New beginnings - 25% Truth, 80% Bollocks

[DMC]

Hmm. Can't help but think that photo will not help the club explain to the FA that he is not a person of significant control. Or the same to the fans.

Spot on, that's the most important thing as well to be honest. Just as the club start making the right noises it's over to Zav to cause a fucking issue again. It is so tiresome

Is there a cooling off period on season tickets on finance  

[The Million Pound Man]

Karachi still makes no sense, even the casually brushing it off as oh hes funding it himself.. how can he? Hes not involved with the club? Why is he allowed to use the clubs name if hes not involved? Surely the club who beg fans for refunds, and charge sponsors for house wine wouldnt miss the chance to charge someone to use their intellectual property, would they?

[DMC]

It is new. This is him, today as far as we can tell, in the Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Office on Whitehall sat with a Government minister.

No, not the photo the scheme that he is signing off. nearly 2 yrs ago he said and the club did that he was going to Karachi to try get youngsters over on scholariships, i assume it is this?

Was just trying to gather if it is was something totally different to that that was all

[DMC]

Karachi still makes no sense, even the casually brushing it off as oh hes funding it himself.. how can he? Hes not involved with the club? Why is he allowed to use the clubs name if hes not involved? Surely the club who beg fans for refunds, and charge sponsors for house wine wouldnt miss the chance to charge someone to use their intellectual property, would they?

I think it is a self indulged flashier way of doing what Fitton did. He will o doubt be trying to unearth a gem that we sell one day and he gets a big finders fee

[The Million Pound Man]

I think it is a self indulged flashier way of doing what Fitton did. He will o doubt be trying to unearth a gem that we sell one day and he gets a big finders fee

Whats STFC's involvement- if as were told this guy is merely a friend of the owner.


Does Clem let his other mates use the Axis brand for leverage?

[RobertT]

Karachi still makes no sense, even the casually brushing it off as oh hes funding it himself.. how can he? Hes not involved with the club? Why is he allowed to use the clubs name if hes not involved? Surely the club who beg fans for refunds, and charge sponsors for house wine wouldnt miss the chance to charge someone to use their intellectual property, would they?

This is guesswork using what we know and my experience of the Immigration world.

Zav is acting as an agent.

STFC is acting a sponsoring employer/provider of a Course - likely a year long Diploma or something.

Zav has used the clubs time to get a Coach over and look at some possible students - so they at least can play the game.

Zav makes money by working with the families to tee-up the right student, and takes a % of legal fees required to complete the primary and any trailing Visa's required ($$$$'s in this bit)

STFC has to run a course for the students - the costs of doing so are now going to be funded using a Chevening Scholarship - student will pay using the Scholarship money.

Govt is agreeing to fund Chevening for any students they provide Scholarships for, which also supports the Visa application and approval.

Net cost to STFC is minimal - just that coaches time.

Reputational harm - who knows.

Possible EFL harm - who knows, but I presume Zav and STFC can argue that anyone could act as the agent in this deal and we, as a separate entity, wanted to create such a course with or without Zav,

[Mooneyraker]

That bit is the open question that should indeed be served to the club.

My reading of this - this is the Govt and Chevening signing a MoU which enables the Govt to send funds to Chevening for a course that STFC will be the provider of.  Chevening would then have an agreement with STFC after this, which enables us to get paid by Chevening rather than the student.  I still think Zav gets paid like an agent in this deal, likely by the Pakistan side.  I very much doubt the least well off player in Pakistan is chosen to receive this Scholarship.

Why Zav is in that meeting, could well be just as a personal rep of himself as the agent who set the whole thing in motion.  If as a rep of STFC, then even if not doing anything official, it's a shit look.

Either way, I am not disagreeing that him being there looks bad when our name is mentioned, and the whole thing itself is fucking waste of our clubs time.

The Chevening Awards are a UK Government Scheme. So this is taxpayers' money.

I've been interested in why we chose the specific district of Lyari in Pakistan for this hairbrained scheme to find the next world class Egyptian footballer.

This was an interesting read: https://www.jstor.org/stable/26326447

"As Karachi became a transit point in the international drug trade, local crime groups became connected to the international drug trade, making the city an important node in the world of transnational organized crime. One immediate effect on the city was the transformation of its crime groups in Lyari, one of the oldest neighbourhoods in Karachi with a predominantly Baluch population. Drug consignments transited through Lyari on their way to European, Gulf and Central Asian markets. The Baluch gangs of Lyari became key intermediaries between drug traffickers of the tribal areas and international buyers of Afghan drugs."

[Batch]

Hmm. Can't help but think that photo will not help the club explain to the FA that he is not a person of significant control. Or the same to the fans.

[Batch]

The Chevening Awards are a UK Government Scheme. So this is taxpayers' money.

Which at least gives some indication it is scrutinised to some extent.

Still not buying the whole thing though

[RobertT]

if it helps explain why Zav would carry on with this - my employer probably spent over $20k in legal fees on my Visa and subsequent Green Card, minimum.  That was for myself and three family members.

Imagine having a steady stream for a few years of two students and their families, then renewals of Visa's when they want to stay or get signed to Pro deals (icing on the cake).

It's not going to make Millions, but it's an ingenious way of making some cash if you have a willing sponsor.  All above board as well.

[DMC]

Whats STFC's involvement- if as were told this guy is merely a friend of the owner.


Does Clem let his other mates use the Axis brand for leverage?

We get the player i suppose although Robs idea sounds more feasable than mine or Mooneys idea

[horlock07]

The Chevening Awards are a UK Government Scheme. So this is taxpayers' money.

I've been interested in why we chose the specific district of Lyari in Pakistan for this hairbrained scheme to find the next world class Egyptian footballer.

This was an interesting read: https://www.jstor.org/stable/26326447

"As Karachi became a transit point in the international drug trade, local crime groups became connected to the international drug trade, making the city an important node in the world of transnational organized crime. One immediate effect on the city was the transformation of its crime groups in Lyari, one of the oldest neighbourhoods in Karachi with a predominantly Baluch population. Drug consignments transited through Lyari on their way to European, Gulf and Central Asian markets. The Baluch gangs of Lyari became key intermediaries between drug traffickers of the tribal areas and international buyers of Afghan drugs."

Why are we looking for the next world class Egyptian footballer. in Pakistan or have I missed something?

This could be fishy as fuck or it could not be, but you do seem to be making much of him signing something in a picture where he is obviously not signing anything, interacting with the government who will undoubtedly have done more due diligence on whatever is happening than a couple of bored blokes on the interweb adding 5 and 5 and coming up with 1500.

I think it is a self indulged flashier way of doing what Fitton did. He will o doubt be trying to unearth a gem that we sell one day and he gets a big finders fee

I am inclined to agree, I suspect as much as with Jed and others its an ego thing as with the whole VC thing until Clem realised that was a bad idea. As for the reason why its Pakistan/Karachi, there could be a plethora of reasons nefarious or entirely fine why he has chosen to go there

[dalumpimunki]

Zav Austin signing paperwork on behalf of STFC setting up a Foreign Office scholarship.

If I point out that this is not a photo of Zav signing anything, but of Zav sitting like a spare part between the two involved parties whilst THEY sign an agreement is that going to provoke a howling backlash accusing me of being a naive fool?

[Mooneyraker]

Why are we looking for the next world class Egyptian footballer. in Pakistan or have I missed something?

This could be fishy as fuck or it could not be, but you do seem to be making much of him signing something in a picture where he is obviously not signing anything, interacting with the government who will undoubtedly have done more due diligence on whatever is happening than a couple of bored blokes on the interweb adding 5 and 5 and coming up with 1500.

I am inclined to agree, I suspect as much as with Jed and others its an ego thing as with the whole VC thing until Clem realised that was a bad idea. As for the reason why its Pakistan/Karachi, there could be a plethora of reasons nefarious or entirely fine why he has chosen to go there

Because that is what the thick twat implied when he said why the thing was being set up in the first place. All of his press releases read like he wrote them himself having skipped school for a decade.

[horlock07]

If I point out that this is not a photo of Zav signing anything, but of Zav sitting like a spare part between the two involved parties whilst THEY sign an agreement is that going to provoke a howling backlash accusing me of being a naive fool?

I believe 'happy clapper' is the present derisory term of choice.

These pictures happen all the time when such formal signings take place, I have sat between people and govt officers in such cases where I have brought such things together for formal sign off, its PR guff no better than the massive cheque photo's, which I have also done.