THE man at the centre of an undercover TV expose about improper attempts to buy English football clubs expressed an interest in Coventry City.
Thai-based businessman Joe Sim featured as the front man for a company called London Nominees Football Fund * and backed by former England and Manchester United skipper Bryan Robson * in Channel Four's Dispatches documentary, How to Buy a Football Club.
A team of undercover reporters posed as investors who wanted to buy a League One or Championship club with a view to gaining promotion to the Premier League within three to five years and then sell up, making huge profits from the cash windfall of reaching the top flight.
The bogus investors were offered nine clubs in all, including newly relegated Sheffield United, Leeds, Cardiff and Leicester.
Although the Sky Blues were not mentioned in Monday night's programme, Gary Hoffman * the life-long City fan currently trying to lead a takeover at the Ricoh Arena * revealed that one of Sim's representatives contacted him recently to express an interest in Coventry.
He said: “I did have a phone call about six weeks ago saying that a chap called Joe Sim, who I now know to be the person involved in the programme How to Buy a Football Club, had just failed to buy Sheffield United and he's very interested.
“He said, `Gary, would you be interested in talking to him about Coventry City?' I did a very short piece of due diligence, as I do on everyone, and I decided not to have a conversation with him, which should be of some comfort to our people.
“So I did have an approach and I said no. People have to realise we have got serious people interested.“
Thai-based businessman Joe Sim featured as the front man for a company called London Nominees Football Fund * and backed by former England and Manchester United skipper Bryan Robson * in Channel Four's Dispatches documentary, How to Buy a Football Club.
A team of undercover reporters posed as investors who wanted to buy a League One or Championship club with a view to gaining promotion to the Premier League within three to five years and then sell up, making huge profits from the cash windfall of reaching the top flight.
The bogus investors were offered nine clubs in all, including newly relegated Sheffield United, Leeds, Cardiff and Leicester.
Although the Sky Blues were not mentioned in Monday night's programme, Gary Hoffman * the life-long City fan currently trying to lead a takeover at the Ricoh Arena * revealed that one of Sim's representatives contacted him recently to express an interest in Coventry.
He said: “I did have a phone call about six weeks ago saying that a chap called Joe Sim, who I now know to be the person involved in the programme How to Buy a Football Club, had just failed to buy Sheffield United and he's very interested.
“He said, `Gary, would you be interested in talking to him about Coventry City?' I did a very short piece of due diligence, as I do on everyone, and I decided not to have a conversation with him, which should be of some comfort to our people.
“So I did have an approach and I said no. People have to realise we have got serious people interested.“