Ex-QPR Holdings Chairman Antonio Caliendo - A Brief Look Back

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Earlier last week, former QPR Holdings Chairman, Antonio Caliendo reportedly again claimed that he had not yet been been fully paid re his sale of QPR. - Ex-QPR Chairman Again Claims Has Yet to Be Paid. He was repeating what he had reportedly declared earlier: May 2: Ex-QPR Holdings Chairman, Antonio Caliendo Again Speaking ---- March 25: More re QPR From Ex-QPR Holdings Chairman, Antonio Caliendo - Who Has a Blog ---- March 22: 2008 - Former QPR Holdings Chairman, Antonio Caliendo Speaking - re QPR Payment.

Just for the record: Below is what was announced last year at the time of the sale of the club.
Caliendo joined QPR in the aftermath of Gianni Paladini buying into the club, first in an unofficial capacity, and then a short time after Paldini became QPR Chairman, as Chairman of QPR Holdings. Since departing QPR almost a year ago, Caliendo has continued to head the World Championship Club which also runs the prestigeous Golden Foot Awards .


CLUB TAKEOVER STATEMENT - REFERENCE RE CALIENDO

September 1, 2007: The QPR Takeover Statement
"...5. Intentions with respect to Directors' and Shareholder Loans
In relation to the certain loans made to the Club by Mr Caliendo for, in total, £6,581,328, Mr Caliendo has entered into an agreement whereby £4,581,328 will be waived for nil consideration. Accordingly Mr Caliendo has outstanding a debt in the Company of £2.0 million. The Caliendo Loan is redeemable at any date before March 2011 at the option of QPR, and Mr Caliendo may not demand repayment of any amount of the loan until March 2011. The Caliendo Loan carries no interest.
ARM Corporate Finance Limited believe the repayment of the Caliendo Loan on the terms described above is fair and reasonable so far as other QPR Shareholders are concerned....

APPENDIX 4 - DEFINITIONS
... Caliendo Loan the loan in the aggregate amount of £6,581,328 made by Antonio Caliendo, a QPR Director, to the Company as evidenced by a loan agreement dated 30 August 2007."

Bernie Ecclestone's February 2008 Comment - "...Likewise, debts to Antonio Caliendo, a former director and major shareholder, reportedly owed £2 million after the takeover. “We’re finalising the balance sheet with Mr Caliendo in order that we can clarify what is owed to him,” Ecclestone says. “When this is completed he will be paid immediately.” - February 11, 2008 - Alex Wade/The Times - QPR's Financial Situation Under its New Owners: Bernie Ecclestone's Perspective


- October 19, 2007 Takeover Snippet

Some Previous Official Statements by Antonio Caliendo

- August 14, 2007 QPR Holdings Chairman, Antonio Caliendo "The Club Is Not For Sale"

- July 27, 2006: "QPR Holding Chairman, Antonio Caliendo Statement re QPR Finances Post-Dunga"

From a couple of years ago: Dave McIntyre/Ealing Gazette - "Caliendo Steps Out of the Shadows"


Also: Some Past QPR Report-Caliendo References

Caliendo Legal Action vs Briatore - Updated

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As posted on Antonio Caliendo's Blog/Il Blog di Antonio Caliendo

Il Blog di Antonio Caliendo - ENGLISH VERSION - October 24, 2008
- Antonio Caliendo, former Chairman of Queens Park Rangers FC, has instructed lawyers Donald Manasse, in Principality of Monaco, and Barrister Steven Gee, QC, of Stone Chambers in London, in his legal dispute with the QPR’s Board Chairman Flavio Briatore.
- “There are serious disputes” said Mr. Caliendo. “It is unfortunate that I have had to take these steps against a club that I respect and that I worked so hard to protect during difficult economic times .”
- Mr. Caliendo is the president of World Champions Club, the sports agency based in Monte Carlo, and of the international award “Golden Foot”. He contracted to sell his QPR’s shares to Mr. Briatore in 2007.
- “I hope that there are no further transfer and sales of shares in QPR ownership,” said Mr. Caliendo, “until all these questions are resolved.”

ITALIAN Version - Caliendo sul QPR e Briatore
Ottobre 24, 2008 - In Italian, also.... - Il Blog di Antonio Caliendo


[Earlier, On October 1, 2008 on Antonio Caliendo's Blog

Il Blog di Antonio Caliendo - ENGLISH VERSION
Caliendo replies to Briatore
Regarding the article appeared on SportsPro of the month of August 2008 by Tom Rubython and Graham Fudger, where Mr Flavio Briatore express some appreciations not particularly pleasant on the former shareholders of Queens Park Rangers, that he recently bought.
What said by Mr Briatore doesn’t correspond to the truth. On the right time we will expose publicly what really happened during the conveancy of the shares to this person and his partners, the question is now on the hands of my lawyers.
Antonio Caliendo Ex-Chairman of QPR -

Caliendo risponde a Briatore
Ottobre 1, 2008 ·
In relazione all’articolo comparso su SportsPro del mese di Agosto a cura di Tom Rubython e Graham Fudger, dove il Sig. Briatore esprime une serie di giudizi poco lusinghieri nei confronti dei precedenti azionisti del Queens Park Rangers, da lui recentemente acquistato.
Quanto detto dal Signor Briatore non corrisponde al vero. Al momento opportuno chiariremo pubblicamente l’effettiva transazione avvenuta durante il passaggio di proprietà delle azioni a questa persona ed ai suoi soci, la quale oggi è in mano ai miei avvocati.
Antonio Caliendo Ex-Chairman del Queens Park Rangers
Il Blog di Antonio Caliendo

New Caliendo Statement Regarding Briatore and QPR

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Antonio Caliendo Blog re Briatore - November 19, 2008
English version (posted on the blog)

I State first that I have proposition the property, united to my partners, of the prestigious Club London Queens Park Rangers sin from 2004, investing enormous sums and doing Front on time to financial every requirement during my management. To make given from the 8 August 2007 me venne delivered an offer from the Mr Flavio Briatore to signature of the Mr Brown Michel, operating in Switzerland and to today resulting to be partner of the QPR, as well as contributor in other its activity. For how much it the problematic contrattualistica, the mine legal avv.

Donald Manasse and avv. Steven Gee, are ascertaining the situation. This can say subject, that asserted to to be intervened in a situation of bankruptcy, how many pounds the signed left on the checking account of the society Queens Park Rangers? It can say if they were paid salaries to football player and depending until the last month of my management? I agree when it asserts that the “soccer in England is a business, to begin from the stadium of property that can create riches in different manners” to tal resolution we are still waiting for the permission to enter with our experts for the evaluation of it, until today denied. And ‘a business also to yield the actions of the QPR!

How much can say it packed from the transfer of my actions of the QPR from the Mr Mittal? Us can say if it is yielding further actions to other eventual buyers and to what price? Us can say when they will come paid my credits? Finally it is able the Mr. in matter deny that the QPR was gained for 90 millions and to say how much really corresponded to the signed and to my partners for the purchase of the club?

I hope that the replies not orderly will be done!

Antonio Caliendo former chairman and shareholder of the QPR

[Caliendo statement also in Italian on the blog - Antonio Caliendo Blog


News Article - Web Translation - Football, another QPR: Caliendo seeks clarification on Briatore
19 novembre 2008 alle 15:02 — Fonte: repubblica.it November 19 2008 at 15:02 - Continued face to face between Antonio Caliendo, a former chairman and shareholder of Queens Park Rangers, and Flavio Briatore on the question of ownership of the London club.
Caliendo back in this case to the office, paying a few questions: "Can you tell us when will paid my debts? Does "Flavio Briatore," who claimed to be speaking in a state of bankruptcy, how many pounds the undersigned has left the current account of the company Queens Park Rangers? Can say if they were paid salaries to players and employees until the last months of my administration? ”. (19/11/2008) (Spr) ". (19/11/2008) (spr)


CALCIO, VICENDA QPR: CALIENDO CHIEDE CHIARIMENTI A BRIATORE
Prosegue il faccia a faccia fra Antonio Caliendo, ex presidente e azionista del Queens Park Rangers, e Flavio Briatore sulla questione della proprietà del club londinese. Caliendo torna in questo caso alla carica, rivolgendo alcune domande: "Può dirci quando verranno pagati i miei crediti? Può dire" Flavio Briatore, "che ha asserito di essere intervenuto in una situazione di bancarotta, quante sterline il sottoscritto ha lasciato sul conto corrente della società Queens Park Rangers? Può dire se sono stati pagati stipendi a calciatori e dipendenti fino all'ultimo mese di mia gestione?". (19/11/2008) (Spr) Le altre notizie - Le Repubblica


And posted earlier "Caliendo Asks About His QPR Payments"

English Web Translation: Caliendo to Briatore: "When you pay me?"
CALIENDO A Briatore: WHEN PAID MY CREDIT?
Can you tell us when will paid my debts? Briatore can deny that QPR was bought for 90 million and say what he really paid myself and my associates to buy the club? I hope that answers will not wait"
. The prosecutor and former chairman and shareholder of Queens Park Rangers, Antonio Caliendo, so back with a long note on the property of another English club.
"I agree - writes Caliendo addressing Briatore - when claims that football in England is a business, starting from the stadium property that can create wealth in different ways. In that respect we are still waiting for permission to go with our experts for the evaluation of it, so far denied. It 'a business also sell shares of QPR! can say what he earned from the sale of my shares of QPR by Mr Mittal? Can you tell us if you are giving more shares to other potential buyers and at what price ?
La Repubblica.it The Repubblica.it


- See Earlier Caliendo Blog Posts re Briatore

- Visit the QPR Report Messageboard

Former QPR Holdings Chairman, Antonio Caliendo Speaking - re QPR Payment

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90-second video of former QPR Chairman, Antonio Caliendo speaking (in Italian). A link to the video is posted on the Italian QPR Fan site, QPR Italia. See Video Clip - [Translations welcomed!]

Supposedly Caliendo says in this interview, he has yet to receive any money from the QPR sale.

QPR Italia Transcribing of Caliendo: "Caliendo: "Non ho ancora preso una lira"...
.e lascia intendere future ritorsioni...
Caliendo... Mah! Crede che tutti siano a sua disposizione? QPR Italia

Partial Translation of Caliendo's Comments - Caliendo Comments - Brief Web Translation

TRANSCRIPT AND TRANSLATION


[Transcript and translation from QPR Italia's Wally West]

Giornalista: Caliendo, vedi la foto di Briatore?

Caliendo: Qui andiamo in in un campo molto delicato. Ne parlo malvolentieri. E' la prima volta che lo dico pubblicamente ma io non ho ancora visto una lira, o sterlina che dir si voglia…

Giornalista: tu hai venduto i QPR a Briatore e ancora non ti hanno pagato?

Caliendo: Esatto. Ne lui ne Ecclestone. Ecclestone ha dichiarato sul Times che mi pagherà quando avranno finito di controllare la contabilità. Sinceramente questi controlli sono molto lenti, sono ormai passati otto mesi! Tutti i giornali inglesi mi stanno cercando per avere una replica da me, ma io per ora preferisco tacere.

Giornalista: Ho letto che vogliono prendere Figo

Caliendo: Si, ma prima di dedicarsi a questi acquisti... ai playoff.... Non lo so... secondo me... nel prossimo futuro si saprà qualcosa di più su tutta questa vicenda...
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TRANSLATION

Journalist: Caliendo, do you see this photo of Briatore?

Caliendo: Here we go in a very delicate sector. I talk reluctantly about this situation. And this is the first time I said it publicly: I have not yet seen a ‘lira’, or ‘pound’, if you prefeare.

Journalist: you sold QPR to Briatore and he has not yet paid you?

Caliendo: Exactly. Neigther Ecclestone. Ecclestone said on Times that I will be payed when they have finished checking the financial balance. Frankly these controls are very slow, eight months have passed! All english newspapers ansk me for a reply, but I prefer to remain quiet now.

Journalist: I read that they wish to buy Figo

Caliendo: Yes, but before to project these purchases ... to project playoffs dreams.... I don’t know ... I think ... In the near future we will know something more about this whole affair ...

Analysis of the Paladini/Caliendo "Dispute" and Briatore Offer - Dave McIntyre/Ealing Gazette

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David McIntyre/Ealing Gazette - August 16, 2007
Paladini hopes for Flavio takeover
But Caliendo keeps options open

Hopes of a takeover of QPR by a group which includes Renault boss Flavio Briatore have been raised – less than 24 hours after the deal seemed to be dead.
But major shareholder Antonio Caliendo, who will ultimately decide Rangers’ fate, is also in talks with three other interested parties.
A growing rift between Caliendo and QPR chairman Gianni Paladini descended into all-out war ahead of Tuesday night’s match against Leyton Orient.
The row has erupted as Rangers face meltdown unless a takeover or major injection of cash is agreed within weeks.
With Paladini trying to broker a buy-out by a group fronted by Briatore, and Caliendo unhappy with the proposed deal, a storm was brewing ahead of Rangers’ first home game of the season.
Two years after Caliendo and Paladini combined to take charge of the club, the pair were on course to fight each other for control at an all-important board meeting scheduled for later this month.
But the showdown took place earlier than expected, and on Tuesday, Paladini faced the prospect of being ousted.
Caliendo told his one-time ally that he was being dismissed as chairman and then released a terse statement on the club’s website declaring that QPR was not for sale.
Paladini is no stranger to this type of battle for control – it’s his third since he joined the board in 2004.
Later that year he teamed up with Bill Power to remove the then chairman Nick Blackburn, chief executive David Davies and company chairman Ross Jones.
But the Paladini-Power alliance descended into a bitter feud and a year later, Power, who had replaced Blackburn as chairman, was removed after losing a key boardroom vote.
Mark Devlin was promptly sacked as chief executive and Kevin McGrath, the largest shareholder outside the Italian group who collectively own Rangers, later resigned as a director.
That victory, and Power’s subsequent selling of his shares, gave Paladini and Caliendo ownership but their time at the helm has been blighted by problems on and off the pitch.
Earlier this year, Caliendo and his Monaco-based backers stopped covering Rangers’ ongoing losses.
They have loaned the club several million pounds, and repayment is a stumbling block to a possible takeover.
Paladini, who recently declared that he and his colleagues would sell their shares for the price they paid for them, wants Caliendo to agree to the Briatore offer.
Paladini is in line for a lucrative contract to run the club should the deal he favours go ahead, and he believes it will make Rangers one of the biggest clubs in London. Even Paladini’s enemies – and he has made several – who remain close to events at QPR privately admit that the Briatore-linked bid offers by far the best financial package for the club.
But it offers Caliendo and his backers relatively little, causing anger at the way negotiations have been conducted on their behalf.
There has also been anger among other interested parties, who say they have been given short shrift by Paladini despite him publicly declaring that the club may go bust inside a month if a takeover or fresh investment is not secured.
Scare stories about clubs possibly going under are common, and the threat to QPR’s existence has been exaggerated in the past. But now the threat is very real, and time is not on Rangers’ side.
A £1.3million bridging loan from ABC Corporation has been repaid, averting the immediate prospect of them acquiring the Loftus Road ground.
But around £1million must be paid to the Inland Revenue at the end of the month and as things stand, QPR have no ability whatsoever to make that payment and they face administration – or worse – unless a takeover is agreed.
So as Orient left west London on Tuesday hoping for a moneyspinning tie in the next round of the Carling Cup, Rangers’ future was in the balance.
An appparent breakthrough occurred on Wednesday afternoon, with Caliendo appearing to be willing to speak to the Briatore-linked group.
But while the champagne was back on ice within Loftus Road and hopes were again high that a deal may be imminent, Caliendo was in discussions with another interested party as he continues to consider his options.
A key issue for QPR is the troublesome £10million ABC loan, which a previous board secured prior to Rangers coming out of administration in 2002.
Interest payments of around 11per cent are a potential noose around the club’s neck and the terms of that deal were changed when the recent additional £1.3million loan was arranged.
Ominously, ABC can now acquire the freehold on Loftus Road if the original £10million loan is not resolved by August next year.
Briatore’s group plan to take on this loan themselves at a much more favourable interest rate – probably around 6.5 per cent.
One of the parties in talks with Caliendo has suggested they can refinance the loan at around 8.5 per cent.
But the immediate pressure on both QPR and Caliendo is the forthcoming tax bill.
It puts the pressure on QPR for obvious reasons but is also a bargaining chip for Paladini and the Briatore group, because it leaves Caliendo facing the possibility of the club going under, leaving him with even less than he could salvage from the current offer. Unless, that is, he finds an alternative buyer. Ealing Gazette

One Year Ago, QPR Appeared On The Brink...Ex-QPR Snippets

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A Year ago today, QPR appeared to be on the brink: A takeover bid by Briatore had been made; reported disputes between QPR Holdings Chairman, Antonio Caliendo and QPR Chairman, Gianni Paladini over accepting the bid.

In The August 16, 2007 edition of the Daily Telegraph, Sun, Mirror and Star: QPR Chairman Paladini was warning of Administration in two weeks if rescue package not adopted.

Meanwhile The Daily Mail that day reported on "Another week of chaos at QPR..." Deal or no deal for Paladini.

AP meanwhile was reporting "[QPR]Queens Park Rangers may be forced into financial administration unless a takeover deal is revived..." AP

Dave McIntyre in the Ealing Gazette provided an analysis and explanation of the issues "Paladini hopes for Flavio takeover. But Caliendo keeps options open
"Hopes of a takeover of QPR by a group which includes Renault boss Flavio Briatore have been raised – less than 24 hours after the deal seemed to be dead.
But major shareholder Antonio Caliendo, who will ultimately decide Rangers’ fate, is also in talks with three other interested parties.
A growing rift between Caliendo and QPR chairman Gianni Paladini descended into all-out war ahead of Tuesday night’s match against Leyton Orient.
The row has erupted as Rangers face meltdown unless a takeover or major injection of cash is agreed within weeks.
With Paladini trying to broker a buy-out by a group fronted by Briatore, and Caliendo unhappy with the proposed deal, a storm was brewing ahead of Rangers’ first home game of the season.
Two years after Caliendo and Paladini combined to take charge of the club, the pair were on course to fight each other for control at an all-important board meeting scheduled for later this month.
But the showdown took place earlier than expected, and on Tuesday, Paladini faced the prospect of being ousted.
Caliendo told his one-time ally that he was being dismissed as chairman and then released a terse statement on the club’s website declaring that QPR was not for sale.
Paladini is no stranger to this type of battle for control – it’s his third since he joined the board in 2004.
Later that year he teamed up with Bill Power to remove the then chairman Nick Blackburn, chief executive David Davies and company chairman Ross Jones.
But the Paladini-Power alliance descended into a bitter feud and a year later, Power, who had replaced Blackburn as chairman, was removed after losing a key boardroom vote.
Mark Devlin was promptly sacked as chief executive and Kevin McGrath, the largest shareholder outside the Italian group who collectively own Rangers, later resigned as a director.
That victory, and Power’s subsequent selling of his shares, gave Paladini and Caliendo ownership but their time at the helm has been blighted by problems on and off the pitch.
Earlier this year, Caliendo and his Monaco-based backers stopped covering Rangers’ ongoing losses.
They have loaned the club several million pounds, and repayment is a stumbling block to a possible takeover.
Paladini, who recently declared that he and his colleagues would sell their shares for the price they paid for them, wants Caliendo to agree to the Briatore offer.
Paladini is in line for a lucrative contract to run the club should the deal he favours go ahead, and he believes it will make Rangers one of the biggest clubs in London. Even Paladini’s enemies – and he has made several – who remain close to events at QPR privately admit that the Briatore-linked bid offers by far the best financial package for the club.
But it offers Caliendo and his backers relatively little, causing anger at the way negotiations have been conducted on their behalf.
There has also been anger among other interested parties, who say they have been given short shrift by Paladini despite him publicly declaring that the club may go bust inside a month if a takeover or fresh investment is not secured.
Scare stories about clubs possibly going under are common, and the threat to QPR’s existence has been exaggerated in the past. But now the threat is very real, and time is not on Rangers’ side.
A £1.3million bridging loan from ABC Corporation has been repaid, averting the immediate prospect of them acquiring the Loftus Road ground.
But around £1million must be paid to the Inland Revenue at the end of the month and as things stand, QPR have no ability whatsoever to make that payment and they face administration – or worse – unless a takeover is agreed.
So as Orient left west London on Tuesday hoping for a moneyspinning tie in the next round of the Carling Cup, Rangers’ future was in the balance.
An appparent breakthrough occurred on Wednesday afternoon, with Caliendo appearing to be willing to speak to the Briatore-linked group.
But while the champagne was back on ice within Loftus Road and hopes were again high that a deal may be imminent, Caliendo was in discussions with another interested party as he continues to consider his options.
A key issue for QPR is the troublesome £10million ABC loan, which a previous board secured prior to Rangers coming out of administration in 2002.
Interest payments of around 11per cent are a potential noose around the club’s neck and the terms of that deal were changed when the recent additional £1.3million loan was arranged.
Ominously, ABC can now acquire the freehold on Loftus Road if the original £10million loan is not resolved by August next year.
Briatore’s group plan to take on this loan themselves at a much more favourable interest rate – probably around 6.5 per cent.
One of the parties in talks with Caliendo has suggested they can refinance the loan at around 8.5 per cent.
But the immediate pressure on both QPR and Caliendo is the forthcoming tax bill.
It puts the pressure on QPR for obvious reasons but is also a bargaining chip for Paladini and the Briatore group, because it leaves Caliendo facing the possibility of the club going under, leaving him with even less than he could salvage from the current offer. Unless, that is, he finds an alternative buyer. Ealing Gazette


The Next Day, August 17, 2007, a very different situation with the headlines now
QPR Chairman Says QPR Saved! Briatore to Take Over
- Reuters - Renault chief to become QPR owner, report says
- The Sun - F1 chief Flavio is a Ranger
- Daily Mail - Briatore buy-out keeps QPR going


Elsewhere: QPR and Ex-QPR in The News Today

Unscientific - and hopefully not going to happen. Poll of Yahoo Sports expect to see Iain Dowie Axed: "Queen's Park Rangers boss Iain Dowie's days at Loftus Road are numbered, according to readers of eurosport.yahoo.com." Article/Poll -- Poll Results


Nice Profile of and Interview with Peter Crouch in The Independent. (Not about QPR, but Crouch comes across really well.


Shabbaz Baidoo still up in the air "...The Lewes boss must decide whether to make changes tomorrow although his options are limited with a small squad. Zac Beda is still out with a groin injury, striker Tom Lyons warmed up with the players on Tuesday although he is yet to sign while the door has not been closed on former QPR and Dagenham striker Shabazz Baidoo. .." The Argus


Dominic Shimmin at Morton "...Dominic Shimmin’s best position may be central defence, but he looked assured enough at right back last week when forced to switch..." Greenock Telegraph


Yeovil's Mark Bircham Still Out with Hamstring Injury - Yeovil


-Ex-player, coach and Caretaker Manager, John Hollins, still Managing. His Weymouth team are currently second in the Blue Square Premier Table. "Hollins thrilled as Terras win to move into second spot..." Report


Finally, this was written prior to last week's QPR's game at Harrow,
Harrow Observer/Aug 7 Fans urged to turn up for Rangers money spinner
Harrow Borough boss David Howell is urging fans to turn up in their droves for next Wednesday's final pre-season game against Championship contenders Queens Park Rangers as a bumper crowd could aid his side's fortunes in the new campaign.
Howell is operating on one of the lowest budgets in the Ryman Football League Premier Division and cash generated by a sizeable crowd for the visit of Iain Dowie's side to Earlsmead would help loosen the shackles on the manager's hands.
More than 600 fans, many of them Hoops followers based in Harrow and the surrounding areas, attended last season's pre-season fixture, which the visitors won 3-0, but this time the friendly falls on a somewhat awkward date for Borough.
QPR open their new league campaign with a home clash against Barnsley on Saturday before travelling to face Swindon Town in the Carling Cup on Tuesday, 24 hours before the Earlsmead contest.
However, with QPR then facing another away trip, a league clash at Sheffield United on the following Saturday, it could tempt fans who are Loftus Road regulars to see their heroes at close quarters on Wednesday without the need for an arduous 10-hour round trip.
"The budget is very limited at the club," said Howell. "It relies on contributions from the vice-president and other bodies to keep it alive. Money is so incredibly tight that I've got to get a return for anything I pay out. Running costs include coach travel to away games, to hiring training facilities at Northolt School.
"The calibre of players is also affected; I've had some managers keen to offer me players but they know we have no money. They don't want to push players our way as they know they can't get anything for playing.
"We don't have the strength and depth and what I need is players who can deliver more on a consistent basis rather than flashes of brilliance now and again."
Howell, a staunch Hoops fan, was delighted with the turnout for the corresponding fixture last year and is hoping for a repeat next week.
"If we get anywhere near the gate we had last season I will be happy," added the Borough boss. "The money from that game took us up to Christmas on the budget, covering our £1,000-a-week running costs. If we can do that again this year it would be brilliant.
"There are a lot of QPR fans in the area and this will almost be more of a home game for them than at Loftus Road. It is just unfortunate the game comes after they have started their season, but it was the only date we could both play on.
"It doesn't matter whether they bring a team with players for the future or include players returning from injury. You can see the size of their squad and the quality of players they are signing. It will be a relaxed atmosphere at Earlsmead and the fans will be able to get autographs at the end.".. Harrow Observer -- Also (alread posted) - Harrow 3 QPR XI 2 Match Report

38 Years Ago Today: #QPR's 1975-76 Season Kicked Off...6 Years: Chairman Warns of Administration...Old Video: Jim Gregory Announcing Resigning and Terry Venables Taking Over...Granero Gone...Next: Ipswich

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- 38  Years Ago Today: QPR's 1975-76 Season Kicked Off - The Season in Photos and a Look Back

- QPR REPORT MESSAGEBOARD

- Follow QPR REPORT on TWITTER!

- The Bushman QPR Photo Archives

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- Thirty-Eight Years Ago Today: QPR's 1975-76 Season Kicked Off - The Season in Photos and a Look Back


- VIDEO:  1983: QPR Players Celebrating Promotion and Chairman Jim Gregory Announcing He's Stepping Down - Hopefully Selling the Club to TERRY VENABLES


- More Promotion Celebrations

From last Season: The Boys of 30 Years Return to Loftus Road

- 1993 Video: QPR Beating Swindon (Entire Game)

- Granero Goes out on a Year loan to real Sociedad (Some say QPR Paying part of his wages)


- QPR-Ipswich Preview: An Ipswich Perspective


- 64th Birthday for Ex-QPR Coach (and Stan Bowles Carlisle Team Mate) John Gorman: A Man who showed a lot of Character when Jim Magilton was suspended - and he refused to takeover.


On This Day...Six Year Flashback: Chairman Paladini Warns of Club Into Administration if not sold
QPR Chairman Warns of Administration in Two Weeks
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Daily Mail - Deal or no deal for Paladini

- Another week of chaos at QPR, culminating with question marks over chairman Gianni Paladini's position.
The Italian was involved in heated discussions with parent company chief Antonio Caliendo ahead of Tuesday's defeat by Leyton Orient.
Caliendo had earlier released a statement insisting QPR was "not for sale", even though Paladini has spoken to at least two potential investors - Renault F1 boss Flavio Briatore and former chairman Bill Power's consortium - and been talking up the possibility of a takeover.
Club sources say the statement from Caliendo - who represents QPR's Monaco-based major shareholders - is evidence of a rift with Paladini which has hit hopes of an imminent deal with Briatore. Mail
qprreport.blogspot.com/2007/08/another-week-of-chaos-at-qpr.html


"AP - [QPR] Queens Park Rangers may be forced into financial administration unless a takeover deal is revived"-

LONDON (AP) — Queens Park Rangers may be forced into financial administration unless a takeover deal is revived.
The League Championship side must pay a 1.3 million pound (US$2.6 million; €1.9 million) tax bill to Britain's Inland Revenue by the end of August, but talks with Renault Formula One team principal Flavio Briatore over a 30 million pound (US$59.5 million; €44.4 million) takeover have stalled.
"There is now a huge concern over the club's future," QPR chairman Gianni Paladini was quoted as saying in Thursday's Daily Telegraph. "Flavio has made it plain that if one decimal point moves on the agreed price, he doesn't want to know. There is no one else ready to step in."
Football League rules mean any club entering financial administration — whereby a club can continue operations without selling off its assets to pay debts — is automatically deducted ten points from its league total. AP
qprreport.blogspot.com/2007/08/even-ap-qpr-queens-park-rangers-may-be.html


Daily Mirror Threat to QPR 16/08/2007
Gianni Paladini has warned QPR will be forced into administration in two weeks unless a rescue package is agreed.
The cash-strapped club need to pay a £1.3million bill to the Inland Revenue by September 1.
Rangers could otherwise face a 10-point deduction and be plunged into a desperate relegation battle.
Chairman Paladini is furious with his fellow board members after talks with F1 racing boss Flavio Briatore over a £30m takeover stalled.
Paladini said: "There is now a huge concern over the club's future."

Telegraph
"...Queens Park Rangers chairman Gianni Paladini has warned that the club could be forced into administration if a rescue package is not agreed. The club need to pay a £1.3 million bill to the Inland Revenue by the end of the month, and Paladini is disappointed that talks with Renault Formula One team principal Flavio Briatore over a £30 million takeover have stalled.
"There is now a huge concern over the club's future," Paladini said. "Flavio has made it plain that if one decimal point moves on the agreed price, he doesn't want to know. There is no one else ready to step in."
Antonio Caliendo, the chairman of QPR Holdings Ltd, has denied that the club is up for sale Telegraph


The Sun
GIANNI PALADINI has warned QPR will be forced into administration in two weeks’ time unless a rescue package is agreed.
The Championship club must pay a £1.3million tax bill by September 1 or face a winding-up order.
Rangers, who are £21m in debt, would then be hit by a 10-point deduction by the Football League.
Talks with Renault racing boss Flavio Briatore over a £30m takeover have stalled after directors Franco Zanotti and Antonio Caliendo refused to accept an offer of 5.5p per share.
Chairman Paladini said: "There is now a huge concern over the club’s future. Flavio isn’t desperate to buy into QPR and there is no one else ready to step in." The Sun


The Star (via BBC Gossip) "QPR will go into administration in two weeks unless a rescue package is agreed. (Star)

qprreport.blogspot.com/2007/08/qpr-chairman-warns-of-administration-in.html

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David McIntyre/Ealing Gazette - August 16, 2007
Paladini hopes for Flavio takeover
But Caliendo keeps options open

Hopes of a takeover of QPR by a group which includes Renault boss Flavio Briatore have been raised – less than 24 hours after the deal seemed to be dead.
But major shareholder Antonio Caliendo, who will ultimately decide Rangers’ fate, is also in talks with three other interested parties.
A growing rift between Caliendo and QPR chairman Gianni Paladini descended into all-out war ahead of Tuesday night’s match against Leyton Orient.
The row has erupted as Rangers face meltdown unless a takeover or major injection of cash is agreed within weeks.
With Paladini trying to broker a buy-out by a group fronted by Briatore, and Caliendo unhappy with the proposed deal, a storm was brewing ahead of Rangers’ first home game of the season.
Two years after Caliendo and Paladini combined to take charge of the club, the pair were on course to fight each other for control at an all-important board meeting scheduled for later this month.
But the showdown took place earlier than expected, and on Tuesday, Paladini faced the prospect of being ousted.
Caliendo told his one-time ally that he was being dismissed as chairman and then released a terse statement on the club’s website declaring that QPR was not for sale.
Paladini is no stranger to this type of battle for control – it’s his third since he joined the board in 2004.
Later that year he teamed up with Bill Power to remove the then chairman Nick Blackburn, chief executive David Davies and company chairman Ross Jones.
But the Paladini-Power alliance descended into a bitter feud and a year later, Power, who had replaced Blackburn as chairman, was removed after losing a key boardroom vote.
Mark Devlin was promptly sacked as chief executive and Kevin McGrath, the largest shareholder outside the Italian group who collectively own Rangers, later resigned as a director.
That victory, and Power’s subsequent selling of his shares, gave Paladini and Caliendo ownership but their time at the helm has been blighted by problems on and off the pitch.
Earlier this year, Caliendo and his Monaco-based backers stopped covering Rangers’ ongoing losses.
They have loaned the club several million pounds, and repayment is a stumbling block to a possible takeover.
Paladini, who recently declared that he and his colleagues would sell their shares for the price they paid for them, wants Caliendo to agree to the Briatore offer.
Paladini is in line for a lucrative contract to run the club should the deal he favours go ahead, and he believes it will make Rangers one of the biggest clubs in London. Even Paladini’s enemies – and he has made several – who remain close to events at QPR privately admit that the Briatore-linked bid offers by far the best financial package for the club.
But it offers Caliendo and his backers relatively little, causing anger at the way negotiations have been conducted on their behalf.
There has also been anger among other interested parties, who say they have been given short shrift by Paladini despite him publicly declaring that the club may go bust inside a month if a takeover or fresh investment is not secured.
Scare stories about clubs possibly going under are common, and the threat to QPR’s existence has been exaggerated in the past. But now the threat is very real, and time is not on Rangers’ side.
A £1.3million bridging loan from ABC Corporation has been repaid, averting the immediate prospect of them acquiring the Loftus Road ground.
But around £1million must be paid to the Inland Revenue at the end of the month and as things stand, QPR have no ability whatsoever to make that payment and they face administration – or worse – unless a takeover is agreed.
So as Orient left west London on Tuesday hoping for a moneyspinning tie in the next round of the Carling Cup, Rangers’ future was in the balance.
An appparent breakthrough occurred on Wednesday afternoon, with Caliendo appearing to be willing to speak to the Briatore-linked group.
But while the champagne was back on ice within Loftus Road and hopes were again high that a deal may be imminent, Caliendo was in discussions with another interested party as he continues to consider his options.
A key issue for QPR is the troublesome £10million ABC loan, which a previous board secured prior to Rangers coming out of administration in 2002.
Interest payments of around 11per cent are a potential noose around the club’s neck and the terms of that deal were changed when the recent additional £1.3million loan was arranged.
Ominously, ABC can now acquire the freehold on Loftus Road if the original £10million loan is not resolved by August next year.
Briatore’s group plan to take on this loan themselves at a much more favourable interest rate – probably around 6.5 per cent.
One of the parties in talks with Caliendo has suggested they can refinance the loan at around 8.5 per cent.
But the immediate pressure on both QPR and Caliendo is the forthcoming tax bill.
It puts the pressure on QPR for obvious reasons but is also a bargaining chip for Paladini and the Briatore group, because it leaves Caliendo facing the possibility of the club going under, leaving him with even less than he could salvage from the current offer. Unless, that is, he finds an alternative buyer. Ealing Gazette

qprreport.blogspot.com/2007/08/analysis-of-rhe-paladinicaliendo.html



August 16, 2007 - QPR Directors Change? -
the online Staff Directory: Jason Kallis is no longer listed as a board member and a name, James Ferrary is now listed.

August 16, 2007 QPR Staff Directory

NEW Board of Directors
Chairman - Gianni Paladini
Non-executive Directors - Franco Zanotti, Olga Paladini, Antonio Caliendo, Nick De Marco, Kevin James Steele, James Ferrary
QPR

[Previously was: Chairman - Gianni Paladini "Non-executive Directors - Franco Zanotti, Olga Paladini, Antonio Caliendo, Nick De Marco, Kevin James Steele, Jason Kallis"

Ex-QPR, PETTER VAAGAN MOEN on his time at QPR and re Moyes and Manchester United: Translation http://goo.gl/0QjFoh  (Norwegian http://goo.gl/XHT7Xn


ADL Calls on Russian World Cup Director to Apologize for Gay-Nazi Analogy http://goo.gl/ThUwGU   



STANDARD/James Olley

 Hands-on Steve McLaren a big help after Harry Redknapp's op, says Shaun Wright-Phillips

Shaun Wright-Phillips today hailed the impact of Steve McClaren on the Queens Park Rangers’ players while manager Harry Redknapp recovers from a knee operation.

Former England manager McClaren joined QPR as a coach last month in a surprise move and has played a prominent role during Redknapp’s convalescence.
Redknapp has been walking with the aid of crutches and taking a back seat in training after undergoing surgery to fix a cartilage problem.
QPR face Ipswich at Loftus Road tomorrow and talking to Absolute Radio’s Rock ’n’ Roll Football at an EA Sports FIFA 14 preview event, Wright-Phillips said: “Harry’s been good to work with but with his knee op he hasn’t been around that much.  He’s been watching from the sidelines but the team of coaches that he’s got have done a fantastic job for him pre-season. Steve McLaren is always hands on.
“He’s settled in really quickly and the lads have welcomed him with open arms. I think he’s brilliant and managing in Germany and Holland has only added to his CV and his knowledge of the game.
“The preparation has gone really, really well to be fair.  We didn’t have all the results we wanted pre-season but as a team we look a lot better than we did last year. We’ve made some really positive signings and I think as a team with a long season ahead of us, the new faces are going to be really beneficial.”
QPR have taken four points from their opening two Championship games and have been widely tipped to bounce straight back into the Premier League after relegation last season.
But Wright-Phillips said: “I don’t think there are any favourites in the Championship. It’s a really hard league to get out of and I think we just need to concentrate on winning our games and not listen to anybody on the outside.”
Hear the full Shaun Wright Phillips interview this Saturday on Absolute Radio before live commentary of West Ham v Cardiff at 3pm. Listen on 105.8 FM in London and check out www.absoluteradio.co.uk/listen for nationwide.  Standard

QPR vs Ipswich Photos/Programmes - From the Bushman Archives


- QPR's Greatest Captain

FLASHBACKS:

- 26 Years Ago Today: QPR Win Season Opener at West Ham, with Paul Parker, Mark Dennis, Kevin Brock and Dean Coney Making their QPR Debuts

- 43 Years Ago: Frank Saul Makes his QPR Debut (and Ex-QPR Mike Kelly makes his Debut for Birmingham City) as Birmingham Win Season Opener vs QPR

- Birthday Today for Georges Santos - First Signing Ian Holloway Made after Winning Promotion out of "Division III")

- Flashback Six Years: Former QPR Chairman Bill Power Speaks Out and Poses Questions About QPR Takeover Developments-

- Flashback Video: Two Goals by Barry Bridges for QPR against his Old Club, Birmingham City

- 45 Years ago Yesterday: QPR's First-Ever Away Game in Division I

Ex-QPR Chairman Again Claims Has Yet to Be Paid

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Web Translation "Flavio Briatore does not pay, QPR Caliendo recovers the QPR.... Web Translation

Caliendo ready to take back QPR
"Antonio Caliendo, former shareholder of Queens Park Rangers, and representant of the majority of the shareholders, appointed the famous Law Firm of the lawyer Stefano Franzì, together with and important English firm, to get an explanations and to establish why his credits wheren’t paid. Mister Caliendo also declared that: “I’m ready to take back my Queens Park Rangers together with my partners. My lawyers are verifying that there wasn’t a frame up to defraud me in all this operation.” Caliendo apparent Blog


INGHILTERRA - Flavio Briatore non paga, Caliendo si riprende il QPR
L'ex azionista del Queens Park Rangers, nonché rappresentante della maggioranza degli azionisti, ha incaricato un prestigioso studio legale di Roma e un importante studio tributarista di Londra, al fine di stabilire perché non sono stati pagati i suoi crediti
Londra, 11 giugno 2008 - Il sogno di possedere una squadra inglese per Briatore, sta ora incontrando un piccolo ostacolo: Flavio non ha pagato.
Antonio Caliendo, ex azionista del Queens Park Rangers, nonché rappresentante della maggioranza degli azionisti, ha incaricato il prestigioso studio legale dell'Avvocato Stefano Franzì di Roma, unitamente ad un importante studio tributarista di Londra, al fine di avere spiegazioni e stabilire perché non sono stati pagati i suoi crediti.
Il Signor Caliendo ha dichiarato inoltre: "Sono pronto a riprendermi il mio Queens Park Rangers unitamente ai miei soci. I miei legali stanno anche verificando che non ci sia stata una macchinazione per defraudarmi in tutta l'operazione -Report

See Also:

Antonio Caliendo's Aparent Blog

May 2 - Ex-QPR Holdings Chairman, Antonio Caliendo Again Speaking

March 25 More re QPR From Ex-QPR Holdings Chairman, Antonio Caliendo - Who Has a Blog

March 22, 2008 - Former QPR Holdings Chairman, Antonio Caliendo Speaking - re QPR Payment

More re QPR From Ex-QPR Holdings Chairman, Antonio Caliendo - Who Has a Blog

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More re former QPR Holdings Chairman, Antonio Caliendo. As discovered by the very fine QPR Italia fansite, former QPR Chairman Antonio Caliendo, has a blog! "QPR Italia - Ancora Caliendo..." --

Antonio Caliendo's blog: Il Blog di Antonio Caliendo

From a few weeks ago: Blogging Post by Antonio Caliendo writing on QPR: Caliendo sul QPR (MisterFootball di febbraio)

English Web Translation of Caliendo's Post re QPR Caliendo on QPR(MisterFootball February)

Other Caliendo Blog posts are there to read.



See Also: "Former QPR Holdings Chairman, Antonio Caliendo Speaking - re QPR Payments"

QPR Update: Antonio Caliendo vs Flavio Briatore...Great Brian Glanville Piece re QPR and Taarabt as The Latest QPR Maverick...QPR Snippets

-
Flashback!
-
For QPR and Football Latest Updates and perspectives throughout the day, visit the QPR Report Messageboard. All QPR and football perspectives welcome...Also Follow: QPR REPORT ON TWITTER
_____________________________________________________________________________________

- Police Appeal for Help in QPR/Bristol City Fans Pub Riot

- QPR Players Tweeting could be in FA Trouble

- DEAL OFF: Reading's Signing of Plymouth's Bradley Wright Phillips

- Parliamentary Football Inquiry: Want to Hear From Fans

- Life Under Roy Keane: A Player Reports

- Three Year Flashback: QPR Statement - Sebastian Ruscellada Not Joining QPR

- Four Year Flashback: Ugo Ukah Leaves QPR (Again!)

- Year Ago, Paul Hart's QPR lost to Sheff Ut in the FA Cup Third Round (of course)

- The New UEFA Rules re Club Spending

- A Burnley Fan Perspective of Burnley in Depth

- Ledesma Trialing at QPR (and role of Gianni Paladini)

- Leighterwood Stays at Reading till the End of the Season

- Dougie Freeman Appointed Manager of Crystal Palace

- QPR Trial for Slovenian Defender


From the Blog of Antonio Caliendo
Web Translation

THE SEIZURE OF POSSIBLE ACTIONS QPR of BriatoreIon January 11, 2011 by blogcaliendo

Antonio Caliendo and his associates have instructed their lawyers to determine whether there were grounds for the seizure of the actions of English club Queens Park Rangers held by Mr Flavio Briatore (through the company Sarita Capital Investment Inc) in order to protect the credits due and not yet collected, which are still the subject of a legal dispute.

Press office of Antonio Caliendo - Web TRanslation

In Italian

POSSIBILE IL SEQUESTRO DELLE AZIONI DEL QPR DI BRIATORE
Inserito il gennaio 11, 2011 da blogcaliendo | Lascia un commento

Antonio Caliendo e i suoi soci hanno dato incarico ai propri legali di verificare se esistono i presupposti per il sequestro delle azioni del club inglese del Queens Park Rangers detenute dal Signor Flavio Briatore (attraverso la società Sarita Capital Investment Inc) al fine di cautelarsi per i crediti dovuti, e non ancora incassati, che sono a tutt’oggi oggetto di una disputa legale.

Ufficio stampa di Antonio Caliendo _ Antonio Caliendo Blog

[Note: There have been previous statements by Antonio Caliendo. At the time of the takeover posted on the QPR Official Site
"From the Takeover Document that was posted on the Official Site
- "....5. Intentions with respect to Directors' and Shareholder Loans- In relation to the certain loans made to the Club by Mr Caliendo for, in total, £6,581,328, Mr Caliendo has entered into an agreement whereby £4,581,328 will be waived for nil consideration. Accordingly Mr Caliendo has outstanding a debt in the Company of £2.0 million. The Caliendo Loan is redeemable at any date before March 2011 at the option of QPR, and Mr Caliendo may not demand repayment of any amount of the loan until March 2011. The Caliendo Loan carries no interest.
- ARM Corporate Finance Limited believe the repayment of the Caliendo Loan on the terms described above is fair and reasonable so far as other QPR Shareholders are concerned...." QPR Takeover - September 1, 2007


Sports Star Weekly: Brian Glanville - The Magnificent Mavericks

"QPR seems ready to rise again from the depths of the so called championship to regain a place in the premier division. Should they do so, much will be owed to the 21-year-old Moroccan, Adel Taarabt. Over to Brian Glanville.

FOOTBALL / KICKING AROUND

At Queens Park Rangers in West London there is a new, sometimes magnificent, maverick. The word “sometimes” is relevant because the classical thing about mavericks, however magnificent when on song is that they can also be so inconsistent, frustrating and irrelevant. But QPR's Moroccan international, born as it happens, in France and signed from Spurs who got him from Lens, is squarely in the grand maverick tradition at the Shepherds Bush Club of Rodney Marsh and Stanley Bowles, heroes of the past, when QPR were a power in the land, though now they do seem ready to rise again from the depths of the so called championship to regain a place in the premier division.

Should they do so, much will be owed to the 21-year-old Moroccan, Adel Taarabt and Tottenham Hotspur may already be regretting that they let him go, initially on loan, across London having offered him so few chances in their first team. Not that Taarabt, whom one might best describe as inside forward, rather than under the imprecise category of a midfielder, is everybody's cup of tea. Not even for his teammates or his own manager, Neil Warnock, at times an explosive enough fellow himself. Taarabt with his manifold skills can do the supremely unexpected, make goals out of nothing for himself or a teammate: yet at the same time madden his team and his manager with his sheer self indulgence. The more so that when his teammates express their exasperation, he can go sulkily into his shell and virtually disappear from a game for a subsequent period.

This season, however, he has been scoring goals frequently, by contrast with the recent past and making them too in moments of altruism and inspiration for his fellows. Warnock himself will smilingly admit at post match conferences that Taarabt, who stands 5 foot 11 inches tall and has the physique to resist tackles, can frustrate and baffle him too. It's something, he plainly feels, which he himself simply has to live with. In the meantime, Taarabt is one of the salient reasons why Rangers should at long last return to a Championship which once they so nearly won.

It was in season 1975-6, they, an unfashionable club with an unusually gifted team, came within an ace of pipping then mighty Liverpool to the title. Only a most untypical slip by their usually reliable goalkeeper, Phil Parkes, in their last league match at Norwich enabled Liverpool to pip them on the post by a single, agonising point. QPR have never come so close again.

The star of that QPR team was another splendid maverick, Stan Bowles, briefly with Manchester City, a northerner who would emphatically make his name in London. Bowles, taking over, where that other, supreme maverick Rodney Marsh had left off, had a glorious left foot, where Marsh had succeeded with his right. Bowles was endlessly elusive. A superb ball player, as indeed was Marsh, capable of scoring spectacular solo goals, but always ready to create them for his colleagues. He played only five times for England and alas it never really worked out. There was a notorious occasion when he was substituted at half time in a match at Wembley and walked straight out of the stadium, making for the old greyhound stadium at White City, just across the way from QPR's Loftus Road Stadium. There he was followed by a press photographer who was duly punched by one of Bowles's less reputable friends. For Bowles, betting was in the blood: he was constantly in and out of the betting shops around the QPR stadium in Shepherd's Bush. One of his teammates once told me that sooner or later, he expected he'd be found dead in a doorway. Fortunately, however, this hasn't happened.

Marsh by contrast was and is a Londoner though born a small distance away in Hatfield. Powerfully built, standing six foot and weighing over twelve stone, he had the strength to go with his exceptional ball skills. He'd begun at Fulham where those skills were evident enough but Fulham rashly let him move a few miles away to Shepherd's Bush where he truly flourished. He was another player who could conjure goals out of nowhere, had a fierce right footed shot and was a no mean competitor in the air. He made nine appearances for England, first when at QPR, then when he went to Manchester City. An ill-judged transfer effected by City's flamboyant ultra Londoner manager, Malcolm Allison. In enlisting Marsh he broke up the pattern of the team, excluding the popular and influential skipper and right half Mike Doyle. So Rodney never showed his best in Manchester, ironically enough Bowles' city of birth, where City had been his original club. Somehow or other, though, Marsh never showed his true talents with England.
http://www.tssonnet.com/stories/20110120505803600.htm



Enlarged Photo

From a Year Ago: "The ABC of Boardroom Intrigue at Loftus Road"

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From David Conn/The Guardian - October 19, 2005
The ABC of boardroom intrigue at Loftus Road

We know plenty more now about how Chelsea were airlifted from Ken Bates' debt mountain by the billionaire from nowhere, but for their near-neighbours, Queens Park Rangers, no such outrageous fortune has delivered them from turmoil. QPR were threatened with expulsion by the Football League in 2002, having been in administration for a year, and staggered out only by clutching a £10m loan from the mysterious Panama-registered ABC Corporation, which has burdened them ever since.
Now, after a string of boardroom showdowns, the club is run by Gianni Paladini, an Italian former players' agent and, increasingly, Antonio Caliendo, the one-time Mr Big of Italian agents who in 1991 received a 10-month suspended prison sentence for attempted corruption. QPR are mostly owned by two New York-registered companies, Barnaby and Wenlock, who operate from Monte Carlo.
"I have fallen in love with Queens Park Rangers, its name and history," Caliendo told me, through an interpreter, this week. "We want to rebuild it both as a team and a business."
Caliendo, 61, found early success selling encyclopaedias door-to-door, rose up the ranks of the De Agostini publishing group, then in 1979 fixed what were thought to be the first personal endorsements by an Italian footballer, for the international playmaker Giancarlo Antognoni. Caliendo claims that in the 1990 World Cup final between West Germany and Argentina, he represented 12 of the 22 players on the pitch, but he also dates his troubles in Italy from the same year, after his client Roberto Baggio's move from Fiorentina to Juventus, which provoked riots by Fiorentina fans.
In 1991, officers from the Italian tax authorities raided Caliendo's offices, he was arrested, then on May 30 he did a deal, accepting a 10-month suspended prison sentence for attempted corruption. Caliendo told me he is intensely proud of his record and defends his reputation for "moral integrity" absolutely. He said he accepted the conviction only on his solicitor's advice, to secure a quick release from prison, and considered suing the government.
A year later, in July 1992, an investigation into the collapse of the Italian club, Hellas Verona, led to Caliendo, among others, being arrested and remanded in custody, but, after a long investigation, he was not prosecuted. "I was never convicted of anything in relation to Verona," Caliendo said. "Several high-profile figures were attacked by the Revenue in Italy at that time."
Caliendo said he is ready to "accept new challenges", and, like Paladini, a long-term associate, has given up his agent's licence to become fully involved at Loftus Road. Caliendo is shortly expected to become the club's new chairman. It is expected he will pass the Football League's "fit and proper person test" for directors, because his criminal conviction dates from long enough ago to be regarded as spent.
QPR are still reaping the consequences of their version of living the dream, after they were taken over and floated on the stock market in 1996 by Chris Wright, the Chrysalis music entrepreneur. He invested £10m but, in April 2001, with QPR having lost £27m, Wright put QPR into administration. A month later they were relegated to the then Second Division.
In May 2002, with the Football League insisting the club could not start the new season in administration, QPR accepted the £10m loan from the ABC Corporation, at 10%, £1m, annual interest, secured on Loftus Road. ABC's owners cannot be officially identified, but sources at QPR believe the man behind the company is Michael Hunt, the former Nissan UK director who in 1993 was sentenced to eight years in jail for his role in what was then Britain's largest tax fraud.
In July 2003 a QPR fan and businessman, Bill Power, born and bred in Shepherd's Bush, bought some unissued shares and joined the board; QPR rallied and, with Ian Holloway their manager, won promotion to the Championship.
Gianni Paladini told me that, like Caliendo, he was looking for a new challenge, and examined Port Vale and Derby - which also has a loan from the ABC Corporation, £15m - then eventually offered £670,000 for 10% of QPR. The club, facing another red tax bill, accepted the investment hungrily.
This barely staunched the financial problems, however, so then, arranged by Caliendo, the two New York-registered vehicles, Barnaby and Wenlock, paid £1.7m for 29.9% of QPR, most of which went straight to the tax man.
In August, following boardroom upheavals, Power quit, Mark Devlin was made redundant as chief executive, and the last London-based director, Kevin McGrath, resigned last month. QPR's directors now are Paladini, the former Brazil captain Dunga, representing Barnaby, and Gualtiero Trucco, a 34-year-old based in Monte Carlo, representing Wenlock.
The club and its fans are reeling from a series of revelations, particularly about ballooning agents' fees paid out since Paladini became more closely involved. In the six months to June 30 2004, the Football League's list of agents' payments show QPR paid just £12,000 altogether. Then, from July 1 2004 to June 30 this year, QPR paid £320,935 in fees.
Many of the payments were to agents who are friends or former associates of Paladini. Brian Hassall, a Midlands-based agent, was involved in a long-running legal claim against Paladini, which was eventually settled, and he was paid the highest single fee, £60,000, when QPR signed the Danish striker Marc Nygaard at the beginning of this season.
Paladini told me the payment was absolutely legitimate and not connected to his legal battle: "Brian and I settled it, now we are friends, and of course I deal with people I know. Ian Holloway was looking for a big lad, Nygaard was at Brescia, I checked him out with Roberto Baggio, who said he would be perfect for English football. When you sign a player, you pay agents, that's how football works. Now, after all this fuss, we will try not to do it in future, but all the deals were above board and in the best interests of QPR."
All the agents' payments are understood to have been registered with the League, as required by the rules, except one, £10,000 paid to Paladini's close friend Mel Eves when QPR signed Dean Sturridge from Wolves. Paladini explained that Eves was acting for QPR as a dealmaker and so the payment did not need to be registered.
The League is understood to have discussed QPR's situation with the FA's financial advisory unit, but neither the FA nor the League is taking any action currently. "We are monitoring the situation," a League spokesman said.
Paladini told me that he, Caliendo and the investors, are the only game in town: "What have we done wrong? Put money in to save this club? We want the club to succeed, then everybody, including the investors, will be happy."
Talks have begun with a developer about possibly relocating from Loftus Road and building a new stadium in White City, which may clear QPR's financial problems and make them money. Paladini said he could understand, "100%", fans worrying that, in the hands of former agents, their club might be used to make money by moving players in and out.
But he said: "Nothing under the table is going on. If anybody thinks there is, let them bring the evidence. But, actually, isn't it better to have people in who know football and have made a living out of it? Clubs got into a mess partly because rich people, who knew nothing about football, put money in - and they got ripped off."
david.conn@guardian.co.uk. Additional research: John Hooper....
Guardian

Antonio Caliendo on Del Piero

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Channel 4 - Del Piero has Inter option
Saturday 13 October, 2007

Respected football agent Antonio Caliendo has failed to rule out Inter as a possible destination for Alessandro Del Piero.
The Juventus captain has been linked with a host of clubs in recent weeks while he struggles to reach a compromise with the Old Lady over a new deal and it seems that Inter may also be keen.
Although the great rivalry between the two clubs intensified in the aftermath of the Calciopoli scandal, Caliendo has sensationally claimed that the Nerazzurri may be in the running should the No 10 become available.
“I’ve heard the rumours that Milan want him, especially as boss Carlo Ancelotti is a great fan of Del Piero which is an important factor,” he noted.
“However, I wouldn’t exclude another solution – I’m talking about an interest from Internazionale.”
Del Piero’s current contract in Turin expires in June which means that he could become a free agent should no extension be signed.
Although both parties seem willing to continue with each other, the Bianconeri are reportedly unwilling to meet Alex’s £3.2m a season wage demands.
“Juventus need to take a concrete step forward if they really want to keep him,” noted the man who has represented the likes of Roberto Baggio, Diego Maradona and David Trezeguet in his career.
“Alessandro has no problems really as he is a champion who has given all of his career at Juventus. He just needs to listen to what they tell him.”
The Italian international, dropped from the squad for tonight’s Georgia qualifier, is clearly a wanted man.
Despite his age – 33 next month – the likes of Palermo, Brescia and even QPR have been linked with swoops. Chanel 4

Football Italia Blog - "Thanks and Goodbye?" Blog

Calciomercato.com - Del Piero: Briatore wants him at QPR, Zamparini 'I’ll take him even tomorrow'
Maurizio Zamparini is also adding his name to the list of presidents who love Alessandro Del Piero. The world champion, currently having issues with his contract renewal with Juventus, scores with everybody. Palermo’s chairman, interviewed by Sky, said he is interested in Alex, and did not exclude a possible transfer to Sicily. "I will take Del Piero even tomorrow morning - added Zamparini – I couldn’t pay his salary, but with the help of some sponsors, it would be feasible."
Alex Del Piero is also the dream of new couple Briatore-Guidolin at QPR, reveals the Daily Mirror.
A budget of 20 million pounds (over 28 million euro) has been given to Guidolin who may try to acquire the Juventus champion.
As if this is not enough, there is also the issue of the contract renewal with Juventus that, at this moment, seems at a stand still.
A non-favourable situation could be a signal for a sensational exit of Del Piero after 15 years at Juve, with QPR ready to take advantage of it. However, the tabloid is the first to say that this could be an unrealistic possibility, because of the international level of the player. In fact, he is not only Juventus’ symbol, but also one of the most famous players in the world. A fine marketing man as Briatore, perfectly knows that having Del Piero would enhance the international fame of QPR.
There are two elements to reinforce Guidolin’s hope of succees with Del Piero: the arrival in England of Franco Ceravolo, former collaborator of Luciano Moggi, and, most of all, the contact that might have established a couple of days ago between Antonio Caliendo, one of the former QPR owners, and Del Piero. Calciomercato.com

And in Italian Caliendo 'Del Piero? Non escluderei l'Inter'
"Quale futuro per Del Piero?
Antonio Caliendo, procuratore in passato di giocatori come Baggio, Trezeguet e Maradona, non crede alla pista inglese (Queen's Park Rangers) e sposa quella italiana. ''Il Milan? Ancelotti è sempre stato il sostenitore numero uno di Del Piero - ha spiegato Caliendo - e questo è un fatto importante. Ma io non escluderei anche un'altra soluzione. Ossia un interessamento dell'Inter''. Quanto alla trattativa con la Juve per il rinnovo, Caliendo non ha dubbi: ''E' la Juve che deve fare un passo concreto per tenerlo. Alessandro non ha problemi, è un campione che ha dato tutta la sua carriera alla Juve. Del Piero deve solo ascoltare quello che gli dicono'' Yahoo

Yahoo Italia -" Briatore regala Del Piero a Guidolin? Caliendo: "Più Inter che Inghilterra" And an English translation from Italian

Ex-QPR Holdings Chairman, Antonio Caliendo Again Speaking

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As noted on the Italian QPR blog, QPR Italia

Goal.com - Google/Web Translation
Major projects to Qpr Flavio & Bernie? Meanwhile there is to settle Caliendo: "So far I have not yet seen a pound!"
The former owner asks the balance Briatore: "The same Ecclestone said that I should 2 million."
Since the Queens Park Rangers was detected by danarosa pair of engines Briatore & Ecclestone, the supporters of the prestigious London club have begun to dream new scenarios glory.
. Even Founded in 1882, Qpr in over 120 years of history has put in a dashboard only League Cup nell'ormai distant 1967. Meanwhile there is to regain the top flight, then the new property will try to climb the steps dell'elite Premier, perhaps confirming that at the helm Gigi De Canio that this year has pulled off the team by dry the Championship relegation zone.
But a shadow on the actual intentions of those who took over the club comes hours from the statements controversy by Antonio Caliendo, a former owner of Qpr: "Despite nine purchases and a great battage advertising, is concluding the season at the same level of last year. MORE that promotion! And then it would be better that I pay. So far I have not yet seen a pound and the same Ecclestone said that I should 2 million. " Maybe it's better than fans expect for a moment before you turn off the lights ... Web Translation

GOAL.Com - Italian
Grandi progetti al Qpr di Flavio & Bernie? Intanto c'è da saldare Caliendo: "A tutt'oggi non ho ancora visto una sterlina!"
L'ex proprietario chiede il saldo a Briatore: "Lo stesso Ecclestone ha dichiarato che mi devono 2 milioni".
Da quando il Queens Park Rangers è stato rilevato dalla danarosa coppia dei motori Briatore & Ecclestone, i tifosi del prestigioso club londinese hanno cominciato a sognare nuovi scenari di gloria.
Fondato addirittura nel 1882, il Qpr in oltre 120 anni di storia ha messo in bacheca solo una Coppa di Lega nell'ormai lontano 1967. Intanto c'è da riconquistare la massima serie, poi la nuova proprietà cercherà di scalare i gradini dell'elite della Premier, magari confermando al timone quel Gigi De Canio che quest'anno ha tirato fuori la squadra dalle secche della zona retrocessione della Championship.
Ma un'ombra sulle effettive intenzioni di chi ha rilevato il club arriva ora dalle dichiarazioni polemiche di Antonio Caliendo, ex proprietario del Qpr: "Nonostante nove acquisti e un grande battage pubblicitario, sta concludendo la stagione allo stesso livello dell'anno scorso. Altro che promozione! E poi sarebbe meglio che mi pagassero. A tutt’oggi non ho ancora visto una sterlina e lo stesso Ecclestone ha dichiarato che mi devono 2 milioni". Forse è meglio che i tifosi aspettino un attimo prima di spegnere le luci... Goal.com

Also:

March 2008 - Caliendo Speaking
Earlier Antonio Caliendo (and Caliendo blog)

Caliendo Asks About His QPR Payments...Ex-QPR Birthdays..."On This Day" Flashbacks

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- See also: Flashback I: Seven Years Ago, QPR's FA Cup Humiliation........ Flashback II: Three Years Ago; Nine QPR Players Booked......QPR Fans Fly in From The Gulf .....Ben Sahar Update.......Examining the Rise of Hull......West Ham Could be in Financial Trouble

- As noted on the QPR Italia blog: Antonio Caliendo is asking about payments (English Web Translation) --- And in the original Italian:
Antonio Caliendo is asking about payment !

English Web Translation: Caliendo to Briatore: "When you pay me?"
CALIENDO A Briatore: WHEN PAID MY CREDIT?
Can you tell us when will paid my debts? Briatore can deny that QPR was bought for 90 million and say what he really paid myself and my associates to buy the club? I hope that answers will not wait"
. The prosecutor and former chairman and shareholder of Queens Park Rangers, Antonio Caliendo, so back with a long note on the property of another English club.
"I agree - writes Caliendo addressing Briatore - when claims that football in England is a business, starting from the stadium property that can create wealth in different ways. In that respect we are still waiting for permission to go with our experts for the evaluation of it, so far denied. It 'a business also sell shares of QPR! can say what he earned from the sale of my shares of QPR by Mr Mittal? Can you tell us if you are giving more shares to other potential buyers and at what price ?
La Repubblica.it The Repubblica.it

- See also: Caliendo's October blog postings re payments


Birthdays Today: David Seaman, Ian Evatt and Justin Channing-

David Seaman Turns 45:
Born November 19, 1963. Signed by Jim Smith from Birmingham for £250,000 in 1986. Seaman made his QPR debut in the club's 5-1 defeat at Southampton (future QPR forward scoring a hatrick on his Southampton debut). Seaman played almost 150 league games over 4 seasons before he was reluctanctly allowed to join Arsenal for £1.3 million in May 1990 (where he played 400+ league games). Seaman was also capped 75 times by England


Ian Evatt turns 27
Born November 19, 1981). Signed from Chesterfield for about £150,000 in the Summer of 2005. Played 27 games for QPR in his first season season. Joined Blackpool last season, initially on loan, and then permanently.


Justin Channing Turns 39
(Born November 19, 1968) The defender/midfielder played about 50 games over a number of seasons for QPR before joining Bristol Rovers. Channing made his QPR debut in the 1986-87 season. He best season was 1989-1990, where he played 23 games for QPR.


Some Recent "Missed" Birthdays

Bobby Turpie - 13 November 1949
QPR apprentice who made 2 QPR appearances in 1969/1970. As Tony Currie said in an interview on QPR's Official Site: "I first joined QPR on amateur forms when I was 14 to 15 years-old. Then when I left school the Club didn't think I was good enough to sign as an apprentice. Instead, they signed Bob Turpie who was a mate of mine and went to the same School as me. So I then had to go and work for a small building firm..."


Keith Pritchett - 8 November 1953
Signed by Dave Sexton from Doncaster in 1975, he made four appearances
in the 1974/1975 season before being sold to Brentford


Bryan Williams - 5 November 1955
Signed by Frank Sibley from Bury in 1977/1978. Spent one season with QPR before being sold to Swindon

Michael Mahoney Johnson - 6 November 1976
With QPR in the late 1990s. Eventually joined Portadown in 2000.


Visit the QPR Report Messageboard for additional articles and opinions

Ex-QPR Board Snippets: Unhappiness With Dunga?...Caliendo Change?

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News of QPR's former Director, Dunga, from today's Guardian: "Fans call for Dunga's head as Brazil stutter in World Cup qualifiersNational newspapers decry coach's 'campaign of shame'"
"... A day after Wednesday's goalless draw against Argentina in a World Cup qualifier, Brazil fans are calling for coach Dunga to be fired.
After two straight defeats, Dunga, who captained Brazil when they won the World Cup in 1994, needed a convincing win to erase the painful memory of Brazil's 2-0 drubbing at the hands of Paraguay last Sunday. Instead he got a stadium full of jeering fans shouting "Goodbye Dunga", and complaining about the team's lack of creativity and lacklustre play...."


Antonio Caliendo: There were reports last week suggesting that Antonio Caliendo was claiming he was still owed money from the new owners of QPR. There were brief reports in Italy; in the Sunday Mirror and also on a June 11 posting on Caliendo's apparent blog -- "Ex-QPR Chairman Again Claims Has Yet to Be Paid"

However if you now visit the apparent Caliendo blog that posting appears to be no longer there and the latest posting is June 6. (The apparent Caliendo June 11 post CAN still be viewed at Caliendo - google cached.

Also: "Ex-QPR Holdings Chairman Antonio Caliendo - A Brief Look Back"


Elswhere: Ex-QPR Chairman, Chris Wright
Story from the end of May, 2008 re Chris Wright and Chrysalis: "Bid costs increase Chrysalis losses Chrysalis spent $1.78 million on advisers

And from Last Autumn: Still involved with Wasps, but "Chris Wright No Longer WASPS Chairman"

"Caliendo Replies to Briatore"

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From the Blog of Antonio Caleindo

Caliendo risponde a Briatore
Ottobre 1, 2008 · Nessun Commento
In relazione all’articolo comparso su SportsPro del mese di Agosto a cura di Tom Rubython e Graham Fudger, dove il Sig. Briatore esprime une serie di giudizi poco lusinghieri nei confronti dei precedenti azionisti del Queens Park Rangers, da lui recentemente acquistato.
Quanto detto dal Signor Briatore non corrisponde al vero. Al momento opportuno chiariremo pubblicamente l’effettiva transazione avvenuta durante il passaggio di proprietà delle azioni a questa persona ed ai suoi soci, la quale oggi è in mano ai miei avvocati.
Antonio Caliendo
Ex-Chairman del Queens Park Rangers

ENGLISH VERSION
Caliendo replies to Briatore
Regarding the article appeared on SportsPro of the month of August 2008 by Tom Rubython and Graham Fudger, where Mr Flavio Briatore express some appreciations not particularly pleasant on the former shareholders of Queens Park Rangers, that he recently bought.
- What said by Mr Briatore doesn’t correspond to the truth. On the right time we will expose publicly what really happened during the conveancy of the shares to this person and his partners, the question is now on the hands of my lawyers.
Antonio Caliendo
Ex-Chairman of QPR→ Nessun ComentoCategorie: Calcio estero Caliendo Blog


Interesting Excerpts re Owners' Reported Perspectives re Football - - Post on BBC606 offering Some Excerts from the SportsPro article in general which cites some of the reported views of Briatore and Ecclestone


- SportsPro Magazine (Not the specific article in question)


Also:
- July 2008 Statement on Antonio Caliendo's Blog,


- Past Caliendo Claims/Complaints