Looks like he's going back onto the board at Yorkshire.
A really tricky one, I understand that he undermined a racist culture as "banter", but (rightly) times have moved on.
Is his apology enough to show he has learned from his mistakes and should be given a second chance?
I think it shows the upper-echelons of their membership and leadership thought it was a load of nonsense and haven't taken it seriously.
Whether you agree with them or thing it's a kick in the teeth are two sides of the same coin, just depends on what your personal viewpoint is. I'm leaning towards option 2.
Isn't it more that he is more or less completely funding Yorkshire?
I read that they owe the Graves family Trust £15m. He has promised to put another £4m in.
[www.theguardian.com]
Given the relatively small finances in county cricket that is a lot of cash.
Anyone else coming in would have to put in £20m to buy him out.
It's a factor which means Yorkshire have to turn their back on principles, definitely.
Racist to start with racist now, if they have learned anything it will be to be bit more circumspect in their language, no more than that
With no one else willing to put money in they are stuck.
The article suggested that the only alternative was administration which if they defaulted on the loans would give him Headingly.
So effectively Yorkshire had to cede control by the members club or lose it anyway.
Apart from the EPL an awful lot of sports clubs are effectively funded by one or two people. Football clubs always have a chance of a takeover. It's not the same in cricket or rugby. If the funding is in loans and it dries up there is almost no way out. No one wants to put in £20m just to pat off the old board's loans.
Sheep2With no one else willing to put money in they are stuck.
The article suggested that the only alternative was administration which if they defaulted on the loans would give him Headingly.
So effectively Yorkshire had to cede control by the members club or lose it anyway.
Apart from the EPL an awful lot of sports clubs are effectively funded by one or two people. Football clubs always have a chance of a takeover. It's not the same in cricket or rugby. If the funding is in loans and it dries up there is almost no way out. No one wants to put in £20m just to pat off the old board's loans.
Mike Ashley was lurking in the background. A couple of my mates who are total tykes would have actually preferred that.
unlikely, the ECB have essentially said 'we dont like this but we arent going to do anything except keep an eye on you'
From what I gather his return is likely to be approved by their rather tiny membership (numbering just 3,000 these days) at a hastily arranged EGM which would allow Mr Graves to create his own board, and would allow a £1 million injection to clear some the short term debts, without which Yorkshire apparently will go into administration. I think Yorkshire would remain a members club until the AGM later in the year, but all the indications suggest that their board will seek to move to a Private limited company (like Hants, Durham and Northamptonshire) to secure its longer term financial future.
Apparently the feeling among the members is that they have no choice but to accept. Mr Graves was a popular chairman with the membership in the past and had bailed out Yorkshire financially before, and as mentioned is the main creditor. Obviously since he left Yorkshire in 2015 Mr Graves has not further endeared himself oop there, principally due to the universally disliked Hundred, but also due to his steering of the ECB's shabby treatment of Durham. From what I heard last week I think he will get the necessary majority at the EGM. Like when Lord Patel was made Chairman there seems to be little the membership can do. Most of these clubs especially the bigger test match ground ones are up to their eyeballs in debt and are run by ECB lackeys nowadays as opposed to their historic fiefdom role rubbing up against the TCCB/ECB
The racism thing sure Yorkshire were by far the biggest most obvious example at professional level although the goings on at Essex haven't totally been revealed as yet but the ECB and PCA were complicit
It's a factor which means Yorkshire have to turn their back on principles, definitely.
A pretty big factor, given the circumstances.
I think in an ideal world the cricket and the rugby league stadiums would be municipally owned and run as all year round facilities for the benefit of the local community.
An every day, all year round facility is the way most stadiums should be.
Why unfortunately? Absolutely objectionable county (cricket club that is). Plus more major matches to go round - too many clubs aiming for too few fixtures.
Colin Graves built his fortune that has enabled him to do this off the back of an awful lot of Asian shopkeepers. Not saying this makes him any more or less racist etc but he has an awful lot to thank Asians for.
They're 17 million in debt. He'll need more than Costcutters to raise that type of equity. He's only putting 1 million in up front if the members vote him in which is almost certain. Raising the rest of the money perhaps maybe half will be from bank loans but the rest is kinda where all the big county cricket clubs are sat now with 6-7 million worth of bills to pay pondering whether to make the same mistakes as 2006 when the game was hidden behind a paywall and 2018 when they concocted this new fangled format. The drive for short term cash now up front from the broadcaster in exchange for longer term slide into irrelevance. The 18 Counties plus MCC are meant to receive 1.3m per annum in hush money for not playing top level cricket for a month in a prime 3/4 week window in July August. A new agreement being reached this year will probably attach strings to that
Maybe they'll flog Headingley for development and play at Scarborough and York (Bradford too) for the foreseeable then build a new cheaper to run out of town stadium somewhere but I doubt Leeds will be happy with that situation although Leeds council just like Brum won't have any extra funds to provide/loan them