Massimo Cellino, the Leeds United owner, took his capacity for farce to new lows today when he sacked a manager, appointed another one and then found he had been banned by the Football League.
It is the second time that the Italian has failed the Owners and Directors’ Test. After studying the court judgment of a €40,000 fine handed to Cellino over non-payment of VAT on a Land Rover, the League disqualified him.
Cellino has until October 28 to fight the charge, although he has been here before. He was banned from last December until March over failing to pay import duties on a boat called Nelie. He claims the Football League has a vendetta against him.
On a day of high drama and low farce, it emerged that Celino had sacked Uwe Rösler after the 2-1 home defeat to Brighton on Saturday. Steve Evans, the former Rotherham United manager, took training today and is the sixth manager of Cellino’s 18-month reign. Rösler lasted 12 games which is a decent effort by recent standards at Elland Road. He said today that his parting was not by mutual consent.
Shaun Harvey, the former chief executive of Leeds United and Football League board member, declared an interest and did not take part in the discussions about Cellino’s fate.
Advertisement
Evans becomes the sixth head coach of Cellino’s 18-month reign as the club owner. Those preceding him include Brian McDermott, effectively sacked twice, and Dave Hockaday, plucked from obscurity and returned there after six games.
“All I can ask the Leeds United supporters to do is to give me the benefit of the doubt,” Evans said. “Perhaps I wouldn’t be the chosen manager for many Leeds United fans - I had butterflies in my stomach driving into Thorp Arch this morning.
“I can understand why they may think that, but the only thing that matters to me is what happens on the grass.
“As I proved at Rotherham and as I proved at Crawley, if I win football matches then people will embrace me. It’s always about winning football matches.”
Rösler had been assured that his future was secure earlier this month, but that ended after Saturday’s defeat by Brighton. The German had not overseen a home win this season and, with Cellino’s trigger-happy history, it was a case of when not if.
Advertisement
Evans, the former Rotherham United manager who left the club in September, took training this morning at Leeds’s Thorp Arch training ground. Cellino, speaking on BBC Radio Leeds, said the Scot will sign a rolling contract and added: “We have a good team. I like his [Evans] passion, fight and he is determined.”
Cellino has done well to find the time to sack Rösler as he has three court cases pending. One of those, which involves embezzlement and forgery relating to a temporary stadium used by his former club, Cagliari, is due to be decided next month. Another involves a £75,000 tax duty on a boat named Lucky 23.
Cellino has had a mixed relationship with Leeds fans. Although a convicted fraudster, who was initially banned from taking over Leeds due to failing the owners and directors’ test, many warmed to his charisma, money and the fact he was not GFH, the previous owners.
David Haigh, the former managing director who had spent more than a year without charge in a Dubai jail over a “breach of trust” row with GFH, was sentenced to two years in August. He maintains his innocence and has appealed.
The drama is to be expected at Leeds. Not long ago Haigh was seeking arrest warrants for two other GFH executives and there has also been talk of Iranian money contravening United Nations resolutions, spy cameras in the boardroom and, going back to another era, a bizarre story of a plot to reduce the wage bill by kneecapping club stalwart, Gary Kelly. And then, in February, rumours surfaced that Russell Crowe might be thinking of buying the club.
Advertisement
In April it emerged that Neil Redfearn, the longest-serving manager of the Cellino era who lasted over six months, was considering quitting. His assistant, Steve Thompson, had been suspended and it was reported Redfearn had been told he could not play star striker, Mirco Antenucci because he was a goal away from triggering a bonus clause.
Cellino was initially barred from taking over Leeds after failing the owners and directors’ test due to another tax case regarding another yacht. He has been talking to parties about selling the club. Red Bull have ben mentioned while Allan Clarke, the FA Cup-winner, put his weight behind a bid by Leeds Fans, who are seeking £10 million from supporters to gain some fan ownership of the club.
Another fight Cellino has picked is with the Football League. He has said Leeds will only make the minimum 2,000 tickets available for away matches in protest at the League’s policy on live matches. Cellino says Leeds lose money from regular appearances on television and is using the club’s large travelling support as leverage.
Evans, meanwhile, gave his thoughts on Cellino in an interview with the Yorkshire Post last year. “If you are a Dave Hockaday, Darko Milanic or whoever you are – if you take the job under Massimo, you know the rules; he picks the players, you coach the players.” He then added: “I pick the players, whether they come, whether they go and our chairman supports that. The minute he doesn’t support it, I go.”
Curiously, Evans has also had tax issues. In 2006, while manager of Boston United, he pleaded guilty to conspiring to cheat the public revenue out of £250,000. He received a 12-month suspended prison sentence. Boston gained promotion to the Football League amid claims their players had been paid inflated wages.