angelman

Yup - you missed a big one. No movie is complete without a love interest. You need to include a hooker/masseuse.

So you go into a meeting with the FSA to set up a bank or whatever, and you turn up without a lawyer, accountant, translator or anyone else and without being able to speak the language properly??? Hmmm. Smells like bull's hit to me, because I can't imagine anyone is that stupid or naive.

Out of interest has Antonov handed himself in yet. The warrant has been out for a while now, so would have thought that he would have handed himself in so that he can clear his name, presuming of course that he is innocent!!!

Hypo, it was well known that the FSA refused his bank a licence to operate in this country because of concerns on money laundering and not being transparent enough. If the FSA said "no", surely that should have been good enough for the FA. However, I get the feeling that they are rightly trying to keep a club alive and kicking and the only option might well have been CSI. They must have been amazed that anyone did come forward. With "their" man in place, maybe they thought that they could control it, cos God only knows why else Lampitt is there. Why would he choose to give up a job at the FA?

I wouldn't have thought so. There are rumours and supposition that you have to be a member of a certain religious cabal (ie the same as Putin) to get on.

I take your point, but with your example of London, I am afraid that the influence of international buyers also adds to the problems as well as people with any spare money. Property is generally a good investment and it really isn't the top earners that are pushing the prices. When the £ got near parity with €, the number of houses sold to overseas buyers (esp from France) went through the roof. This is what REALLY annoys me about the argument about football players. Why can't they get another job after they have hung up their boots. Saying that they have a short playing career is a hugely spurious argument. In the good old days, they seemed to be able to get jobs. Publicans, posties, physios, pundits, whatever. And as for not being able to avoid tax as well as company directors, I think that that you are being a little naive. But the point I agree 100% with, is the corporation tax issue (but that is wholly different to what is being discussed). I don't earn these figures, so am not coming from that angle. I still think that it isn't a closed shop and it is open to one and all. Sure certain people have less hurdles than others, but if you have the drive then you can make of yourself what you want. I know people who got off their backsides and are up there - no university degree or anything, taught himself the City exams etc. I put this all down to jealousy, although rewards for failure is something I have never agreed with. Maybe that is the perceived issue and not the actual wage itself? I imagine that the nice restaurants, car dealers etc are quite pleased people get paid a lot. Then these people can in turn get paid well, and spread the money down the chain, employ people etc.

Fair enough, but then I could ask how someone's pay, for example, at a FTSE100 company affects anyone else and what business it is of their's (unless they are shareholders)? The thing I love about this is that no one seems to mention the likes of a certain Mr Tevez (not a unique example) who earns a reported £269,000 a week (or just shy of £14 million a year), which I would have a guess might be post tax but frankly that is irrelevant. Why are footballers seen any different from FTSE company CEOs and other boardrooms? Could it by any chance be a politicised? Expanding from Tevez, there was this article: http://www.dailymail.co.uk/sport/football/article-2055140/Premier-League-wages-FIVE-times-Championship.html The most pertinent bit: Average Premier League wages have reached £22,353 a week - before lucrative bonuses - or £1.16million a year.

It's not up to politicians to do this, it's up to the shareholders.

Is getting rid of a tax break really a raid on pensions?

What/who is "Sinita on IACGMOOH"?

Priceless. So absolutely nothing to do with the apparent disappearance of nigh on ½ billion US dollars then. I think most countries need a wee bit more than $500m to get out of trouble, but that amount is just fine on an individual level. However the sums involved are significant. Lithuania has a GDP of $36.3 billion, so $0.5bn disappearing represents a serious percentage.

Out of interest, have the owners actually been to Fratton Park yet and does he go to any of their games? I know that he trotted out some bull about being really busy, but you would have thought that if you had bought a football club that you would turn up on a regular basis.

of course not, otherwise that would be libellous!!! Taking a step back and a dispassionate view of things, why would PFC be bought ahead of a myriad of other clubs? Sure any nefarious goings on could be done at other clubs, but i would have thought that the waters are already so murky at PFC, that it might be more attractive for those reasons. As a business, PFC is a basket case. I would rather buy Plymouth cos at least they have a nice ground, albeit their league position isn't, ummm, that good!

OK, OK. But seriously, can you tell me if you know of ANYONE who has ever failed the test?

As US$58m went overseas in the past few days, I think that there might be quite a few! Forensic accountants, Customs, criminal the whole shebang.

What I can't understand is the FA's FAPPT. What on earth do you have to do to fail it? Antonov was prevented by EU/Sweden from taking over SAAB. The FSA refused Antonov to set up in this country. Surely someone can see this and see that there is/was potentially a problem? As it is, it seems that Antonov's bank is down US$450m I reckon with a little bit of embellishment, anyone could pass it (as has been demonstrated even by those that don't exist) http://www.thefa.com/TheFA/RulesandRegulations/FARegulations/NewsAndFeatures/2009/~/media/Files/PDF/TheFA/Rules_Regs/FAFitProperRegs1011.ashx/FAFitProperRegs1011.pdf

Is this the same bank who had it's registered offices above a music shop in the arse end of London's suburbs? I imagine that Mr Antonov might well be in a little hot water. Authorities tend to take rather a dim view of banks who misbehave and misappropriate funds (I recall BCCI, admittedly that was on somewhat of a larger scale). I am not saying that that has happened of course, at least not until the investigation is done and dusted.

There were plenty of other clubs that they could have bought, but maybe not at the price they paid. In fact I would have thought that of the 92 league clubs, nearly all of them outside of the PL are "for sale" and most of those in the PL are as well. As no one really knows how much they paid, or even what they bought, it is hard to know their reasoning. Certainly they haven't invested heavily in the club, or invested really at all. They had to buy a player or two, but as far as the infrastructure goes, they are talking Mickey Mouse stuff. Doing up the loos etc but even then it is on such a shoe string budget that it is risible. At least there appears (for the time being) some stability and such things as players wages are being paid.

Moral of the story: don't sell a car claiming it can sale through an MOT that it doesn't have, and on an advert play up the "sold as seen" bit. Mehball - your mate who is doing the small claims court bit. Word of advice as to be a bit careful. Driving the car (away from St. J) without tax, insurance or MOT is kinda against the law. Maybe he was covered but.....

Why not get an oil filled radiator? If the room is relatively small, it doesn't use too much electricity and they come with thermostats built in.

Can I be pedantic (or not)? Slander is spoken, libel is written - so you should have written "libellous ********". HTH

Weetabix and warm milk wasn't as good as Weetaflakes and warm milk when I was growing up. Might have just been crushed up Weetabix in the first place but 30+ years tends to fog the brain on such unimportant things. Normally - Shreddies (with cold mile) without sugar. relatively low in salt/sugar. Naughty - Frosties.

yes, I think you are right.

To clear it up as I might not have been clear (even to myself ). The law recently changed to say that your car either has to be taxed or on a SORN. You can't leave an unroadworthy car off the road. In order to be taxed, a valid MOT and insurance has to be in place. From Directgov. He knowingly sold an unroadworthy car.

So you sold a car without an MOT or SORN, which is illegal, not the selling but the fact that the car's status was. The buyer should have checked and refused to drive it away, so he too broke the law as it had no MOT and therefore very doubtful any insurance.