Bump - he's back!
This time sniffing around Blackpool!
[You must be registered and logged in to see this image.]Following on from my story earlier this week, Owen Oyston has been pictured with Jonathan Disley in the directors' box at Port Vale today (picture courtesy of @CameraSport) (Matt Scranton - the Marc Iles of Blackpool)
Jonathan Disley - the man identified by The Gazette last week as the mystery man in talks over a potential investment in Blackpool Football Club - has been pictured with Owen Oyston at today’s friendly at Port Vale.
The businessman - dubbed the ‘King of Marbella’ - has been in talks with Oyston for several weeks and even joined him for his trip to Latvia, where he held talks with Valeri Belokon. While the nature of the proposed investment remains unclear, it is understood it could involve Oyston taking out a third-party loan which would likely involve huge interest payments.
It has also been rumoured that the deal could involve Disley taking a majority share of Blackpool Football Club Properties (Limited) - the Oyston-owned company formerly known as Segesta that has the controlling stake in the football club.In 2013, Disley was jailed for four-and-a-half years for a £675,000 bank fraud.Preston Crown Court heard a gang, headed by Disley, targeted companies which were in financial difficulty, took them over and stripped them of their assets.However, last year Disley’s conviction was later quashed at the Court of Appeal.
In December 2015, he was pictured with Dean Holdsworth at the time his company Sports Shield Consortium were launching their takeover of Bolton Wanderers. Any involvement in the club was never confirmed.In an interview with a national newspaper in 2010, Disley said he built his empire by running security on the doors of nightclubs in Manchester.Following the summit in Riga on July 4, representatives for Belokon told The Gazette the meeting with went well and are hopeful the talks will help to bring about a resolution.
It is understood Oyston, who still owes £25m to Belokon following last year’s High Court judgement, travelled to Latvia with his daughter, club chairman Natalie Christopher, as well as Disley.It appears Oyston persuaded Belokon to grant him 14 days - a deadline that expired last Wednesday - to wrap up a deal that could go some way to repaying the debt and further news is expected this week.In the meantime, the auctioning off of Oyston assets to raise funds was put on hold.The Oystons were ordered to buy out Belokon for £31.27m after it was found they had illegitimately stripped the club of cash following promotion to the Premier League in 2010.Justice Marcus Smith found then that the Oystons had unfairly prejudiced the Latvian, who accused them of “improperly” extracting tens of millions of pounds from the club.
The judge found in his favour and the club was put up for sale four days later.
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[You must be registered and logged in to see this link.]Blackpool Supporters Trust appeal to Owen Oyston to speak out over rumoured Blackpool deal with 'King of Marbella'The chair of Blackpool FC’s leading fans’ group has called for calm after Owen Oyston’s potential new investor in the club was revealed to be Jonathan Disley, a businessman dubbed the ‘King of Marbella’ because of his lifestyle in Spain.
The Gazette revealed on Wednesday that Disley, a businessman from Herefordshire with offices in Preston, has been in talks with Oyston for several weeks. Disley was jailed for four and a half years in 2013 for a £675,000 bank fraud.
Preston Crown Court heard that a gang headed by Disley targeted companies in financial difficulty and stripped them of their assets
Disley’s conviction was quashed at the Court of Appeal last year.It is understood that Disley joined Blackpool FC owner Oyston and club chairman Natalie Christopher, Oyston’s daughter, at a summit with former BFC director Valeri Belokon in Latvia on July 4.At that meeting, it is believed Belokon granted Oyston a further 14 days to wrap up a deal that could go some way to repaying his £25m debt to the Latvian – a deadline which passed yesterday.
In the meantime, the auctioning off of Oyston assets to raise funds has been put on hold.While details of the proposed investment remain unclear, The Gazette understands it could involve a loan to Oyston likely to entail huge interest payments.It has also been rumoured that the deal could involve Disley taking a majority share of Blackpool Football Club Properties (Limited), the Oyston-owned company that has the controlling stake in the football club.Christine Seddon, chairman of Blackpool Supporters’ Trust, has called on both Oyston and Belokon to speak publicly to clarify the situation.
She told The Gazette: “We are monitoring the situation and have requested accurate information from both Blackpool FC and Mr Belokon.“Until we receive a statement of fact, it is difficult to comment further at this time but we would advise Blackpool supporters and all interested parties to avoid speculation and await information.“We are gravely concerned that yet again Blackpool FC is being linked in the press to inappropriate individuals and our community football club is being held to ransom by its current owner.“We call on Owen Oyston to resolve the situation regarding his debt to Valeri Belokon and arrange to remove himself and all his family from Blackpool FC without further delay. This sorry saga has gone on for far too long.”In an interview with a national newspaper in 2010, Disley said he built his business on nightclub security in Manchester.
Oyston was unavailable for comment, while Belokon’s representatives told The Gazette they would prefer to hear from Oyston before commenting publicly.
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