CONTROVERSIAL LEEDS UNITED owner Massimo Cellino has been disqualified by the Football League and asked to resign from the club.
In a statement issued today, the Football League say they took the decision after an Italian court ruled Cellino was guilty of tax evasion, a disqualifying condition under its Owners’ and Directors’ Test.
Cellino had successfully appealed a similar decision in April 2014 but, at a meeting last week, and having examined all the documentation from the case, the Board of the Football League took the unanimous decision that Cellino should be asked to resign.
Many Leeds United fans have bemoaned Cellino’s time in charge of the club with managers Brian McDermott, Dave Hockaday, and Darko Milanic all shown the Elland Road exit door since May.
The 58-year old has two weeks to appeal the decision but the club has already responded with the following statement:
“We have today received a notice from the Football League disqualifying Mr Cellino from being a director of Leeds United Football Club until 18 March 2015.
The club is in the process of taking legal advice on the reasoning of the decision. In the interim, the club notes that nothing has changed since the decision of the Football League’s Professional Conduct Committee in April 2014.
The steps that the League wishes the club to take – to remove Mr Cellino only to re-appoint him in three months’ time – will be destabilising for the club, its supporters and sponsors and cannot be in the best interests of any party.”
