[LU] SSN Bates - Mawhinny should resign

[John Boocock]

Bates - Mawhinny should resign
Leeds chairman hits out after "extraordinary decision" of arbitration panel

http://www.skysports.com/story/0,19528,11095_3505563,00.html

Last updated: 1st May 2008

Ken Bates has called on Football League chairman Lord Mawhinney to 
resign following Leeds' failure to overturn a 15 point penalty.

An arbitration panel on Thursday did not restore the points, which were 
deducted at the start of the campaign for breaking insolvency rules.

But Leeds chairman Bates hit out at the "extraordinary decision" which 
now means the club must try to return to the Championship via the League 
One play-offs.

Bates firstly said they had been criticised for taking so long and 
delaying the tribunal but he believed this was both unfair and unjust.

He told Sky Sports News: "The second point is they said we forfeited our 
right to appeal because of the contract we signed under duress in August 
but on the other hand we argued that was negated when the Football 
League proposed an independent tribunal seven months later. How can they 
argue we had no right to appeal and then propose an appeal - to me that 
doesn't make sense.

Good news

"But the good news that came out of the tribunal is that the league 
confirmed under cross-examination that the old company had done nothing 
wrong, the new current football club has done nothing wrong, the 
administrator did nothing wrong and all the financial misdeeds or 
mistakes or whatever failures were down to the two previous 
administrations of Ridsdale and the Yorkshire Consortium."

He added the tribunal also conceded that the only reason why the club 
could not complete a CVA was because the Inland Revenue would vote 
against it.

"The only reason why they voted against it because we agreed to pay all 
the football creditors in full - who demanded that, the Football League 
so we have been penalised for doing what they have asked us to do."

He added: "The tribunal has criticised the appeal procedures of the 
Football League as saying that, in fact they had no right to (an) appeal 
procedure by appealing to the other clubs all of whom had a vested 
interest and many of whom have admitted they voted for the 15 points not 
because it was right or wrong but because it serviced their own selfish 
interests.

Resign

"I think in the circumstances, in view of the criticism and the bad 
flaws of the Football League procedures, I think the least they can do 
is the directors of the Football League Board should consider their 
position and Lord Mawhinny should resign and go back to Northern Ireland."

He added the plan now is that Leeds have got to win the play-offs and 
get back into the Championship anyway.

"To have an exciting and through football family you have to have 
leaders which you can trust and respect and I'm afraid that is no longer 
the case as far as Leeds and as far as many other clubs who haven't got 
the guts to say so."

Asked if it was a waste of time embarking on this process, he added: "No 
not all because what I think that what has come out to light is first of 
all there is this without reservation criticism of Football League 
procedures and recommending that they totally change them so in that 
case we have been vindicated.

"What we have done is fought a good battle for football league clubs and 
football in general."