Eddie and Crazy John Want Control of Melbourne Victory

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Eddie and Crazy John Want Control of Melbourne Victory

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Herald Sun wrote:
EDDIE McGuire and Crazy John's owner John Ilhan are considering a takeover of the Melbourne Victory soccer club.

Football Federation of Australia chief executive John O'Neill travelled to Melbourne on Monday to meet Ilhan and McGuire.

O'Neill's plan was to assess if McGuire and Ilhan were interested in becoming a part of Melbourne Victory, which has been struggling to meet the $5 million franchise fee.

Ilhan is believed to have turned the meeting on its head, indicating he was interested but only if he was given total control of the club.

McGuire, who is a close friend of Ilhan, is understood to be prepared to get involved under an Ilhan-owned franchise.

Ilhan, who is worth an estimated $300 million, has the financial muscle to make Victory the biggest club in the newly formed A-League.

Having McGuire in support would give Victory enormous clout and help win over uncommitted sports fans who have remained wary of getting behind the new club.

O'Neill attended Monday's meeting with A-League operations manager Matt Carroll.

The two parties agreed to consider each other's terms and conditions and will meet again next week.

After the meeting, McGuire and Ilhan attended the AFL's Indigenous Team of the Century function. McGuire hosted the event and Ilhan sat with Prime Minister John Howard.

Ilhan has since sounded out another high-profile businessman about getting involved should he take over the club.

Ilhan was evasive yesterday when asked about the meeting.

However, Ilhan confirmed he had an interest in soccer and saw the new A-League as a competition with huge potential for his mobile phone empire because Australia had been admitted into the Asian Confederation.

The A-League clubs can bank on enormous exposure and huge TV audiences with an involvement in Asia's Champions League, the equivalent to the UEFA Champions League in Europe.

"I love the game and, in the future, I want to be involved," Ilhan said.

"It all has to do with timing and structure. If I do something, I want to do it properly. I have a reputation to protect and I would need the right support from the federation," Ilhan said.

Asked specifically whether he had been offered the Melbourne Victory franchise at the meeting, Ilhan said: "I can categorically say I am not getting involved . . . unless some magnificent thing happens. But a lot's got to happen for me to get involved."

Ilhan, named as Australia's richest young businessman earlier this year, was mooted as a possible owner when the bidding for a Melbourne franchise first arose last year.

He withdrew when it became clear the federation favoured the Melbourne Victory consortium.

McGuire confirmed last night he was at the meeting with O'Neill, but parried the question of involvement in an Ilhan-led consortium by saying he was too busy trying to get Collingwood to get a kick.

"I know what you're talking about and people around the place have been talking and my name has been mentioned a few times," McGuire said.

"But I know John (O'Neill) and as far as I'm concerned it was nothing more than a conversation about letting them (Victory) use the facilities at Lexus Centre."

Geoff Lord, a former president of AFL club Hawthorn, took ownership of Victory in the late stages of the bidding, but has found it hard to lure investors. The club remains $2 million short of the $5 million franchise fee.

O'Neill, who did not return calls last night, confirmed Victory's shortfall last week at its launch at Crown casino.

But he was confident the situation would be resolved in the next six weeks.


Eddie, stick to trying to get Collingwood competitive first mate.

Looks like the new A-League is already in trouble with Melbourne struggling to meet its $5 million franchise fee. I wonder how the other clubs are coming along.
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