SPFL 'Positive' Talks with Anderson

Mustang mad said:
If there really is nothing underhand going on, whit the F is the hold up?
Anderson: Aye hullo, neil Doncaster? aye, i would like to donate 9 million quid to the scottish league teams, out of the goodness of me heart, no strings attached. Can you give me the bank details and I will send the money over directly? cheers
Doncaster: thats so kind of you, our bank details are ....... thanks again.

Surely thats all it takes?
Unless...........
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Let's be honest - even if you were bent as a nine-bob note you'd never trust Doncaster & Co unless you have them nailed down.
 
Craigie said:
James Anderson unmasked as Hearts' mystery SPFL investor who plans multi-million pound donation for Scottish football


James Anderson is renowned as an investor with the Midas touch and now he wants to gold plate the future for cash strapped Scottish football.

He oversees a portfolio of interests at Scottish investment firm Baillie Gifford that reads like a who’s who of A-list brands.

Anderson controls a trust that’s worth almost £10 billion and which holds an £850 million investment in Amazon, £800 million in electric car manufacturer Tesla and £600 million in Chinese e-commerce giant Alibaba.

He has a stake worth £250 million in Ferrari, £50 million in Facebook, £300 million in Netflix, £160 million in Spotify and £285 million in Kering, owners of luxury goods companies Gucci, Yves Saint Laurent, Balenciaga and Alexander McQueen.

But it’s Forfar and Montrose, Stranraer, East Fife and Albion Rovers among others that could soon benefit from his amazing largesse.

The philanthropist has pledged to make a multi-million donation to the SPFL and its member clubs to see them through the worst of the Covid-19 crisis.

He and other wealthy backers have already gifted £9 million to Hearts over the last seven years, with a relationship that is believed to have first begun when he agreed to underwrite their shirt sponsorship to Save The Children for a significant six figure sum.

Hearts will controversially drop to the championship next season after the Premiership was called early, even though they were only four points from safety with eight games still to play.

However Anderson and Hearts chairman Ann Budge, who brought him to the SPFL’s table, are at pains to point out his donation is no clumsy inducement to ensure the Tynecastle club are still playing top flight football next season.

Insiders say his integrity is beyond reproach and he is far too credible to lay any conditions on his gift to clubs, which will be discussed by SPFL members in a series of meetings over the next 48 hours.

Anderson also confirmed: “These commitments are not dependent on league reconstruction. They are not contingent. They are to help in a desperate situation.”

It’s believed the donation to the SPFL may even be the first of many for at least the next five seasons, with the 60-year-old respected as a long term player in both his investments and charitable involvements.

It is not known yet if only lower league clubs will benefit, or if he could also make funds available to clubs in the Premiership.

One source said: “James understands the extent to which communities and cultural institutions have been affected by the Covid-19 crisis and appreciates the vital role football plays in Scottish day-to-day life.

“Categorically, this is no Trojan horse for some SPFL takeover or a plan to keep Hearts in the Premiership. He is simply an individual who has done well in business life and understands the importance of giving back.”

Anderson and his wife Morag are well known sponsors of a range of Scottish institutions, including Scottish Opera and the Edinburgh International Film Festival.

They are particularly keen on supporting education for kids and have previously backed Sistema, the youth orchestra programme in socially disadvantaged areas, and learning projects for poorer children at the Edinburgh Festival.

Anderson’s Scottish Mortgage Investment Trust owns around 7.5 per cent in Tesla, second only to company founder Elon Musk.

Anderson is on first name terms with Facebook founder Mark Zuckerberg and Amazon’s Jeff Bezos, whom he once described as “my corporate hero.”

But he is not afraid to call out business leaders and rounded on his own industry in the aftermath of the financial crisis of 2008 for not doing more to help the Royal Bank of Scotland and Bank of Scotland from financial collapse.

He even called out Musk for his attack on British diver Vernon Unsworth, labelled a “pedo” on Twitter by the Tesla chief after he helped rescue 12 boys and their football coach from caves in Thailand.

Anderson said at the time: “We are in contact with the company and we are hopeful that it is being taken with due seriousness.”

Anderson graduated in history from Oxford University and also studied in Italy and Canada. He is a trustee of the Johns Hopkins University, a renowned private research university in Baltimore, Maryland.

He joined Baillie Gifford in 1983, when he was 23, and became a partner four years later. He was raised in Norfolk, but has spoken of his Scottish roots, declaring proudly: “My grandfather was Archibald Kennedy Anderson”.

Budge has protected the identity of Andrson, at his request, but previously revealed he only ever made one request on the back of his £9 million donation.


he said: “He asked for a relaxation of the dress code in the boardroom because he doesn’t like wearing a tie to games.”

Private equity firms have recently been eyeing Italy’s top league, Serie A, for potential business amid Coronavirus pandemic.

CVC Capital Partners and Blackstone BX are both reportedly ready to bid around £2 billion for a 20 per cent stake in the league.

But one source said: “Categorically, that is not in the plans of James, or Baillie Gifford. This is purely a donation from a philanthropist keen to help Scottish football through the most challenging period in its history.”

Premiership clubs plan to return to training in a fortnight in time for the new season kick off on August 1, but even Scottish government advisors admit that could be optimistic.

Top flight games are likely to be played behind closed doors in the opening months, with fears the championship - and Hearts - may not kick a ball until October.

Clubs in League One and League Two may even have to go into hibernation for 12 months and start all over again next summer.

One source said: “The coming weeks will be crucial, but with the support of James it should help ease some of the worst financial fears of our clubs throughout the SPFL.”

From The Record/Hollicom
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As a former journalist I can assure you this article must’ve been written weeks ago by the PR company in readiness for this.
All the guff about his reputation being beyond reproach.
Let’s see if the FF detectives come up with link to the scum or not now his name is in the open.
Rangers must demand a full fit and proper person analysis before any formal offers can even be considered....
Come to think of it if somebody made a complaint to the police of alleged bribery they may be prepared to investigate....
 
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Surely it can’t be accepted whilst there are discussions ongoing regarding Hearts getting to play in the SPFL, (under the guise of reconstruction).

Once the vote has been taken place, then and only then could it be taken seriously.

This saga gets more crooked by the week.
 
FFS, it’s absolutely staggering this is even being considered a matter of weeks after we were told Rangers couldn’t pay for an independent investigation because it would tarnish the impartiality. Yet Hearts are effectively allowed to buy their top league survival. I’m afraid the game in Scotland is corrupt beyond repair.

For some reason they are absolutely desperate that this whole issue doesn’t go to court, I just wish Rangers would call their bluff and put them in the dock. C’mon Douglas Park, pull the trigger...
 
Cash for votes. Cash for reconstruction. Whatever it is, it’s effectively Hearts buying their place in the top flight. The Scottish league is corrupt, little wonder no one is interested in sponsoring it.
 
Just when you thought this whole situation couldn’t get any more tinpot. The £400k a year man can’t get a sponsor for love nor money yet apparently there’s folk waiting in the wings ready to fire in millions of pounds no questions asked, yet he has to be brought to the table by one of the members.

Even putting aside the obvious undue influence implications that’s genuinely laughable.

What the %^*& is Doncaster getting paid for?
 
Mview83 said:
The boys a Jambo. Very much a ‘silent partner’ in the Budge regime.

All the shit we get from the likes of Michael Stewart about directors funding the club but this guy has been funding Hearts for years and not a peep?
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Sorry wrong post
 
Its just a financial bribe that the other clubs can't refuse to keep Hearts up, FIFA 's corrupted people could learn a thing or two from what goes on at the SPFL.
 
It shouldn,t matter if he gives 100 million hearts should still be going down.they voted Celtic the league so of there is a winner there has to be a looser.
 
Absolutely no way will Rangers vote for this a matter of weeks after calling for an inquiry into the SPFL.

If this guy is so willing to part with cash then surely he just bankrolls Hearts through one season in the Championship to ensure they get promotion.
 
If he’s a Hearts fan, why doesn’t he just give the whole lot to Hearts.

if it’s all above board, cough, give it toHrarts and ensure they return to the premiership next year.

Will hearts to be in line for a parachute payment as well?
 
Baillie Gifford are one of the biggest investment companies in the world. He runs Scottish Mortgage, one of the biggest and most well known Investment Trusts in the world.

These are the companies they invest in.

Scottish Mortgage Investment Trust | Global Investment Trust | Low-cost Actively Managed Equity Fund | Baillie Gifford | Individual Investor | Baillie Gifford

Find out more about Scottish Mortgage Investment Trust.
www.bailliegifford.com

Annual accounts.

 
Perhaps Budge has accepted that her club is being relegated and if there is no Championship to play in next season due to other Championship clubs unable to afford to play, then Hearts are finished for good. This money could be provided to Championship clubs to last them a full season.
 
Craigie said:
https://twitter.com/x/status/1267461897034629122
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The deal stinks but there is a lot of misinformation being posted on this thread.

1. Baillie Gifford is not a hedge fund. It is a partner owned firm that invest mainly in equities.
2. They are wholly owned by partners that work currently for the firm. Upon leaving the company partners are required to sell their holdings back to the company and the equity is redistributed to younger partners. There is no connection to Desmond.
3. James Anderson is certainly no idiot.
 
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Souness86 said:
Absolutely no way will Rangers vote for this a matter of weeks after calling for an inquiry into the SPFL.

If this guy is so willing to part with cash then surely he just bankrolls Hearts through one season in the Championship to ensure they get promotion.
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There‘s not much point in putting money into Hearts if they have nobody to play in the championship, there are suggestions the money would go towards some of the expenses such as bulk buying testing kits so games can go ahead behind closed doors.

It is either that or he is trying to buy hearts place back in the top flight
 
Why does he not just sponsor the league to give money? Why did he not invest more in January to make sure hearts weren’t bottom of the league? Surely there’s a conflict of interest if he is involved with hearts and giving away money to other clubs? Only in Scotland would this happen
 
CooperShoots said:
If he’s a Hearts fan, why doesn’t he just give the whole lot to Hearts.

if it’s all above board, cough, give it toHrarts and ensure they return to the premiership next year.

Will hearts to be in line for a parachute payment as well?
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I’m sure there is a rule/law, you can’t just give a club millions of pounds.
 
If Hearts get to buy a place in the top league we may as well give up on any fairness in the future. Sporting integrity is dead and buried in Scotland and we as a club cant just stand by and not pass comment on this corruption. For those who think we need to win friends I would say it should not be friends at any cost.
 
Can someone clear this up for me - Is this to ensure reconstruction happens then? If so it stinks given he’s a Hearts funder.

If it’s to ensure the Championship (and lower leagues) happen to make sure Hearts don’t go bust as they couldn’t survive a period of non playing then fair enough but he clearly can’t be doing this for nothing return?
 
Budge said in her interview to at the offer was not contingent on hearts staying in the division.
It was a donation for the good of the game.
 
Craigie said:
"his donation is no clumsy inducement to ensure the Tynecastle club are still playing top flight football next season.

Insiders say his integrity is beyond reproach and he is far too credible to lay any conditions on his gift to clubs, which will be discussed by SPFL members in a series of meetings over the next 48 hours.

Anderson also confirmed: “These commitments are not dependent on league reconstruction. They are not contingent. They are to help in a desperate situation.”
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Of course, that'd be too crude and, more to the point, actionable.
Let's just wait and see how the stars align but why anyone as smart as Anderson undoubtedly is would underwrite the incompetence and corruption does puzzle me.
It will probably take a while but the quid pro quo will eventually emerge.
 
we should ask for 500million. lets see if James Anderson can meet this demand.

The Eastern European leagues of the 80s had more integrity than this bunch. Surely UEFA would investigate this sort of thing.
 
We can take the money, spread it evenly among member clubs, and Hearts can remain relegated.

It's the only fair way.
 
Corriebear said:
The deal stinks but there is a lot of misinformation being posted on this thread.

1. Baillie Gifford is not a hedge fund. It is a partner owned firm that invest mainly in equities.
2. They are wholly owned by partners that work currently for the firm. Upon leaving the company partners are required to sell their holdings back to the company and the equity is redistributed to younger partners. There is no connection to Desmond.
3. James Anderson is certainly no idiot.
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Did die dilihence on Bailey Gifford s few years ago as they managed money for company I was Head of Risk for. They were very well run, good governance and very open during the work. Would be surprised if this is not pretty above board as if not could affect the company reputation
 
Punt13 said:
It’s like cartoon characters running off with a big bag with SWAG written on the side.

I despise these pricks with every fibre of my being.
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It definitely has a touch of roadrunner about it. How I want it to blow up in their faces. What happened to a fit and proper persons test,or did that just apply to us,and on that,none of them are fit and proper. Really is beyond farcical now.
 
hhss said:
I’m sure there is a rule/law, you can’t just give a club millions of pounds.
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An investor can put as much as they have into a club. If it isn't spent on stadium/youth development etc. they could be in breach of of financial fair play. Nothing to worry about for Hearts though as they aren't in Europe, and I think it has to be over £30m or something.
 
WTF does Doncaster do? It’s his job to go and find sponsors to bring money in not just sit on his fat arse and have Budge do his work for him.
 
Remember we used to hear of stories like this in the Romanian & Lithuanian leagues. We always laughed because as mental as Scottish football could be we never, ever thought we’d stoop to those levels... well here we are. It’s an absolute disgrace. Soon enough teams will bribe other clubs for European places or 3 points. This is a very dangerous and sinister path
 
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