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Angelo Massone

Angelo Massone
Born
Italy
NationalityItalian
OccupationLawyer

Angelo Massone is an Italian lawyer best known for his controversial spell as owner of Scottish football club Livingston.[1]

Career

Ownership of Livingston FC

In 2008, Massone was part of an Italian consortium that became majority shareholders of Scottish football club Livingston. Another member of the consortium was Tommaso Angelini, the son-in-law of former Livi manager David Hay.[2]

On 30 June 2009, the club faced a deadline to clear unpaid debts to West Lothian Council who owned Almondvale Stadium.[3] After that was not met, legal proceedings were carried out against the club to come to an arrangement over the debt within fourteen days or potentially face again going into administration.[4]

Livingston were placed into administration on 24 July 2009 by the Court of Session in Edinburgh,[5] and faced relegation to the Third Division, a points deduction or being removed from the Scottish Football League entirely.[6]

On 27 July 2009, it was revealed that the club were likely to go into liquidation after Massone said he would refuse a £25,000 offer for the club from their administrator.[7] On 28 July 2009, Massone yet again refused the offer and the administrator subsequently started the liquidation process.[8] on 30 July 2009, a meeting with the Scottish Football League secured their future, as they agreed to allow prospective new owners Gordon McDougall and Neil Rankine, part of the Livingston 5 Consortium, to run the club for the following season. The following day, Massone sold his shares to the new owners and left the club.[9]

Previous majority shareholder, Pearse Flynn, apologised to supporters in 2012 for selling the club to Massone, and claimed the Italian still owed him money to cover his legal costs. This related to a court case for a loan of £330k which Flynn claims he is owed by Livingston Football Club.[10]

Failed bids

In May 2010, Massone claimed to be in the process of buying Italian club AC Ancona. At this time, he also expressed an interest in buying Scottish club Kilmarnock. However, his planned takeover did not materialise.[11]

Massone submitted a bid of around £4.5m to controversial Hearts owner Vladimir Romanov in November 2012, following a winding-up order issued to the Edinburgh club over a £450k tax bill.[12] However, his bid was quickly turned down by the club, as they believed he "may not be the right person to take the club forward".[13]

In an interview with the Scotsman in July 2012, Gordon McDougall, Massone's successor as Livingston chairman, branded the Italian 'a thief' and believed he should be banned for life from being involved in Scottish football.[14] Similarly, former Livingston and Hearts goalkeeper, Roddy McKenzie, described Massone as a bully and insisted he was a 'million times worse' than Vladimir Romanov.[15]

FC Ceahlaul

In February 2015, Massone became the majority shareholder of Romanian side CSM Ceahlăul Piatra Neamț.[16]

Once again, controversy ensued as Massone sacked manager Zé Maria twice in one week. Players' wages were also withheld for two months following threats of a strike, which Massone was reported to have described as a 'slaves revolt'.[17]

By November 2016, Ceahlaul had debts of around €1.7m and had no first team manager. Massone insisted that the insolvency of the club was the only solution to save Ceahlaul, claiming that it should be seen as a new beginning.[18]

With uncertain finances, unpaid players, six coaches changed in a season and poor transfer business, the club withdrew from the league with a few matches to go until the end of the season and were relegated.[19] With their financial problems unmanageable, the club was dissolved in 2016.[20]

Personal life

In July 2012, Massone was fined £800 for a drink driving offence.[21]

References

  1. ^ "Massone bid unlikely to save Livi". BBC. 15 July 2009.
  2. ^ "Hay hesitant on Livingston future". BBC. 30 April 2009.
  3. ^ "Last-gasp Livingston appoint new manager as administration looms". STV Sport. Scottish Television. 30 June 2009. Archived from the original on 6 April 2012. Retrieved 1 October 2011.
  4. ^ "Court action to go ahead at Livingston". The Scotsman. Archived from the original on 11 July 2009. Retrieved 14 July 2009.
  5. ^ "Cash-strapped Livingston go into administration". The Scotsman. Retrieved 24 July 2009.
  6. ^ "Livingston go into administration". BBC Sport. 24 July 2009. Archived from the original on 17 December 2019. Retrieved 24 July 2009.
  7. ^ "Livi lurch closer to going bust". BBC Sport. 27 July 2009. Archived from the original on 28 July 2009. Retrieved 27 July 2009.
  8. ^ "Livi liquidation process begins". BBC Sport. 28 July 2009. Retrieved 28 July 2009.
  9. ^ "Massone's Livingston reign finally over as he sells shares for £50k". Scotsman Publications. 1 August 2009. Retrieved 1 October 2011.
  10. ^ "Livingston need honesty from Angelo Massone or they could fold, warns Pearse Flynn". Daily Record. 1 July 2012.
  11. ^ "Kilmarnock chairman Johnston confirms Massone approach". BBC. 13 May 2010.
  12. ^ "Former Livingston owner fronts a surprise bid for ailing Hearts". Daily Record. 16 November 2012.
  13. ^ "Hearts turn down Angelo Massone's offer to buy the club". The Guardian. 19 November 2012.
  14. ^ "Hearts bidder Angelo Massone 'is a thief'". The Scotsman. 22 July 2013.
  15. ^ "McKenzie: be wary of 'bully' Massone". The Herald. 17 July 2013.
  16. ^ "Massone back in the game in Romania". The Herald. 12 February 2015.
  17. ^ "Ze Maria hits out after being sacked twice by Ceahlaul Piatra Neamt". ESPN. 23 April 2015.
  18. ^ "Angelo Massone: FC Ceahlăul – under the sign of austerity". Mesagerul de Neamt. 8 November 2016.
  19. ^ "ADIO Ceahlăul. Clubul nemţean nu s-a prezentat la Baloteşti şi e exclusă din Liga 2. Final de poveste la 97 de ani" [GOODBYE Ceahlăul. The Neamț County club did not show up at Baloteşti and is expelled from Liga 2. End of the story after 97 years] (in Romanian). ProSport. 14 May 2016.
  20. ^ "Final de poveste. Exclusă din competiţiile organizate de FRF, Ceahlăul urmează să intre în faliment. Oficialii clubului vor cere asta. "Poate fotbalul va renaşte la Piatra Neamţ"" [Final story. Excluded from the competitions organized by FRF, Ceahlăul is about to go bankrupt. Club officials will ask for this. "Maybe football will be reviving in Piatra Neamt"] (in Romanian). liga2.prosport.ro. 29 March 2018.
  21. ^ "Pearse Flynn: I could've bought 12 Ferraris for what I lost at Livingston but I don't regret that as much as selling to Angelo Massone". Daily Record. 2 July 2012.
Quelle: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Angelo_Massone