Breaking News!! We have just received a Media Release from the MTN Lions… here it is:
June 28 – The Golden Lions Rugby Union today wishes to confirm that negotiations around the completion of the shareholders agreement with GUMA TAC has been terminated by GUMA TAC.
It is with deep regret that the Lions received this notification today as we as the Golden Lions Rugby Union saw the arrangement as a wonderful opportunity to embrace the new future for the Golden Lions in a vibrant new partnership.
“We have worked very long and very hard at the Union to deliver a workable final shareholders agreement” said Mr. de Klerk. We were prepared to keep working on that process, but unfortunately the agreement could be concluded.
This is a sad day in many ways, but our first concern has always been for the well being and integrity of rugby in the Golden Lions region, and until all our concerns were settled the Union felt it difficult to proceed.
Mr. de Klerk said that he could not go into commercial details but explained that the Lions leadership focus had to be on ensuring the health of rugby at all levels in the Union – not just with the marquee elements of the Lions team and playing venue.
“Producing a trophy-winning MTN Lions team remains our top priority, but there’s always a danger that you can throw the baby out with the bathwater, and our duty as a Union is to promote and develop rugby at all levels in the Golden Lions region” said Mr. de Klerk.
Mr. de Klerk stressed that the dissolving of the arrangement would not have a negative impact on the team’s preparations for the ABSA Currie Cup and that the decision would free the Union from the negotiating table to concentrate on their core responsibilities.
O poep… hier’s moeilikheid!
Been a long time coming! One has to question the ultimate motives behind both parties!
Whoowww this is a thing. Will they be able to keep their players now? Coach?
Really feel for the Lions and their supporters.
Do hope they can hold onto their players and coach. Lions played so much better this year.
What I would like to know is… how do you manage to negotiate a deal or rather fumble the very material negotiation for signing of the Shareholders Agreement for a whole 8 bloody months?
First thing I would have done, initially, is not to have announced the buy-in to the world and the Media without ALL AGREEMENTS signed and fully in place!
Who are the freegin Lawyers assisting the Lions… they need to be shot or drawn and quartered as well, for allowing this to simmer for 8 bloody months!
Do the Lions never learn from past experiences where contracts were not complete and fully binding… (Jaque Fourie, Ludik & Alberts issues).
They say that if you repeat the SAME mistakes, one has to wonder about your intelligence levels…
… I’ll go further and say that I do not wonder about that at all, I take it as clear and an absolute certainty that stupidity is at the order of the day at Lions management!
I feel sorry for the Lions players though, saddled with this inept bunch of plonkers at the top!
One side of the coin now is that MTN has willingly decided to give 30 mil over 2 years… but this begs the question, is that deal signed and sealed? If it is’nt, it would not astound me! How much of that 30 mil went to cover old debt and how much of that is already spent?
Spectator numbers were’nt exactly booming at the Coke-Tin this season… so revenue will be eaten into at a rate of knots.
Has Gumede & Co actually woken up to the fact that they are dealing with rank amatures in the Lions management and decided to pull away rather than it costing them serious money at the end for too little or no reward?
Flok, hoe doen die Lions besigheid… soos graad eentjies??
Ruik ek Vis?
6@ superBul:
Of vis of iemand het vieslik gepoep… maar dinge stink woes daar in die Lions Raadsaal!
kan dit nie wees dat iemand by die leeus gesien het wat gumede regtig is nie,n anc strooipop om wie se nek daar baie vra rondom staats teenders hang, hoe eties is hy regtig?
Dik swak!
So much for their statement that “we are here for the long term”. Kevin de Klerk must be tearing his hair out. Funding must be a huge issue….for a previously huge Union like the Transvaal, this is piss poor. Where are the Liberty Life’s and Angloplats of the world? This is excellent tv coverage, why are sponsors not lining up and insisting on being involved with management. Looks like the guys doing the managing couldn’t organise a p*ss up in a brewery. Makes me shake my head.
Smallies I am inclined to agree with you to a certain extent, Gumede and co are apparantly rotten to the core (like most) but this then begs the question as to how much homework and investigation was done by the Lions management prior to signing or were Gumede and co able to blow so much smoke up their @sses that they were unable to see clearly?
all in all I agree with GBS, it seems as if the Lions Legal representatives are useless and are not protecting their clients as they should be.
I am so sad about this as I really thought the Lions were getting their house in order, this is heartbreaking for the players and the supporters, don’t give a sh*t about the Lions Management, seem to be a lot of useless dead weight at the moment and are stuffing up what was once a proud and successful Rugby Union
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