Staines Town?

[Sir Rebel1965]

Something strange going on at Staines - their website is down, but twitter has the club has closed down due to URGENT STATEMENT  "modern Slavery breaches"?

 

Has someone hacked them or is there a true story behind this?

[GlenSTFC]

https://twitter.com/facupfactfile/status/1508774916509904911?s=21&t=ZYztOPlvrjrm6CI0M9Bghg

[Sir Rebel1965]

From my boy William - "The landlords have been found guilty of corruption in FIFA to the tune of £36M and suspected of human Trafficking, slavery and all sorts" - not sure of the accuracy of these statements, so should be treated with caution until proven one way or the other.

Glenn - thanks for link

Edited March 29, 2022 by Sir Rebel1965

[Stuntman Mark]

Blimey!

[Sir Rebel1965]

Sorry it is long:

 

"URGENT CLUB STATEMENT

29th March 2022 by

Staines Town Football Club (STFC) regrets to announce that pursuant to third party breaches of Section 54 of The Modern Slavery Act 2015 and other information that has come to light, we are forced to temporarily suspend all primary operations including but not limited to competitive fixtures, until a thorough investigation into the practices of Downing LLP has been concluded by the relevant authorities.

 

In the first instance, STFC has an obligation under The Modern Slavery Act 2015 to ensure that our business and supply chains are free from human trafficking and slavery. Our actions, as a full member of The English Football Association (The FA), are compliant and fully concur with The FA statement on Slavery and Human Trafficking (See attached below). This statement and the adherence to The Modern Slavery Act 2015, has also been adopted by every other National Football Association within the United Kingdom and its major member clubs.

 

Of particular interest to those involved at all levels of football, both within the UK and globally, it has also come to our attention through both substantive and vast evidence from various sources, that Downing LLP, who control and fund the operation of our Landlord, The Thames Club, may be involved through its other holdings in the financing of large scale bribery and corruption. This includes the current funding of a Swiss Bank with international operations that has been found guilty in the United States Federal Court of conspiring to launder over $36 million USD in bribes to officials within the Fédération Internationale de Football Association (FIFA) and other football federations.  These bribes were in furtherance of a scheme in which sports marketing companies bribed football officials in exchange for broadcasting rights to football matches.

 

After the guilty verdicts were handed down, The US Attorney’s Office described the scandal by saying, “The business and its employees facilitated bribes and its compliance department turned a blind eye to glaring red flags of money laundering. This Office will hold accountable those corporations or individuals that use the American banking system for corrupt ends. As today’s resolution makes clear, financial institutions that become complicit in their clients’ efforts to launder illicit funds face significant penalties.”

 “Today’s resolution sends a strong message to all financial institutions that if they knowingly misuse our financial system to hide their clients’ criminal proceeds or to promote a corrupt scheme, they will be held to account. From the time of the first FIFA-related indictment, the Department has promised to hold accountable the financial institutions involved in this global criminal scheme. We are delivering on that promise.”

“The business pursued the profit it could make laundering corrupt funds derived from a criminal scheme run by powerful FIFA officials. Their behaviour has earned them the equivalent of a red card, and the money the bank now owes the U.S. government is more than double what it admits to laundering. The FBI operates globally with our international partners, and our message to those who may be looking to profit from similar schemes is simple – the penalties for this type of play are steep. Stay within the rules.”                 

“The guilty party aided corrupt FIFA officials in laundering over $36 million. Officials that are a conduit for criminal activity undermine their own profession and the health of our financial system. The Bank’s admissions show that IRS Criminal Investigation will relentlessly pursue corruption across borders, including financial institutions that facilitate or conceal criminal activity. This should put others on notice that aiding in corruption will cost you millions.”  

 

Elsewhere, we have also been provided with vast amounts of evidence, that Downing LLP, may be involved through its other holdings in the financing of Environmental Crimes, Price Fixing, Deforestation, Forced Evictions, Human Rights Abuses, Child Labour, Slavery, Gender Discrimination and Murder.

 

Subsequently, we also believe that Downing LLP may be guilty of Fraud through deliberate misrepresentation of its core ethics to induce prospective investors into allocating capital to them. This includes but is not limited to its ESG representations, its UNGC membership and its 12 Responsible Investor Principles.

 

Amnesty International after years of thorough investigation, described one of the companies that Downing LLP has invested in, in the following terms, ‘They have built their business on a foundation of human rights abuse. They have also profited from abuses that took place during their investment and in some cases these businesses have colluded in the commission of human rights abuses and engaged in and profit from serious human rights abuses.’

 

As a separate matter we also have reason to believe that Downing LLP may have breached the Russia (Sanctions) (EU Exit) (Amendment) Regulations 2022, as Downing LLP seems to have been involved in obtaining a benefit from carrying on business of economic significance to the Government of Russia as well as carrying on a business with a Government of Russia affiliated entity.

 

There are further grounds that Downing LLP, may have, through its holdings, made funds and economic resources available to at least one designated person and engaged in activities that circumvent an asset freeze under UK statute.

 

This follows nearly four years of actions against STFC by Downing LLP through its holdings in The Thames Club, that includes but is not limited to the purposeful derogation of STFC rights granted under the terms of its lease. This has included the removal of several major sources of club revenue and facilities that should have been available to STFC, alongside other negative actions, all of which have been previously well documented by STFC. All of this has had a severe detrimental effect upon the financial running of the club and hence, negative team performances and all other club business.

 

As a result of the clubs downward spiral, we have suffered defamation, ridicule, threats and abuse, much of which we have had to accept in the knowledge that the general public were not aware of the appalling depths to which Downing LLP operations have seemingly sunk to via its apparent funding of the most heinous, nefarious and barbaric crimes within our society.

 

STFC believes that the strategy of Downing LLP, (who seem to have proven via its investment holdings in a business that was found guilty of the bribery and corruption of FIFA officials, that they have no regard whatsoever for a community football club or for the greater good of football), is to execute the purposeful and controlled decline of STFC and thus realise the land value at Wheatsheaf Park through development. We have spent vast amounts of our own external capital, with almost no operating income at the Club, to secure the future of STFC through the purchase of the freehold at Wheatsheaf Park, which has thus far been blocked at every turn.

 

We are also obligated to comply with the legislative position within the provisions and stipulations of Section 54 of The Modern Slavery Act 2015 and as a result, we must reiterate, that until the necessary government and institutional investigations have proven beyond reasonable doubt that Downing LLP is not funding modern slavery, and that STFC, its business and supply chains, are free from human trafficking and slavery, we must temporarily suspend our primary operations until the conclusion of this process, which we expect to be treated as a matter of absolute urgency.

 

STFC are a multi-cultural and diverse club that has employed staff across all ethnic and religious backgrounds. We have been at the forefront of initiatives that are inclusive of disadvantaged and oppressed communities. It is simply unconscionable that either as individuals or as a FA affiliated member club, that we can continue to operate at Wheatsheaf Park under an insolvent Landlord, whilst they remain managed and funded by the UK investment fund, Downing LLP.

 

Until absolute resolution is guaranteed, STFC will not go back to Wheatsheaf Park and play beneath the bloodied shadow of the profits of slavery, child abuse and all else. It simply will not be tolerated and is offensive and unacceptable in every form. Everyone associated with such practices must be stopped in their tracks and brought to book with urgency. This needs to start with the enablers of such acts who appear to operate with complete impunity under our noses, here in the United Kingdom.

 

 

 

Turning a convenient blind eye to these abhorrent practices must come to an end. STFC sincerely hopes that The Football Association, The Isthmian League, Spelthorne Borough Council and all other relevant bodies, agencies and individuals will fully support us in this decision, in compliance with both the law and our zero tolerance policy following the red flags raised since conducting the relevant risk assessment of the information provided to us about Downing LLP, whose Chairman and Founder, Nick Lewis and CEO, Tony McGing, have consistently refused the opportunity to discuss and address these matters with us in a private setting.

 

In the public interest and for the purpose of transparency, we have attached all correspondence and related evidence below."

 

These are the words taken from the statement on Staines Town FC's site and are not mine.

Edited March 29, 2022 by Sir Rebel1965

[SloughFlyer]

Reading all the statements and the main club 1 it is 100% real.

When we have been going to see them over the past few months and speaking to their fans / volunteers, the owner lives in the US and has had a problem with the Thames Club for ages. The culminated in him(Staines Town FC) losing a court case and putting the club into £150k+ debt to the Thames club via legal fees.

The owner obviously didn't agree with that result and there has been issues ever since. The owner had put down there was to be a Travellers Cup held throughout the summer following the T+Cs of the lease of the ground, which would have seen many, many travellers decend on the site (anyone who questioned this were labelled a racist). IMO it was a clear attempt to upset the Thames Club as I'm sure we are all aware of the issues created by the Travelling community.

It now seems, looking at these statements the holding group that own the site etc are in big legal problems and once again the owner is looking to use this.

Through talking to the guys at the club it was pretty clear than unless something drastic changed this would have been the last season of Staines Town FC playing in its current form as the fans of the club were ready to walk away a whole ago. I suspect that this has just come a month earlier than expected.

Will be interesting to see how it plays itself out in the end, but I suspect from the very bad tones coming from all parties this maybe the end for the club.

 

[Shredding Green]

59 minutes ago, SloughFlyer said:

Reading all the statements and the main club 1 it is 100% real.

When we have been going to see them over the past few months and speaking to their fans / volunteers, the owner lives in the US and has had a problem with the Thames Club for ages. The culminated in him(Staines Town FC) losing a court case and putting the club into £150k+ debt to the Thames club via legal fees.

The owner obviously didn't agree with that result and there has been issues ever since. The owner had put down there was to be a Travellers Cup held throughout the summer following the T+Cs of the lease of the ground, which would have seen many, many travellers decend on the site (anyone who questioned this were labelled a racist). IMO it was a clear attempt to upset the Thames Club as I'm sure we are all aware of the issues created by the Travelling community.

It now seems, looking at these statements the holding group that own the site etc are in big legal problems and once again the owner is looking to use this.

Through talking to the guys at the club it was pretty clear than unless something drastic changed this would have been the last season of Staines Town FC playing in its current form as the fans of the club were ready to walk away a whole ago. I suspect that this has just come a month earlier than expected.

Will be interesting to see how it plays itself out in the end, but I suspect from the very bad tones coming from all parties this maybe the end for the club.

 

The bottom of Isthmian League South-Central is made up of some big names from the past and some up and coming ones :-

14.Guernsey Pl 29 W8 D7 L14 F48 A58 -10 Points 31
15.Sutton Common Rovers Pl W9 D3 L18 F42 A69 -27 Points 30
16.Westfield Pl 31 W5 D12 L14 F33 A46 -13 Points 27
17.Tooting & Mitcham United Pl 31 W6 D7 L18 F35 A51 -16 Points 25
18.Chalfont St Peter Pl 31 W5 D3 L23 F28 A75 -47 Points 18
19.Staines Town Pl 31 W4 D2 L25 F29 A106 -77 Points 14

[Stuntman Mark]

Downing LLP have responded - https://www.downing.co.uk/news/downings-response-to-the-allegations-by-mr-dixon-on-the-staines-town-football-club-website

[Sir Rebel1965]

Glad we are not involved with this as it looks like both sides have an axe to grind.

Downing LLP do have various investigations looking into their business both in the UK and USA, so looks like this has some miles to run yet.

[Rebellier]

Interesting to see that 'murder' was only placed last in that long list of alleged involvements. ?

[3spirit]

Sad to see such a well run football club [when the Boons ran it] to be turned into this shambles. Feel for the Staines Massive.

A news report on the dispute was on BBC's South East news last night.

[SloughFlyer]

Or not so massive if the games we have been to are anything to go by 3spirit. Very few fans at all there which I guess is understandable given the current situation.

The league has now met and have postponed Saturdays home fixture for Staines against Chipsted. From the league statement they are looking for Staines to play their away games and ae willing to help them play home games at a neutral venue.

This will rumble on........