One Year Ago: QPR's Heroes were Santos & Moore; Bircham & Docherty...Off the Field: "the Alleged Incident"

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A year ago...On the field, QPR's heroes in their 2-1 victory over Sheffield United, were Santos and Moore; Bircham and Docherty; Bignot and Shittu; Royce and Brown; Bean and Furlong and Royce. A year later, in the QPR team playing against Southend United, only 4 of the 14 stars of a year ago, were playing.

Also present at that game a year ago but not at the Southend: Bill Power and Kevin McGrath and Mark Devlin; Ian Holloway and Gary Penrice and Tim Breaker...

Off the Field that day: "The alleged events" at Loftus Road, that led to arrests, a trial and the acquittal of the seven accused. In the days following the Sheffied United game came the QPR Board meeting which saw then-QPR Director, Carlos Dunga, fly in and cast the deciding vote which led to the departure of Devlin and Power and McGrath. And how the media reported on that day.

[For the most complete compilation, thus far, of the trial proceedings
see Tracy Stent's QPR 1st series of court updates
QPR1st>]

How some of the papers reported on that day:

The Sunday Times August 14, 2005

QPR 2 Sheffield United 1: Bircham passion revives Rangers
Barry Flatman at Loftus Road

POLICE were called after armed men threatened the life of Queens Park Rangers’ club director Gianni Paladin yesterday, but after arrests were made, and with the crowd, players and officials unaware of what had just occurred, we were treated to a lively encounter with a committed fan at its core.
Marc Bircham is one of those fortunate individuals who plays for the club he has supported with a lifelong passion. He wasn’t born when the likes of Rodney Marsh won QPR the League Cup as Third Division giantkillers almost 40 years ago and while the 1967 vintage were taking a bow at half-time, Bircham was locked in the dressing room being berated by manager Ian Holloway for being too anxious throughout a forgettable first half.

However, Bircham is well versed with the exploits of his elders and was clearly aware of their presence. Within 11 minutes of the restart the midfielder, who has been known to parade his devotion by dying his hair blue and white, was celebrating a goal that any QPR veterans would have been proud to score.

Then, with the match eventually won, Bircham went on to show the confrontational side to his character by reacting so angrily to a verbal barb from Sheffield United’s Chris Morgan that the visitors’ captain, seeking further retribution, had to be manhandled off the pitch by his manager, Neil Warnock.

The fact that QPR had not only taken the points but leapfrogged Sheffield United in the Championship table after the Yorkshire team started the day in top position, clearly fuelled Morgan’s temper.

Warnock maintained the entire contest was a disappointment, but his bitterness is understandable because his team did not possess the guile to exploit the opposition’s errors. QPR in contrast possess that quality as scorers Bircham and substitute Stefan Moore displayed.

Moore, a summer free transfer from Aston Villa, was introduced as a 36th minute replacement for fellow new arrival Tom Doherty who limped off with an injured knee. Moore’s pace and attack was a constant threat to United and he was integral to the opening goal. Initially Martin Rowlands raided down the left, Moore tried his luck in a more central position and when Phil Jagielka could only half clear the ball, Bircham steadied himself to drive a shot past goalkeeper Paddy Kenny from 20 yards.

Michael Tonge was badly missed in the Sheffield midfield and Frenchman Lilian Nalis had the sort of afternoon he could have categorised as tres terrible, but it was another summer signing, Paul Ifill, who suffered the brunt of Warnock’s displeasure. The former Millwall man appeared to lose his footing as he shaped to shoot early in the second half and sliced a goalscoring opportunity wide. But when he slipped and allowed Moore a free run at goal, Warnock decided an investigation was necessary.

“I was convinced he was wearing rubber studs, which is ridiculous given pitches in this day and age, but I was right,” revealed Warnock. “He won’t be wearing them again.”

Moore’s footwear was suitably stable for him to cross to Matthew Rose, who returned the ball for Moore to shoot home his first goal for his new club. Substitute Steve Kabba got one goal back for United from close range late in added time.

STAR MAN: Georges Santos (QPR)

Player ratings. QPR: Royce 6, Bignot 6, Shittu 8, Santos 9, Rose 7, Ainsworth 6 (Brown 69min 6), Bircham 7, Doherty 5 (Moore 86min, 5, Rowlands 7 (Bean 86min, 5), Gallen 7, Furlong 6

Sheffield United: Kenny 6, Bromby 5, Morgan 6, Jagielka 6, Kozluk 5, Ifill 6, Montgomery 5, Nalis 4 (Short 73min, 5), Harley 5 (Gillespie 73min, 5), Webber 7, Shipperley 5 (Kabba 77min, 7)

Scorers: QPR: Bircham 56, Moore 90

Sheffield United: Kabba 90

Referee: S Tanner

Attendance: 13,497

Sunday Times

QPR OFFICIAL STATEMENT

INCIDENT AT LOFTUS ROAD
Queens Park Rangers Football Club confirms that the Metropolitan Police are investigating an incident at Loftus Road.

A number of arrests were made on Saturday afternoon and the police are now investigating the circumstances surrounding the allegations.

QPR are co-operating fully with the police in the course of their enquiries but while the investigation is ongoing the Club is unable to comment further on the nature of the alleged incident.
QPR OFFICIAL SITE


Independent
Men held after QPR boss is threatened with gun at game during game
By Matthew Beard
Published: 15 August 2005
Police are questioning 11 men after a director of Queen's Park Rangers football club in west London was ambushed at gunpoint outside the boardroom.

Gianni Paladini, 58, an Italian recently installed on the club's board, was attacked minutes before kick-off by a gang of five men as he walked towards his office in the Loftus Road stadium with a fellow director.

His assailants burst through double security doors, kicking him, beating him and demanding he resign his position as they held a gun to his head.

Fearing for his life, Mr Paladini signed his own 'resignation letter' and broke free from the gang to the nearby boardroom from where he alerted police at about 3pm as his side's home game against Sheffield United was getting underway.

Armed police rushed to the ground where they made some arrests as well as in the nearby Uxbridge and South Africa roads. Mr Paladini was visibly distressed as he watched the second half of the club's 2- 1 win and wept as he was escorted into the players' tunnel by two police officers after the game.

As Mr Paladini was recovering from his ordeal, in which he suffered suspected broken ribs, Scotland Yard detectives began to investigate the club's turbulent off- the-field recent history " which has seen an unseemly struggle for control of the once- fashionable west London club " for a possible motive for the attack.

From the heights of the 1970s, when their outstanding side boasted such stars as Gerry Francis and Stan Bowles, QPR sunk three divisions. After financial collapse under former owner Chris Wright, the club staved off closure with a pounds 10m loan accruing pounds 1m in interest per year.

Yesterday supporters were struggling to explain the attack, although some thought it may have been in connection with Mr Paladini's criticism of the club's finances.

The Italian, a former players' agent, bought a reported 22.1 per cent share in QPR for pounds 600,000 in May last year. He openly questioned the pounds 10m loan taken out by the club when it was on the point of folding in 2002. He told a recent fans' forum it was 'absolutely imperative' to renegotiate the loan. The money was lent by ABC Corporation, registered in Panama, which has also lent pounds 15m to Derby County.

agent, Antonio Caliendo, organised a pounds 1.7m investment into the club from two Monaco-based consortiums. The main shareholding in the club, thought to be 46 per cent, is held by his wife Olga.

Mr Paladini described the 'petrifying' attack in an interview with the News of the World, saying he feared for the safety of his family. 'I was petrified. One of them was holding my wrists and another was pointing a gun. They shouted at me to sign a piece of paper resigning from the board. Of course I signed it " but I have no intention of leaving the club.

'They tried to push me out of the ground but I managed to break clear and run into the boardroom, shouting for help. It was terrifying, I think they've broken one of my ribs. They were pushing me violently. I won't let them bully me out of the club. But they've taken my phone. I'm really, really frightened now for my family and friends but I won't let these cowards get away with this. This has brought shame to the club.'

The audacious attack has astonished many long-standing fans. 'I was at the game but I didn't realise what had happened until I got home,' said Paul Finney from the QPR Loyal Supporters Association. 'The fans are shocked because we really can't think that Gianni would have made enemies like that. It's also bizarre that a gang would want to do that sort of thing considering there must have been around 200 police at the ground.'

Police are questioning the 11 men on suspicion of conspiracy to commit blackmail. A Met spokeswoman said: 'Inquiries are continuing.'
Indepdendent


The Guardian
11 held after gun attack on QPR boss

Robert Booth
Monday August 15, 2005
The Guardian


Eleven men were being held in police custody last night as detectives investigated an armed attack on a football club director moments before kick-off on Saturday.

Queen's Park Rangers' majority shareholder, Gianni Paladini, 58, was walking towards his office in the club's west London ground with fellow director David Morris just before a Championship fixture with Sheffield United when he was allegedly ambushed by a gang of armed men who burst from behind double doors.

They are understood to have threatened to kill him and demanded he sign a paper agreeing to resign from the board. The former Italian football agent, who is considered by many supporters a stabilising force at the club after years of financial turmoil, says he was kicked and beaten.

"A bunch of big, heavy black men come out, rush towards me and start kicking and beating me up," he told the News of the World.

"I was petrified. One of them held my wrists and another pointed a gun. They tried to push me to the ground but I managed to break clear and run into the boardroom, shouting for help."

Mr Paladini signed the paper, but later insisted he has no intention of resigning.

As the game kicked off on schedule at 3pm, police were called and armed officers were deployed inside the ground.

Arrests were made immediately outside the stadium and in nearby Uxbridge Road. After further arrests at 4.10pm, a total of 11 men were held on suspicion of conspiracy to commit blackmail.

QPR's players knew nothing of the drama as they continued their strong start to the Championship season with a 2-1 win.

The club's manager, Ian Holloway, said yesterday he was "shocked and horrified" by the alleged attack.

The club declined to comment on how armed men might have gained access to the ground.

The Guardian



Telegraph
Gun gang tell QPR director to resign
By Douglas Roberts
(Filed: 15/08/2005)



A gang put a gun to the head of a football club director and forced him to sign a note of resignation only minutes before a match on Saturday.

Gianni Paladini, 58, a director at Queen's Park Rangers, was allegedly kicked and beaten before being told to resign by a group of men who had burst into the hospitality area of the club's ground.

Eleven men were arrested in and around the ground by armed police soon after, on suspicion of committing blackmail and making threats to kill, according to a Metropolitan Police spokesman.

Mr Paladini was attacked just before the 3pm kick-off against Sheffield United.

After the incident he attempted to watch the second half before being escorted out of the directors' box looking distressed.

He told the News of the World that he had been kicked and beaten on a flight of stairs by five people.

"One of them was holding my wrists and another was pointing a gun," he told the newspaper. "They shouted at me to sign a piece of paper resigning from the board.

"Of course I signed it but I have no intention of leaving the club.

"They tried to push me out of the ground but I managed to break clear and run into the boardroom, shouting for help."

Mr Paladini, a former football agent, has been a controversial figure at QPR since buying a 22 per cent share for £650,000 in April last year.

He had reportedly complained of being shunned by the board and had questioned a £10 million loan, which incurs annual interest payments of £1 million.

Telegraph



BBC
Four in court over QPR 'attack'

Gianni Paladini bought his stake in the club last year
Four men have appeared in court over an alleged attack on a football club director before a Championship match.
Armed police were called to Queens Park Rangers' Loftus Road ground on Saturday after Gianni Paladini said he was threatened at gunpoint.

Michael Reynolds, 44, David Morris, 49, David Davenport, 37, and Andrew Baker, 39, whose addresses cannot be revealed, faced blackmail and firearm charges.

They were remanded in custody by a judge at West London Magistrates Court.

Seven other men arrested on Saturday have been released on police bail.

High profile transfers

Mr Paladini was taken to Hammersmith police station after the incident, which he said happened as he made his way to a meeting before his team's 2-1 win over Sheffield United.

Mr Paladini, a former football agent who represented ex-Middlesbrough striker Fabrizio Ravanelli, bought his stake in the club last May.

He is the public face of a Monaco-based group of investors who own a significant proportion of the club.

The Italian handed in his football agent's licence last year to pursue his dream of buying into an English football club.

After becoming an agent in 1980 he was involved in dozens of high profile transfers over two decades. He lives in London with his English wife, Olga, and his business portfolio includes several nightclubs.

BBC


BBC
QPR director tells of gun ordeal

Gianni Paladini has said he has no intention of leaving QPR
A football club director has reportedly been forced at gunpoint to sign paperwork resigning from the board.
Armed police were called to Queens Park Rangers' Loftus Road after Gianni Paladini was attacked on Saturday.

Eleven men were arrested in or near the west London ground after the incident, which happened near the club's boardroom at about 1500 BST (1400 GMT).

Mr Paladini told the News of the World newspaper he had been "petrified" but would not quit.

One of them was holding my wrists and another was pointing a gun

Gianni Paladini

The gang had pounced as he had been going to his office with shareholder Dave Morris before the game started, he added.

Mr Paladini told the paper he had been kicked and beaten on a flight of stairs by five people.

"I was petrified. One of them was holding my wrists and another was pointing a gun.

"They shouted at me to sign a piece of paper resigning from the board.

"Of course I signed it - but I have no intention of leaving the club.

"They tried to push me out of the ground, but I managed to break clear and run into the boardroom, shouting for help."

'Threats to kill'

A Metropolitan Police spokeswoman said: "We can confirm that Hammersmith police have launched an investigation following an incident at QPR football ground.

"Police were called to reports that a number of men had threatened a man and a woman with threats to kill and then left the premises."

Mr Paladini, a former football agent who bought his stake in the club in May 2004, was later taken to Hammersmith Police Station.

He lives in London with his English wife Olga and his business portfolio includes several nightclubs.

QPR won their game against their Championship rivals Sheffield United, 2-1.

BBC




QPR director charged with blackmail plot against owner
Monday, 15th August 2005,--------------------------------------------------------------------------------
A London football club director was remanded in custody today after being charged with conspiring to blackmail a fellow club executive.

David Morris, 49, a shareholder and co-director at QPR, is alleged to have been involved in a plot to blackmail the club's millionaire owner, Gianni Paladini.

Italian Paladini claimed a gang held a gun to his head and forced him to sign a resignation letter at QPR's Loftus Road ground shortly before the kick off of their game aginst Sheffield United on Saturday.

Tanned Morris, dressed in a grey polo shirt, appeared at West London magistrates court along with three other men all charged with conspiracy to comit blackmail and joint firearms possession with intent to commit grievous bodily harm.

The other men are Michael Reynolds, 44, of north London, Andrew Baker, 39, of Somerset, and David Davenport, 37, of Buckinghamshire, all security consultants.

The men appeared in the dock looking relaxed and joking with each other as the case... Read More

LSE


Scottsman

QPR director on blackmail and gun charges
RHIANNON EDWARD

A FOOTBALL club director has been charged with blackmail and firearms offences after a fellow executive was allegedly threatened at gunpoint before a match.

Armed police were called to the Queens Park Rangers' ground in Shepherd's Bush, London, shortly before kick-off on Saturday after Gianni Paladini said he had been threatened by men with a gun who made him sign a document saying he would resign from his post.

Co-director David Morris was arrested and appeared in court yesterday charged with blackmail and firearms possession with intent to commit grievous bodily harm.

He had been officially named as a QPR director and shareholder this month.

Three other men were also charged at West London Magistrates Court: Michael Reynolds, 44, of north London, Andrew Baker, 39, of Somerset, and David Davenport, 37, of Buckinghamshire.

A total of 11 people were arrested at the club's ground in Loftus Road, of whom seven were bailed.

Mr Paladini, 59, a former agent for Italian footballers, claimed the men attacked him in a club office at 2:30pm. His team were beating Sheffield United 2-1 in the Championship, with spectators unaware of the drama.

Mr Paladini said he was "terrified" into signing a letter addressed to the club chairman, saying he would be resigning and handing over his shares.

But he insisted: "This is not valid anyway. It is pathetic."

The father of three said he was "petrified". He added: "I thought I was going to die. I can't live with this kind of thing. I am afraid to go out.

"My daughter, son and grandson were all there on Saturday. They are all upset and I don't want to put them through this sort of thing.

"I have worked hard and done everything I can to make things happen at the club. I think most of the fans understand what I'm doing. I have had a fantastic response from them. "

This article: http://sport.scotsman.com/football_english.cfm?id=1788112005


SPORTING LIFE

QPR DIRECTOR 'THREATENED WITH GUN'
Armed police were called to a Championship match on Saturday after a club director apparently had a gun held to his head.

Eleven men were arrested near Queens Park Rangers' Loftus Road stadium in west London after Gianni Paladini and a woman were reportedly threatened with the weapon near the boardroom during their 2-1 win over Sheffield United.

A Metropolitan Police spokeswoman said armed officers were deployed within the ground following the incident at 1500 BST and Paladini was taken to Hammersmith police station.

The spokeswoman said: "We can confirm that Hammersmith police have launched an investigation following an incident at QPR football ground today.

"At approximately 1500 police were called to reports that a number of men had threatened a man and a woman with threats to kill and then left the premises."

She said armed officers had been deployed and a total of 11 men had been arrested.

"Some were arrested inside the ground and some were arrested outside. Our inquiries continue.

"No-one was injured and no shots were fired."

Paladini, a former football agent who represented ex-Middlesbrough striker Fabrizio Ravanelli, bought his stake in the club in May of last year and has become an influential figure there.

A significant proportion of the club is owned by a Monaco-based group of investors for whom Paladini is the public face.

Little is known about the Italian, who handed in his football agent's licence last year to pursue his dream of buying into an English football club.

He became an agent in 1980 and over two decades was involved in dozens of high profile transfers.

He lives in London with his English wife, Olga, and has a business portfolio which includes several nightclubs.

SPORTING LIFE