Scottish giants Dundee United are in the frame to own the Newcastle Jets after Nathan Tinkler’s messy break-up with the A-League club.
Tinkler’s Hunter Sports Group (HSG) licence to own the club has been revoked by Football Federation Australia, who will own and control the Jets’ new licence.
“HSG has behaved in a deplorable way towards the players and staff of the club in failing to meet basic obligations to pay wages,” FFA chief David Gallop said in a statement.
Dundee are understood to have been involved in talks with both Tinkler and the FFA about buying the Jets.
Gallop said the FFA would continue talks with several interested parties.
The FFA moved on Newcastle after Tinkler earlier Wednesday placed the club into voluntary administration with debts of $2.7 million.
Tinkler said Dundee were offering $5m for the club and a deal was imminent.
But the FFA’s decision to strip Tinkler of the ownership licence sidelines him from any sale.
Gallop and Tinkler have been at odds throughout a turbulent season at Newcastle, who finished last on the ladder with just three wins.
The on-field woes were compounded when Tinkler sacked seven players in January, further riling the FFA, who were already upset at club finances.
“Anyone who takes control of a sporting club has an obligation to respect the people and the traditions of that club,” Gallop said.
“HSG has failed miserably to in this regard.”
The FFA gave Tinkler’s group every opportunity to continue as the owner and operator of the licence, he said.
“But it was unable to meet the conditions required to do so,” Gallop said.
“Newcastle needs a club operating in a stable environment with certainty of resources in order to be successful and competitive … HSG has proved to be incapable of meeting these requirements.”
Tinkler purchased the Jets’ licence in 2010, and a year later assumed ownership of the Newcastle Knights rugby league club.
In June last year, the NRL took back control of the Newcastle Knights from Tinkler after he failed to get a multi-million dollar bank guarantee.
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