East Fife drop shirt sponsor

East Fife had a dispute with their shirt sponsor over the amount owed. Building restoration charity Largo Trust had agreed a deal with the Scottish club to have their logo on the shirts in exchange for £50,000. The Fifers have just been promoted from the Scottish Third Division after finishing on top, and now play in the Second Division, the third tier of Scottish football. The two parties had never actually met but negotiatitions were done over the phone or through lawyers. Apparently, Largo Trust have not paid the £50000 owed to the club, and East Fife have grown tired and impatient waiting for the money so have pulled out of the deal.

The case is being investigated by the Scottish Charity Register Office. Other reports have also been filed against David Valentine, the person who approached the club to agree the deal, due to failing to pay wages and rent. Valentine couldn’t be reached by phone according to East Fife and the Trust’s website was shut down last week. However, in comments by Valentine, he said that the Trust has been suspended due to the present rules and regulations. The aim of the charity was to restore Largo House mansion (built 1750) standing on a hill between the two villages of Lower Largo and Upper Largo in Fife. The East Fife FC representative said that the club won’t be finding itself in any financial difficulty due to the termination of this deal. Read all comments below:

John Sharp, Secretary of East Fife

“David Valentine, of the Largo Trust, approached the club in May of this year and we thrashed out a deal for the Largo Trust to be the shirt sponsors for this season at £50,000, plus VAT.”

“But as the weeks and months went by, the money never materialised.”

“When I spoke to David Valentine, he had excuses about the status of the trust, checking with the OSCR about rules and so on and the money would be paid soon.”

“But by September, the money still hadn’t been paid. So, for the second half of the season, there will be a new strip without the Largo Trust logo.”

“East Fife won’t be bankrupted if we don’t get the money but it’s a point of principle. If someone makes a deal, they should stick to it.”

David Valentine, Largo Trust

“The rules of governance of a charity, the number of directors it must have, currently prohibit the Largo Trust from operating.”

“We sought advice from OSCR and we, not OSCR, have temporarily suspended the Largo Trust. I explained to Mr Sharp that because of those rules the trust could not operate.”

Office of the Scottish Charity Register

“We are considering a number of complaints about The Largo Trust. We would be interested in hearing from people who have donated to this charity.”

Official Source