Higgs Trust Join The Blame Denials

Last updated : 03 August 2007 By Covsupport

The Alan Huggs Trust have bcome the latest outfit to deny slowing up the takeover process. The Trust spear-headed by Sir Derek Higgs, Chairman of the Alliance and Leicester as well a director of Coventry City FC (Holdings) Ltd and Arena Coventry Limited have denied speaking to Manhatten since March.

"This whole thing about valuation and blockages really saddens us," said Clerk to the Trustees and ACL Director Peter Knatchbull-Hugessen to the CT. "If anything is to work in Coventry we have to stick together and work together to get the thing to go forward.

"If we fight against each other like fractious children, and say things that actually are not right - are inaccurate and known to be inaccurate - then it only causes upset, confusion and certainly does not make any deal for the football club any easier.

"And it gives the people of Coventry the wrong idea. "The discussions that I have seen on websites and heard on local radio have been so off the mark because people have been given a false trail. "There is no valuation. There is no blockage because no one has talked to us for four months. "We have had things in the press saying we have locked the door, but no one has come to it."

"The Ricoh is the jewel and it is important that it carries on being the real engine for regeneration in the city.

"It can't be held hostage to fortune for anything. "Not the football club or any other kind of business and that's why we and the City Council are so determined that any prospective purchaser has the same vision. "At the moment this is the kick-start and the stimulant to regeneration. The first three years have shown phenomenal growth.

"The charity is not here to support any private business or company. It is here to give growth to the people of Coventry.

"And that is why if there was someone who was prepared to come along at the same time and invest and work in partnership with the council, or by themselves if the city council decided to sell as well, the trustees would be prepared to do that because then we could put the money released into other projects in Coventry. "No one gains personally from the charity at all. It just goes into other projects such as the Alan Higgs Centre, which was paid for by the charity."