GOM, over the road, has posted the minutes from a Sunderland Collective Meeting held on 13th June 2019 which could explain what has happened over this weekend.
The minutes also raised the question in my mind of an impending sale at a reduced asking price because the debt has been written off. I may be clutching at straws with every finger and toe crossed.
CM noted that the parachute payment money was always intended to pay off SBC bank debt, and that was precisely the “money coming back into the club” – indeed, it is precisely what parachute payments are intended to do. The fact that a paper debt has been run up is practically irrelevant, as that money was never going to be spent on players; it was always going to pay down debt, whether Ellis Short, Madrox or anyone else owned the club in June 2018. So, no, the club does not get lucky enough both to pay off its debt and then receive the same money again to spend on new players! Nor will it make any difference if a majority stake in the club were to be sold, as if the owed amount of cash were to be placed in the club it would simply increase the purchase price by that sum.
As previously stated, CM suggested that the avoidable situation was that the SPA should have left 25m debt to SBC outstanding, to be paid off over the following weeks. That not having been done, CM noted that the unavoidable situation was where the Club obviously had to abide by Premier League rules and indeed accounting rules. CM urged the Collective to focus on the big picture: the day before club got taken over, the total amount of debt was around £180m, owed to Drumaville and to SBC, the latter interest bearing. A year later there is no debt. Indeed, because of the paper debt from Madrox to SAFC, even the substantial sums that Madrox have put in over the last 12 months have not come in as new debt, but as a re-paying of that paper debt. The whole matter is cause for real celebration.
CM went on to discuss the PR handling of the situation. CM wrote in the programme notes at the start of the season explaining the situation. The deal was worth £40m to Ellis as he received £15 million and then didn’t have to pay £25m.
CM: In accounting terms, the club is now “owed” around £20 million – so in the event that any new owner came in, there will an adjustment in purchase price. If Madrox stays in charge the debt remains and gradually gets paid down. As per the above, not leaving £25 million of debt to SBC in the SPA is a big ‘win’ for the club.