Louis Tomlinson’s Deal to Purchase British Soccer Team Falls Through
by Mandi Salerno | PopCrushLouis Tomlinson’s business deal to purchase a British soccer team, the Doncaster Rovers, has officially fallen through.
In June the One Direction singer announced he would become the new co-owner of his hometown team, along with John Ryan, who had served as the chairman of the team for over 15 years.
Unfortunately, the deal relied upon the success of a crowd-funder set up by Louis, the Daily Mail reported. The goal of the Tomlinson Ryan Trust was to raise $3.4 million to support the project, but when the crowd-funder ended this morning, not even half had been fulfilled.
Per the Daily Mail, a statement was released on Thursday, July 17: “The Tomlinson Ryan Trust Crowdfunder project has failed to reach the target as set out under the terms of the funding arrangements. The result of which will be that all pledges will be cancelled and funds returned to the relevant parties. … The consequence of this is that the deal to take over the club is now in serious doubt.”
Ryan later spoke with the BBC and called the statement an “unauthorized version of the truth,” claiming the deal was cancelled because the soccer league has made it “so difficult now that unless you have a bag full of cash you are going to get turned down.”
Whatever the reason, it’s clear by Louis’ tweets that he is unhappy that his dream of being part of the team will now go unrealized.
I'm absolutely gutted the Doncaster Rovers deal is not going ahead. I am desperate for the club to be given the recognition it deserves
— Louis Tomlinson (@Louis_Tomlinson) July 17, 2014
I was explicitly told that the deal to buy the club was not dependent on the money raised by Crowdfunding . Unfortunately I was misled.
— Louis Tomlinson (@Louis_Tomlinson) July 17, 2014
My passion for Doncaster Rovers remains as strong as ever, and I hope that I can still be involved with the club moving forward!
— Louis Tomlinson (@Louis_Tomlinson) July 17, 2014
Louis Tomlinson’s Deal to Purchase British Soccer Team Falls Through
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