its ambitious growth targets.
Salford City have officially put the call out for new investors.
Having seen the success of Wrexham AFC’s takeover by celebrity duo Ryan Reynolds and Rob McElhenney in recent years, not to mention their former home of Man United finally welcoming new albeit partial ownership in Sir Jim Ratcliffe, the M7-based side has already put the wheels in motion.
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Releasing a statement on the club website, Salford City said: “The Board have launched a process to explore new strategic partners for the club to support its ambitious growth targets.
“Current owners and management (led by the Class of ’92) remain fully committed to the club but are open to the possibility of the right new partner investing alongside the group with a view to capitalising on the club’s significant sporting, media/commercial and infrastructure opportunities.
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They go on to detail that they will be considering a wide range of options and potential partners but also that “some interest in new equity investment in the club has already been received.”
Aware that the process coincides with the 10th anniversary of their being on board, they are keen to make sure this new strategic plan includes “the development of its football infrastructure, expansion of its commercial and media operations and a continued rise through the football pyramid.”
Speaking on the announcement, CEO Nicky Butt, who replaced Gary Neville back in October 2022, said: “We are backing Salford City with as much commitment and confidence as ever. We have achieved very special things here but there are major opportunities in front of us and we want to make sure we have the right mix of investment and strategic partners to take advantage of those opportunities.
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“We had an original 10-year plan and with strong foundations now in place, it was always the intention to explore options for the next phase. That includes potentially bringing in new partners to help us grow the club and best serve the fans and community.”
With Naming Tifosy Capital and Advisory named as their exclusive financial advisor, it seems apparent that the hunt for new partners won’t just begin right away but that it already has, though there are no early indications as to who their first interested party might be.
With two draws, two wins and a loss from their last five, The Ammies will be hoping to get back to winning ways with tonight’s home fixture against Colchester United as they look to climb the table. You can watch the highlights from their last outing away to Mansfield Town down below:
Details released of Andy Burnham’s meetings with Manchester City owners while Mayor
Emily Sergeant
Details of Andy Burnham’s meetings with Manchester City owners during his tenure as Mayor of Greater Manchester have been released.
In case you need bringing up to speed on the situation a little first, Manchester City was found guilty back in September all of its charges related to the Premier League’s financial rules over a nine-season period, and on top of that, was also found guilty of the majority of charges in relation to its failure to co-operate with the League’s investigation.
According to the Premier League, the independent Commission found that Manchester City had arranged so-called ‘sham’ commercial deals with a number of its sponsors.
These were part of a disguised funding scheme – with those sponsors only required to pay a portion of the relevant sponsorship fees.
The remainder was then funded by Abu Dhabi United Group Investment & Development Ltd (ADUG), which owned the club.
The Commission also concluded, as quoted by the Premier League, that the club had ‘made concerted efforts to stop and frustrate the Premier League investigation’.
Within the past week or so, it has since come to light that now-Prime Minister Andy Burnham had dealings with Manchester City during his tenure as Greater Manchester Mayor, and Greater Manchester Combined Authority (GMCA) has now issued a public statement, giving details on the matter and what these ‘dealings’ entailed.
A spokesperson for GMCA confirmed that Burnham had a ‘formal meeting’ with Man City Chairman, Khaldoon Al Mubarak, back in October 2021.
The statement reads in full: “In October 2021, Andy Burnham, in his role as Mayor of Greater Manchester, had a formal meeting with Khaldoon Al Mubarak at the UK Government’s Global Investment Summit arranged by the Department for International Trade.
“In his capacity as Mayor, he was a guest of Manchester City FC at home matches on a small number of occasions, including attending Vincent Kompany’s testimonial match in September 2019, where he met the Chairman informally in the stands. These have been declared in the usual way.
“Also during his time as Mayor, representatives of Greater Manchester sporting clubs would routinely join business delegations as part of Mayoral international visits.
“This included representatives from Manchester United travelling to Austin and Dublin, Lancashire Cricket Club joining a delegation to India, and Manchester City FC staff supporting visits to China and Japan.”
Featured Image – Lauren Hurley / Number 10 Downing Street (Press Image via Flickr)
Sport
Multiple arrests made for ‘tragedy chanting’ and police officer assault as Man City defeated Liverpool
Emily Sergeant
Multiple people were arrested over the weekend as Manchester City defeated Liverpool in a Premier League clash.
Merseyside Police have confirmed that a total of 10 people were arrested during the policing operation at Liverpool’s home ground of Anfield as they hosted Manchester City on Sunday 11 October.
One man was arrested on suspicion of assaulting a police constable, five were on suspicion of tragedy chanting, one on suspicion of being drunk and disorderly, two for affray, and one on suspicion of throwing items onto the pitch.
Police are now appealing to the public, and are particularly looking to speak to witnesses of the assault of the officer.
At around 6:35pm, as fans left the stadium, a police officer sustained a ‘serious facial injury’ during the arrest of a man on Anfield Road, and was subsequently taken to hospital for treatment but is now recovering at home.
Investigating officers are now conducting enquiries, speaking to witnesses, and analysing CCTV and camera phone footage.
Chief Inspector Leanne Hobin said it’s ‘extremely disappointing’ that an officer has sustained a serious injury while carrying out their duty.
“I hope the arrests send a clear message and act as a deterrent to others,” Chief Inspector Hobin continued. “Anyone who engages in this abhorrent behaviour risks ending up in custody and getting a criminal record.
“Despite the actions of a few, the overwhelming majority of the 60,000 fans in attendance behaved well and I want to thank them for their co-operation.”
Manchester City ended up defeated Liverpool 3-0 during the Premier League clash at Anfield.
Danny Jones -
27th February 2024 
