Football owners hardly get the limelight of the media as their work is not often direct, it’s more behind the scenes. However, Massimo Cellino is an exception and has found himself always in embedded in controversy. The Italian is contemplating an 18-month suspension from all football-related activities after the Football Association revealed that a disciplinary panel convened in September had found the Leeds owner guilty of breaching agent regulations.
The 60-year-old will be banned for 18 months and fined £250,000 for breaching football agent rules. Ross McCormack, who now plays for Aston Villa, is the player who is involved in this case.
Cellino, currently close to selling a 50% stake in Leeds to his countryman Andrea Radrizzani who is a businessman and a co-founder of a media-rights group MP & Silva, denies breaking the FA’s rules by facilitating the payment of £185,000 to an unlicensed adviser of McCormack but the two-day Wembley hearing chaired by Nicholas Stewart QC disagreed.
If the appeal is rejected by the Football Association, the ever controversial Cellino will be banned from playing any role at Elland Road until 1 September 2018 and, in addition, must attend an FA education programme. Whatever the outcome, it is likely that the offloading of shares to Radrizzani, who says negotiations are already “advanced”, will be accelerated.
The FA said in a statement, “Mr. Cellino has been suspended for 18 months from being a director or shadow director of Leeds United or any other football club or company whose activities include ownership of a football club.
“By 30 April 2017, he is to attend and complete an FA education programme covering the duties and responsibilities of an owner and director of an English football club.”
This is the third time the 60-year-old Italian has been imposed a ban by the FA since taking over the Elland Road club in April 2014. If the decision is upheld, his suspension means he will not be able to return to his position at Leeds until 1 September 2018. Agent Derek Day has been fined £75,000 for his role in the transfer of McCormack and banned for 18 months.
Twitter reacted to Cellino’s ban. Here are some of the best tweets on the incident.
I’m not a Leeds fan, and there are more serious problems in the world, but I still find it staggering that the pow… https://t.co/7XdNfUXK7q
— West Yorks Images (@PaulWYI) December 9, 2016
Leeds owner Massimo Cellino banned from football for 18 months
https://t.co/nmiSbtoNpM— Al-haji Ismail (@Alfaenshe) December 9, 2016
Massimo Cellino banned for 18 months by the FA. #lufc pic.twitter.com/IkzJHFMQbz
— LeedsUtdPics???? (@LeedsUtdPics) December 8, 2016
Massimo Cellino thinks he’s not guilty. He also thought he wasn’t guilty of tax evasion, unfair dismissal and sexual discrimination. #lufc
— Josh Akers (@joshakers93) December 7, 2016
Just when the team is flying trust Cellino to bring negative news on the club. Time to go Massimo
— Richard Silverwood (@SilversRef) December 8, 2016
Massimo Cellino is appealing. And it’s not very often you can say that #lufc
— MrPaulRobinson (@MrPaulRobinson) December 8, 2016
Massimo Cellino has been banned for the umpteenth time and people still refuse to take the fucking hint
— Oscar (@OscarMaleham) December 8, 2016
Confirmation of Cellino’s ban. #lufc https://t.co/taN0v6yvsr
— Time To Go, Massimo (@TimeToGoMassimo) December 8, 2016
Massimo Cellino, a man with more appeals to his name than Blue Peter #lufc
— MrPaulRobinson (@MrPaulRobinson) December 7, 2016
@DuctileDoubloon imagine a Leeds united with no massimo Cellino and no Giuseppe Bellusci. BRING BACK REDDERS
— Jack (@jackclark_07) November 28, 2016
