Breaking Cardiff City Chairman Mehmet Dalman Speaks:

Cardiff City Chairman Mehmet Dalman interview by Scott Johnson

Saturday 21st January 2023

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Dalman: “ I’m a non-executive chairman, so I have no executive powers.”

“Vincent Tan has all the final decisions.”


Tan & Dalman want to give New manager Dean Whitehead a chance


viewtopic.php?f=2&t=231766





To start with the most topical question first, are you able to explain what was behind the decision to sack Mark Hudson? He was appointed after a run of six defeats in eight and was sacked after one defeat in seven, so results were actually better when he was dismissed than when he was hired.?

You’re better off asking that question to Vincent Tan, as he makes those decisions. He is better qualified than I am to answer that.






How will Hudson’s departure affect Cardiff’s plans for the transfer window? Will the lack of a permanent manager during the next couple of weeks likely harm Cardiff’s chances of attracting new players?

There is a partial embargo in place, which means we can’t buy players. Long before any managerial changes, the targets were discussed with coaching staff and the executive team. Those targets are still valid because Dean Whitehead was part of that process and there is continuity. From the club’s point of view, we will try and execute the targets we have and we’ve only got two weeks to go until the window closes.





Ahead of Steve Morison’s appointment, you said that you felt that hiring such an inexperienced manager was a risk that you were uncomfortable with. Obviously, Hudson was also inexperienced. Do you still stand by that belief?

Yes, I do.





What is the plan with regards to Mark’s replacement? Are the club once again considering in-house options, or is a managerial search underway?

There is a search underway, but the owner wants to give the current manager a bit of time before we decide.






What are Cardiff looking for in a manager? In recent years, the club has tended to fluctuate between experience and potential. Are Cardiff looking for specific qualities this time round, or are they looking at all options?

We are looking at all options.

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There has inevitably been links with Neil Warnock for the role. He still to this day speaks very highly of you and the perception is that you have a regular dialogue with him. Is that the case and is he a consideration? There is both a great deal of support and some opposition to that idea.

Nothing is off the table. On a personal basis, I like Neil and talk to him on a regular basis, but my personal dialogue is very different to my professional dialogue. If it’s not Neil Warnock, I think we probably need a Neil Warnock type that is able to lead this team because leadership is so important right now.



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I still find the Emiliano Sala situation very upsetting and I appreciate that it left Cardiff in a very difficult and complex, both legally and morally, situation. The first instalment was recently paid. What is the latest and is there a time frame for the remaining payments?

It’s very complex. FIFA initially ruled against us and found Emiliano to be our player, but when we went to CAS, it was with two very clear arguments. One is that he wasn’t our player and second, if he was, how do we get compensated for paying so much money, having not received the player. At the CAS hearing, they said they could deal with the first point, but were not qualified to deal with the second. We said that was unacceptable and appealed. The appeal came back and said that he was our player, but they were not going to make a decision on the second part of the argument.

We have gone to the federal court in Switzerland and we asked them to review this and make a judgement on who pays the bill. That is what we’re currently waiting for. While we wait for that, the second and third instalment depends on that decision. If the decision goes against us, we will pay these instalments. If the decision is made in our favour, there will be no more payments.

The Premier League are not willing to pay any death in service insurance because he wasn’t registered with them. His contract says you’re a Cardiff City player if you’re registered with the Premier League, so how are we held accountable if the contract is not deemed valid by the Premier League? There is also a criminal investigation going on and if that uncovers anything of substance, the payments are held until the outcome in a criminal court. If we lose the appeal, we are then free to take legal action in the civil court.

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If Cardiff didn’t have the money, why was the transfer sanctioned in the first place?

When we bought Sala, we were in the Premier League. I did not support the signing of Sala. He is the only player I never authorised and the reason was because I thought the amount of money was too much. I didn’t think we could afford it. We were throwing the dice in the hope that he would keep us in the Premier League. Don’t forget, we got relegated by only one point.








When Cardiff appealed against Sala’s ownership, did the club consider the reputational damage that might follow, or was it ultimately a matter of principle and financial concern to pursue those claims?



My view is that you’ve got to do what is right. At the end of the day, I sit on the board of Cardiff City Football Club and I’ve got to act in their best interests. Also, in the best interests of the truth. We acted honourably in terms of buying a player, who was put in an aeroplane that was not fit to fly, with a pilot that was unqualified and they both died. I think we’re morally entitled to ask why we’re the only people paying for this.

Out of this money, £3-4m is going to agents. The inquest has already found that David Henderson was guilty and he is now in jail. Willie McKay organised everything and we still have to pay his agent fees. I don’t think that’s right. I said from the beginning that if we have to pay, we will pay, but first of all we have to test that. We will honour and obey the decision of the court. My moral obligation has to be to do the right thing by the club and get to the truth.

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On a lighter note, I wanted to ask about the pursuit of Gareth Bale in the summer. It sounds like his representatives reached out to LAFC and then Cardiff. How did that transpire and were Cardiff able to put together an attractive proposal?


The two agents that represent Gareth Bale came to see me and both of them I know. They said ‘here is the proposition, what do you think?’ We all got very excited and between his agents and us, I think we put together what was a very attractive offer for both sides. Quite honestly, we were surprised when he decided to go to LAFC because the conversations we had were so positive. They were very professional and Gareth was brilliant. He rang up to confirm his decision, we respected it and wished him well. We did try, but I think he made a very personal decision and wanted to be in LA.








Since Brexit, Cardiff and other clubs running a category two academy are losing all their best players to bigger clubs, who are no longer able to sign players from abroad until they’re 18. It also appears that Welsh clubs are having trouble loaning players from English clubs as they’re now essentially considered as overseas transactions. If that is the case, shouldn’t Welsh clubs also benefit from protection for their academy?

Of course they should. I think Steve Borley and Ken Choo are looking into this and we’re waiting to hear back.








There is also concern that yourself, Vincent Tan, Ken Choo and Steve Borley all have other business interests and that Cardiff is not anyone’s primary focus. Who is responsible for overseeing operations on a daily basis from Cardiff?



I’m a non-executive chairman, so I have no executive powers and neither does Steve Borley. A chairman is not there to manage the business, the chief executive and executive team have the executive powers. At board level, we can tell the executive team what to do or not to do, but the daily responsibility is with Ken Choo and Philip Jenkins.

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There were news reports last year relating to interested parties with a view to buying the club. Is that an ongoing situation, or is there nothing to report on that front?




Vincent has been very consistent on this. He has always said that everything is up for sale, apart from family. He also wants to leave the club in a better position than when he took over. We haven’t really had any discussions with anybody which fulfils that criteria. We’ve had interest, but at a valuation that felt unreasonable.

There have been a few unannounced meetings with representatives from the various supporters clubs recently. A lack of communication and transparency is a long-standing criticism of the club and part of the reason why I have reached out to you. Cardiff are often measured against Swansea, who meet with fans several times a year and have broadcasted meetings on YouTube in the past. Why are the club not more forthcoming with meetings or information regarding the club and their actions?

As you can tell from this conversation, there is nothing that I’m not happy to talk about. We used to have regular meetings with the supporters groups, but I stopped being an executive and a gap developed. There is no reason for why we don’t and I’m more than happy to talk to anyone that supports my club. Maybe we should do a Zoom call where people can ask questions and we have done in the past.








I sat in on a virtual fan forum just after the appointment of Mick McCarthy and you were asked what Cardiff’s plan was at the time. You said the club didn’t have one, but the appointment of McCarthy would allow the club to put one in place and it would be circulated in due course. So, to finish, what is the current plan at Cardiff City?

I think the reason why Vincent went for the likes of Steve Morison and Mark Hudson is because he wants a young, forward-thinking, attacking football manager. What I tried to explain to him and the board is that if that is what you want, that requires a different structure. Warnock’s style of football was very particular and Morison’s was very different. To make that transition is not an easy one. You need to have patience and stay the course.

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Unless Scott Johndon has shortened/tidied up the MPs answers then that 'interview' shows The MP to be what he is, uninterested, uncaring, not bothered and proving Tan is in complete control of EVERYTHING.

From that I take it We are not looking for a replacement, Whitehead will be given a go, he doesnt know why Hudson was sacked ( or probably who he was).

All this talk of Allardyce and Ismael seems to have been just that... talk. As if we thought Tan and his clowns wanted to save the club eh?

**note - I replied after the first post, did not see the following answers!

Unless Scott Johndon has shortened/tidied up the MPs answers then that 'interview' shows The MP to be what he is, uninterested, uncaring, not bothered and proving Tan is in complete control of EVERYTHING.

From that I take it We are not looking for a replacement, Whitehead will be given a go, he doesnt know why Hudson was sacked ( or probably who he was).

All this talk of Allardyce and Ismael seems to have been just that... talk. As if we thought Tan and his clowns wanted to save the club eh?

Jonny,

Same old same old Dalman / Boris answers , Nothing knew , unbelievable.

Sala is a very interesting one , contract says he had to be registered as a premier league player but he wasn't,also if Dalman is a non executive chairman why is he paid ? .

Some of those replies are very concerning and shows MD is simply a Tan puppet and clearly doesn't understand how a football club should be run.

Unbelievable:


What is the plan with regards to Mark’s replacement? Are the club once again considering in-house options, or is a managerial search underway?


Dalman:
There is a search underway, but the owner wants to give the current manager a bit of time before we decide.

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Seems to me Dalman has virtually given up on the club

His “nothing to do with me gov” answer’s just seen to some him up as a person who can’t be arsed to even try to fix the problem

Some of his answers are very worrying for all City fans and if Whitehead is given the managers job we are in real trouble

I’m starting to really dislike Tan..he really is steering this club into oblivion…it’s a major concern

Just read the interview on the train on the way to Cardiff.

Seems to blame everything on everyone else because he's not an executive anymore.

Confirms everyone's worst fears that Tan wants to give Whitehead time. I can't see anything but relegation and very difficult times ahead for the club if Whitehead gets the job.

Says that Tan will never let us go into administration.

He never wanted to sign Sala because he thought the fee was too high and the only transfer he didn't sign off on.

Repeats his view that appointing young managers like Morison and Hudson was too risky.



But as ever with Dalman, difficult to attach much weight to anything he says. Never know when he's telling truth. As others have said, he's just like a politician with the things he says.

My view is there is now a split in the board, but VT rules on everything, probably the only thing tying MD to Cardiff at this moment is his loans

Unless Scott Johndon has shortened/tidied up the MPs answers then that 'interview' shows The MP to be what he is, uninterested, uncaring, not bothered and proving Tan is in complete control of EVERYTHING.

From that I take it We are not looking for a replacement, Whitehead will be given a go, he doesnt know why Hudson was sacked ( or probably who he was).

All this talk of Allardyce and Ismael seems to have been just that... talk. As if we thought Tan and his clowns wanted to save the club eh?

Jonny,

Same old same old Dalman / Boris answers , Nothing knew , unbelievable.

Tan giving Whitehead time says it all really.
We are definitely getting relegated with this dictator calling the shots on every decision.

TAN OUT, hope the protests are loud and proud today

Nothing in there to give any comfort to City fans at all.

30 applicants for the manager's job?

Looks like they haven't even bothered opening the letters or the emails yet.

I keep asking the question as to whether any interviews took place before Hudson was appointed and I can't help feeling that yet again there is absolutely no urgency being shown by the club who want give Whitehead a chance FFS.

How many times do they need to make the same mistake?

What a bunch of clowns we have running our club.

Reply FB:

There are hundreds today

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This is a normal corporate structure. You have an executive board that runs the business on a day to day basis, the a non-executive board that take a monthly oversight, maybe one day a month. The non-execs are normally paid but not as much as it is only a few days.

Another normal structure would be major decisions are run past the board or even the main shareholder, in our case Tan. The executive CEO Choo is the person who should develop the strategy decide on the options and the one they want to proceed with and present that to the board for approval.

This is not a special CCFC structure. What is interesting is Dalman seems on several points to say... I told them!

For me the Executive structure is the one that needs a shake up...

In my opinion the executive day to day board should be:

CEO
Chief Financial Officer
Chief Operating Officer
Chief Commercial Officer
Director of Football and Recruitment
Chief "Supporter" or Customer Officer

This way you have oversight of finances, the day to day function, how we're selling the club and generating revenue, clear football direction and a view from the customers - the fans

Now these jobs don't have to be full time or roles can be combined.

Currently we have the first two only at that exec level.

I think Choo's Executive team need to build that plan and get it approved and share it with us... The customers.

It should include:

A commercial strategy

A football strategy including player development, style of play, culture within the football structure, type of players we want from a talent, fitness, analytics and attitude etc

Our financial strategy, funding, revenue projections, impact of bringing the commercial and football strategies together

The supporter director should just be a passive board member going there to complain. They need to develop a the engagement strategy with the fans, but importantly work with the fans to develop what they want.

All this could be shared with the fans, it doesn't need to be a secret let's trust the majority of the fans to be sensible, some won't be.

Create a roadmap to share and it is a plan, a plan isn't what actually happens it is something we hope will happen, if it changes let's communicate that change.

That's what I would do.

This is a normal corporate structure. You have an executive board that runs the business on a day to day basis, the a non-executive board that take a monthly oversight, maybe one day a month. The non-execs are normally paid but not as much as it is only a few days.

Another normal structure would be major decisions are run past the board or even the main shareholder, in our case Tan. The executive CEO Choo is the person who should develop the strategy decide on the options and the one they want to proceed with and present that to the board for approval.

This is not a special CCFC structure. What is interesting is Dalman seems on several points to say... I told them!

For me the Executive structure is the one that needs a shake up...

In my opinion the executive day to day board should be:

CEO
Chief Financial Officer
Chief Operating Officer
Chief Commercial Officer
Director of Football and Recruitment
Chief "Supporter" or Customer Officer

This way you have oversight of finances, the day to day function, how we're selling the club and generating revenue, clear football direction and a view from the customers - the fans

Now these jobs don't have to be full time or roles can be combined.

Currently we have the first two only at that exec level.

I think Choo's Executive team need to build that plan and get it approved and share it with us... The customers.

It should include:

A commercial strategy

A football strategy including player development, style of play, culture within the football structure, type of players we want from a talent, fitness, analytics and attitude etc

Our financial strategy, funding, revenue projections, impact of bringing the commercial and football strategies together

The supporter director should just be a passive board member going there to complain. They need to develop a the engagement strategy with the fans, but importantly work with the fans to develop what they want.

All this could be shared with the fans, it doesn't need to be a secret let's trust the majority of the fans to be sensible, some won't be.

Create a roadmap to share and it is a plan, a plan isn't what actually happens it is something we hope will happen, if it changes let's communicate that change.

That's what I would do.

Unfortunately this is Cardiff City so none of that will happen

Wants to give Dean a chance?? We are doomed then.... unless we win today of course!!

This is a normal corporate structure. You have an executive board that runs the business on a day to day basis, the a non-executive board that take a monthly oversight, maybe one day a month. The non-execs are normally paid but not as much as it is only a few days.

Another normal structure would be major decisions are run past the board or even the main shareholder, in our case Tan. The executive CEO Choo is the person who should develop the strategy decide on the options and the one they want to proceed with and present that to the board for approval.

This is not a special CCFC structure. What is interesting is Dalman seems on several points to say... I told them!

For me the Executive structure is the one that needs a shake up...

In my opinion the executive day to day board should be:

CEO
Chief Financial Officer
Chief Operating Officer
Chief Commercial Officer
Director of Football and Recruitment
Chief "Supporter" or Customer Officer

This way you have oversight of finances, the day to day function, how we're selling the club and generating revenue, clear football direction and a view from the customers - the fans

Now these jobs don't have to be full time or roles can be combined.

Currently we have the first two only at that exec level.

I think Choo's Executive team need to build that plan and get it approved and share it with us... The customers.

It should include:

A commercial strategy

A football strategy including player development, style of play, culture within the football structure, type of players we want from a talent, fitness, analytics and attitude etc

Our financial strategy, funding, revenue projections, impact of bringing the commercial and football strategies together

The supporter director should just be a passive board member going there to complain. They need to develop a the engagement strategy with the fans, but importantly work with the fans to develop what they want.

All this could be shared with the fans, it doesn't need to be a secret let's trust the majority of the fans to be sensible, some won't be.

Create a roadmap to share and it is a plan, a plan isn't what actually happens it is something we hope will happen, if it changes let's communicate that change.

That's what I would do.

supporter director should just be a passive board member"

Should've been this, couldn't edit it for some reason...

"supporter director SHOULDN'T just be a passive board member"

This is a normal corporate structure. You have an executive board that runs the business on a day to day basis, the a non-executive board that take a monthly oversight, maybe one day a month. The non-execs are normally paid but not as much as it is only a few days.

Another normal structure would be major decisions are run past the board or even the main shareholder, in our case Tan. The executive CEO Choo is the person who should develop the strategy decide on the options and the one they want to proceed with and present that to the board for approval.

This is not a special CCFC structure. What is interesting is Dalman seems on several points to say... I told them!

For me the Executive structure is the one that needs a shake up...

In my opinion the executive day to day board should be:

CEO
Chief Financial Officer
Chief Operating Officer
Chief Commercial Officer
Director of Football and Recruitment
Chief "Supporter" or Customer Officer

This way you have oversight of finances, the day to day function, how we're selling the club and generating revenue, clear football direction and a view from the customers - the fans

Now these jobs don't have to be full time or roles can be combined.

Currently we have the first two only at that exec level.

I think Choo's Executive team need to build that plan and get it approved and share it with us... The customers.

It should include:

A commercial strategy

A football strategy including player development, style of play, culture within the football structure, type of players we want from a talent, fitness, analytics and attitude etc

Our financial strategy, funding, revenue projections, impact of bringing the commercial and football strategies together

The supporter director should just be a passive board member going there to complain. They need to develop a the engagement strategy with the fans, but importantly work with the fans to develop what they want.

All this could be shared with the fans, it doesn't need to be a secret let's trust the majority of the fans to be sensible, some won't be.

Create a roadmap to share and it is a plan, a plan isn't what actually happens it is something we hope will happen, if it changes let's communicate that change.

That's what I would do.

supporter director should just be a passive board member"

Should've been this, couldn't edit it for some reason...

"supporter director SHOULDN'T just be a passive board member"

Well you are not called Einstein for nother.

A good read that and your setup does read soundproof.

No urgency from tan then lets see how mr whitehead gets on
sacked hudson with no plan after watching the wigan game talk about impulsive.

Does Dalman have any purpose? Any at all? What does he bring?

Does Dalman have any purpose? Any at all? What does he bring?

He should bring oversight of Choo and the executive. Ultimately sign off large spends, budgets and strategies... Theoretically yes but the corporate structure appears to be broken and hence we knee jerk in the short term.

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More slippery than a wellie full of eels.

Really really worrying .Wtf is going on there should be a manager in place by now .Not hoping Whitehead can pull us out of the shite.no point sacking Hudson

DEANO


You ask whats going on

" CHAOS"

Seems to me Tan control everything at at cardiff city. Ive said it loads he needs a director of football and a football person.There is no football person at our club .Tans thinks hes a football person and he aint a clue at all.The longer he makes all the decisions the long we will be in this hole.
Tan is never gonna learn or listen to anyone because once hes made up his mind its final no matter what .
Its so frustrating for the fans wish he would just listen and get someone in to give the right guidance but its never ever gonna happen.
Tan is stifling cardiff city .