Watford Transfer Ban

https://twitter.com/Editor_ANS/status/1682175988958887941

 

If this is true, then that explains everything as far as incomings.

 

Now we wait to see if any reputable places report the same thing...

Should have a sweepstake on what's the most likely reason we might banned. I'm going for paying an illegal commission in the transfer of Yaser Asprilla when he was under 18.

 

I’m going for something to do with Mogi.

 

That letter does not make for good reading.

 

Well. ****.

 

It's relayed to a football academy. Could be some left over transfer figure related to the Dennis purchase / sale?

 

https://b2bhint.com/en/company/ng/megamu-football-academy-limited--RC-1764996

Looks like some shell company pretending to be a football academy that they probably use to filter money through.

 

I would say so, him or Kalu seem the likely candidates. I think there are payments that go back to youth teams in some countries every time a player moves - there were allegations we hadn't paid Sarr's two Senegalese youth teams a while back too.

I'd imagine they're a pittance though and guess if we now pay, the ban gets lifted? Unless they take a dim view of us repeatedly denying money to African youth teams and decide to teach us an overdue lesson...

 

Not sure but the address of the academy is some primary school in Nigeria. I guess they could have their academy on their grounds. Just seems odd.

If it is a legit academy, then as has been stated, one of our many Nigerian signings over the years probably has a connection and we failed to pay it. Would assume the money is a drop in the ocean and knowing the way we’re run, our clowns probably thought paying them the few thousand pound they should get isn’t worth their time.

 

Scott and Gino do business properly. Nothing to see here.

 

But Gino and Scott told us everything was fine at the fans forum?!?!?!! They wouldn’t lie to us, not now, not ever….

 

Can't find the underlying decision (yet) but my money's on this. The letter screenshotted above clearly shows it's just an administrative act, so it's not going to be anything major. The TMS reference at the top refers to the 'Transfer Matching System', which is FIFA's system for registering international transfers which all clubs use.

Most likely it's over a four or five figure solidarity payment owed to the first club of one of our players or former players. And because it's administrative act it should be easily reversed too assuming we pay up.

 

Oh and the FDD number is the FIFA Disciplinary case reference. Unfortunately they only upload decisions to their website every 4 months and the last batch went up on 1 June. But the reference number itself suggests its a very recent case as the most recently published ones are FDD-14xxx.

 

How embarrassing …. Shame on you Gino and Duxbury, Ruining our club with your constant mismanagement, lying and cheating of the system - GET OUT OF MY CLUB

 

I’m calling bull ****. How come the papers are not all over this

 

It's only dated yesterday and there's no big trial or scandal behind it, so no reason for any UK news outlet or even Leventhal/French to know particularly. There'll be stuff online later today I'm sure. If there isn't then yeah, it's nonsense.

 

Is there a bank account number I can transfer funds to, to help 'AllNigeria Soccer' out until they get their finances sorted?

 

A bit more detail from 'Nigeria's Top Sports Daily' saying it is related to Kalu:

https://www.completesports.com/excl...ansfer-ban-on-watford-over-samuel-kalu-issue/

 

Certainly. I will send you their bank details. Apparently we have Lewis and Styles lined up to sign for £500k each immediately your £20k payment reaches me, sorry, them.

 

At least it was relating to a player who was worth the gamble. Can we just give him back to them foc?

 

Seems to be linked to the Kalu transfer. Megamu were apparently his former training club and they approached us following the transfer, asking for solidarity compensation entitlements. When we didn’t pay, they took us to FIFA who instructed us to pay them within 45 days.

And we didn’t.

Megamu appealed and asked for a transfer ban, which it seems FIFA have endorsed.

It’s hard to comment without hearing the club’s point of view, and hopefully we will later today.

But on the surface, it’s hard to get away from feeling that we signed a player we didn’t really need (who has hardly played for us since) for an inflated fee brokered by an agent most Watford fans simply cannot understand why we have anything to do with, refused to follow FIFA orders to compensate an African training club and now at the very time we need incoming transfers to improve a mediocre-looking squad, we suffer the humiliation of being told we can’t make any.

In most normal organisations those responsible for such a seemingly catastrophic series of decisions would fall on their swords, but we continue to sail on regardless with said agent, person responsible for such awful signings and club officials responsible for overseeing the payments to Africa weren’t paid still very much on board for the new season.

I despair.

 

Good.

Wait, no

 

Megadu Football Academy was only incorporated in May 2021. I can't see how Kalu could ever of had anything to do with them he was 21 years old then. I'm sure it will come out in the wash.

 

The way we’re run reminds me of that film War Dogs, whilst making and wasting millions of dollars they wouldn’t pay the guy repackaging the ammo the tiny amount he was due so he reported them to the FBI.

 

According to this Kalu came through GBS Academy

https://www.owngoalnigeria.com/2018...cademy-coach-bros-the-gift-that-keeps-giving/

 

Getting transfer bans is a key pillar of the debt free by end of year strategy

This is simply good financial husbandry

 

At the end of the day, if somebody tells you it isn't raining outside you simply have to believe them.

 

Thank you. Yes all very intriguing, and as you say hopefully the story will come out fully very soon

 

It’s a no brainer (sorry @IRB - stealing your bit)

 

Presumably that's just the date they became a limited company (or whatever the Nigerian equivalent is) though? Could've existed for years before that in another form before deciding to make that move, not sure incorporation date tells us anything.