FC Torrevieja, FAO Mr Peter Fulford, SAMM Inc

Letter to the Editor sent by Steve Hall

Dear Mr Fulford,

I have been a football fan for 45 years and a FC Torrevieja Fan since 2003. I have visited over 100 grounds in the UK and at least the same globally. I am involved in football 24/7 with a United Nations initiative. I therefore deal with clubs great and small on a daily basis. I see the "good, bad and ugly" in football.

In common with many Torrevieja fans I was excited that a "white knight" appeared to be coming on the scene.
In common with many Torrevieja fans I am now totally confused as to what is happening. It seems impossible to get any FACTS concerning a number of my (our) concerns. Those in Torrevieja who know me will know I am BIG on FACTS. There are actually many who know me around the town from Neighbourhood Watch, The Torry Army, Los Costaleros, ThisIsSpain Exhibitions, The Newcomers Club etc. Ask around - people will tell you that I WILL get the facts on SAMM and this takeover.

Where do I go to for these FACTS?
Your official website is hopelessly out-of-date and regular official statements are not forthcoming. The only one that was released recently was completely blown-apart by your own presidente. I have not seen or heard an in-depth press/radio interview with you and what I read in the match day magazine leaves me ambivalent at best.

Perhaps you would be kind enough to address these questions in a transparent and direct manner.

1) The Company.

a) Where is the "company" registered and what is the registration number? It is NOT registered at Companies House in the UK and cannot be traced in the USA. For a company that we were told had 20 years´ trading this is strange.

b) You issued a statement saying that you have been given no ultimatum by the council to regularise this "purchase" by the 16th April. You deny that. Yet your president Sr. Pedro Martínez admits to the email having been sent. What is the truth?

2) The Finances

a) Why have you not paid the players as you promised? Your "election pledge" to the socios was to pay the players and the creditors. You have not done so.

b) Why was the 5th February deadline YOU set to pay the players not adhered to?

b) Due diligence. The last reason we read that you had failed to pay the players was that you still had not completed due diligence. Before I came to Spain I worked for a 200 year old internationally trading PLC. Due diligence is carried out BEFORE you announce you have "bought" a business. Why did you not complete due diligence?

c) Amounts available to fund FC Torrevieja. We hear talk of SAMM Inc being "worth" 20 million euros/dollars/GBP (?). Excellent. As soon as you advise us as to where the company is tax-resident, I will be able to ascertain the veracity or not of that statement. If I had 20 million to invest in football clubs, I could have picked up Portsmouth, Southend, Chester City, Vera, Poli Ejído or a whole raft of higher profile clubs. In reality you could have had your pick of at least half of the 72 clubs in the Championship, League One and Two and hundreds in Spain too. Why did you choose FC Torrevieja?

d) Whatever your finances are I am perplexed as to why your organisation would need to "borrow" 10,000 euros from the Torry Army. This is a peña (legally registered with the Valencian authorities "sin ánimo de lucro") which has been well run by professional people for a number of years. Fortunately they had the 10,000 euros available to pay the players!!! Why, however, would you NEED to borrow money when you have up to 20 million at your disposal?


3) Mr Tommy Taylor

a) In a number of local publications we see Mr Taylor mentioned as "the manager". Friends in the Real Federación Española de Fútbol (Royal Spanish Football Association) in Madrid state that he is not registered with them. This information is in (or not in this case!) the public domain. To be the "manager" of a Spanish professional side, he would have to be registered. Perhaps they have made a mistake. If so, what is Mr Taylor´s registration number? If he is not the manager, what is his role?

b) I have to say I feel a bit sorry for him. He claims to fine players for disciplinary matters. How can you fine players you have not paid?

4) The Results

a) I am sure that you must be disappointed with the results since you took over. Now, since it was announced that Mr Taylor was in charge 12 games have been played, 12 points gained and a paltry 10 goals scored. The side had 25 points from 19 games before his arrival. I could continue - ONE win in NINE games. Before the arrival of SAMM we were in with a very real chance of a promotion play-off spot. Would you like to comment on those figures. These and other equally disappointing figures are available at www.futbolme.com

b) In the light of the above Mr Taylor´s statement in the Coastrider "under the experienced eye and tutorage of the vastly experienced Tommy Taylor they are making progress".
Do you consider a relegation dog-fight when we should have been scrapping for a play-off spot as "making progress"?

I would be grateful for your earliest response.

Kind Regards

Steve Hall

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