It's really astounding that he was his the job at the football league. Reminds me in many ways of the Andy Coulson at number 10 appointment.
Sent from my iPhone > On 19 Dec 2013, at 6:25, "Paul Cundell" <[email protected]> wrote: > > http://www.theguardian.com/football/2013/dec/18/leeds-shaun-harvey-yorkshire > -radio?CMP=twt_gu > by David Conn > Shaun Harvey, chief executive of the Football League, is at the centre of a > damning ruling by the regulator Ofcom over "unjust and unfair" broadcasts > amounting to "harassment" made by Leeds United's in-house radio station, > Yorkshire Radio, while he was the club's chief executive. > It is the latest in a series of adverse rulings about the club's misconduct > when Harvey was their chief executive and Ken Bates chairman, from 2005 > until Bates sold the club last year. Harvey resigned from the club, under > the ownership of Bahrain-based Gulf Finance House, in July, and in October > was selected by the Football League to be its chief executive, to the > astonishment of many Leeds supporters. > Ofcom has found that in December 2010, Harvey "instructed" Yorkshire Radio > to make at least six broadcasts claiming they were "searching for the > whereabouts of Melvyn Levi", a former club director, because the club was > suing Levi for money they claimed he owed. The broadcasts caused "distress > and anxiety" to Levi and his wife Carole, Ofcom ruled, and were > "particularly damaging" to him. > The ruling found that when a club representative went to the Levis' home to > serve legal papers on him, Carole Levi said, truthfully, that Melvyn was > away. Harvey and Bates did not believe that, however, and Harvey then told > Yorkshire Radio to make the broadcasts, inviting fans to look out for Levi > and contact the radio station if he was spotted. > Ofcom found that this use of the club's radio station amounted to harassment > of Levi, and breached Ofcom's code requiring broadcasters to avoid unfair > and unjust treatment of people. > "The fact that Yorkshire Radio deemed it acceptable at the time was of great > concern," Ofcom ruled. > The adjudication – following a complaint by Levi and his solicitors, Ford > and Warren of Leeds – comes after a court judgment last year which found > that Leeds under Bates and Harvey had committed the civil offence of > harassment against Levi, by the radio broadcasts and derogatory statements > published about him in the official matchday programme. > Leeds county court heard that this harassment had caused significant > personal distress and made both of the Levis ill. Giving evidence in court > to defend the treatment of the couple, Harvey said he had not considered Mrs > Levi's feelings when he instigated the broadcasts, because the "business of > running a football club" did not allow him room to do so. > Leeds were judged to have harassed Melvyn Levi and ordered to pay £10,000 > damages, plus the couple's legal costs after a trial with QCs on both sides. > In 2009, Bates was found to have libelled Levi in his chairman's column in > the Leeds matchday programme, which the judge, Sir Charles Gray, found was > "riddled with material inaccuracies" about Levi, a lifelong supporter of the > club. > Leeds spent £1.25m on their lawyers, Carter-Ruck, in 2010-2012, and Harvey > said in court that the legal actions were costing "fortunes". Leeds were > claiming Levi and his business partner Robert Weston owed £190,400, which > Levi and Weston have defended arguing that they were never repaid £1.4m > which they loaned the club. > While Harvey was the Leeds chief executive, he and Bates had a poor > relationship with the club's supporters trust, which was constituted > according to recognised Supporters Direct principles and grew to have 9,000 > members. Yorkshire Radio was found by Ofcom earlier this year to have made > "unfair" broadcasts about the trust's chairman, Gary Cooper. Bates said on > the radio, unchallenged by the programme's presenter, that he had looked at > Cooper's match attendance record on the club's computer and had used that > information to undermine Cooper's credentials as a fan. > Cooper, like Levi, had no notice that he was to be mentioned in these terms > on the airwaves, and was subsequently given no opportunity to respond, in > breach of the Ofcom code. Ofcom also found that Yorkshire Radio had > "unwarrantably infringed" Cooper's right to privacy. > In April, the Information Commissioner found "it does not appear" that Leeds > United had complied with the principles of the Data Protection Act to > process information "fairly and lawfully", when they used Cooper's personal > data in that way. > Harvey was the Leeds chief executive under Bates for seven years, having > originally been appointed by the previous owners, including Melvyn Levi. For > six of those years – before and after Leeds under Bates and Harvey collapsed > into administration in 2007 owing around £35m, including £7m unpaid taxes – > the club was owned via an offshore company in the Cayman Islands, a tax > haven. Harvey gave evidence to a parliamentary select committee inquiry in > 2011 that he did not know who the club's owners were. > The Premier League chief executive, Richard Scudamore, told the committee > his league's rules would be stronger than the Football League's on the > question of Leeds' ownership. Two weeks later, the club announced that the > offshore owners – who have still not been named – had sold the club to > Bates, who owned it via a company registered in another tax haven, Nevis in > the West Indies. > Previously Harvey was chief executive at Bradford City for 10 years, which > included the club's promotion to the Premier League in 1999. In 2002 after > Bradford's relegation the club collapsed into administration, only narrowly > avoiding liquidation, after most of its assets, including parachute > payments, the stadium and even players, had effectively been mortgaged. > Bates sold Leeds a year ago to GFH, whose chief investment officer, Salem > Patel, told the Guardian that the club had "a cashflow shortfall" > principally because of a building project on Elland Road's east stand, which > was financed by selling future season ticket and sponsorship income, and the > ground's catering rights. GFH is understood to have since put £20m into > Leeds, closed the loss-making Yorkshire Radio, and plans shortly to sell 75% > of the club to a consortium led by the current managing director, David > Haigh. > GFH retained Harvey as chief executive, until he resigned in July. Three > months later, the Football League, chaired by Greg Clarke, unveiled Harvey > as its chief executive, a new position designed to address issues including > club ownership, governance and compliance with league rules. The League is > thought to have decided Harvey's long experience at clubs, including > promotion, relegation and more than one administration, made him suitably > experienced to lead the league itself in its 125th year. > Cooper said the trust now has a good, open dialogue with the club. "This > Ofcom ruling is a reminder of some awful practice," Cooper said. "I find it > astonishing that the Football League decided Shaun Harvey is the best person > they could find for a position of such authority." > Asked for his reaction, Harvey did not apologise to Melvyn and Carole Levi > or express any contrition. He said the ruling concerned events that occurred > in 2010, adding: "I believe it is in everyone's best interest to move on." > Bates, too, has not apologised to the Levis and described the ruling as > "much ado about nothing". > > > _______________________________________________ > Leedslist mailing list > Info and options: http://mailman.greennet.org.uk/mailman/listinfo/leedslist > To unsubscribe, email [email protected] > > John 'Grampa' Sykes > Rest In Peace old lad > 28th Oct 1938 - 12 Nov 2013 > MARCHING ON TOGETHER _______________________________________________ Leedslist mailing list Info and options: http://mailman.greennet.org.uk/mailman/listinfo/leedslist To unsubscribe, email [email protected] John 'Grampa' Sykes Rest In Peace old lad 28th Oct 1938 - 12 Nov 2013 MARCHING ON TOGETHER
