IPOH – Perak Football Club (Perak FC) owner − Impact Media & Communication (IMC) Sdn. Bhd. − will be holding further discussions tomorrow with a special purpose vehicle (SPV) to finalise the takeover of the club.
Perak FC board of directors chairman Khairul Nizam Mahmood said the discussion is seen as a drastic change from when the company earlier demanded proof of funds as an initial condition to continue the takeover process.
“After a detailed evaluation, the club management was satisfied with the purchase transaction, which is expected to give attractive returns to IMC as the existing owner.
“The management also found the transaction for takeover involved a reasonable cash provision apart from support commitment of Perak FC to debtors and shareholders,” he said in a statement today.
However, Khairul said the agreement is subject to discussion between the two parties and any decision would be signed before April 14, which is the last day before a deduction of six points by the Malaysia Football League (MFL) is carried out.
At the same time, he stressed that IMC is entitled to continue meeting other potential buyers as well as look at alternative takeovers by other parties.
Besides that, he said despite being aware that no proof of funds in the takeover agreement would cause the decision to be rejected by the MFL, nonetheless, it continued due to pressure by various parties, including fans and former players.
“They (fans and former players) were seen as being very confident and felt assured with the financial strength of the prospective buyer,” he said.
On March 31, Perak FC chief executive officer Muhammad Yunus Zakariah denied the club rejected meeting with any individuals interested to buy Perak FC and his party needed buyers to submit proof-of-funds documents earlier before any negotiations could be carried out.
Recently, Perak FC, who played in the 2022 Premier League, was involved in an ownership takeover and became the first club to be punished with a three-point deduction after failing to pay the remaining salary arrears of team players and officials as well as reserves for the 2021 season. – Bernama, April 10, 2022