Quote:
Shelbourne pull the plug
Emmet Malone
Soccer News: Italian lawyer Giovanni Di Stefano says he will weigh up whether to invest in one of a couple of other Eircom League clubs that have contacted him after talks with Shelbourne were ended by the Tolka Park outfit.
In a letter to the controversial 50-year-old, Shelbourne chief executive Ollie Byrne expressed surprise that Di Stefano had revealed that negotiations regarding an investment were ongoing and Byrne said the club were not now in a position to proceed with a meeting planned for yesterday morning.
Speaking to The Irish Times while in Dublin yesterday afternoon, Di Stefano said he had merely confirmed something put to him by a reporter who he presumed to have been briefed by somebody at Shelbourne.
He said, however, that he respected Byrne's right to withdraw from the talks and added that: "I note that it (the letter) said there have been a number of other expressions of interest in investing in the club since my involvement became public. Well, if I've done good for Irish football then I'm delighted and very proud."
He said that two other clubs had been in touch with him regarding the possibility of him making an investment.
The owners of Waterford United had, he said, sought to sell to him "lock, stock and barrel," two months ago but he is not interested in taking full control of a club. Another unnamed club (rumoured to be Drogheda United) had been in touch over the weekend, he said, and he intends to follow the matter up over the next few weeks.
Darren Kelly (26) is set to join Stockport County on a two-year deal when the Irish League season ends next month. He is out of contract at Portadown.
Meanwhile, Everton have confirmed that the squad for the friendly game against Bohemians at Dalymount Park tonight will be made up almost exclusively of reserves and academy team players.
Tickets will be available at the turnstiles this evening with admission €20 for adults and €10 for children and OAPs. Members and season ticket holders will be admitted free.
The English PFA teams of the year included Newcastle's Shay Given in the Premiership team while Gary Kelly of Leeds and Kevin Doyle of Reading made the Championship team and Kevin Maher of Southend made the League One side. Grimsby's Michael Reddy was selected for the League Two team.
© The Irish Times
