When was Leeds United expelled from the professional league and why?

At the last minute before the winter transfer deadline, Leeds goalkeeper Robinson's deal to join Tottenham Hotspur fell through because of the intervention of the Premier League, and the cash transfer fee of 2 million yuan urgently needed by Leeds United also fell through. Leeds United, which has reached the semi-finals of European competitions twice in the past five years, has been reduced to the point where it tries its best to raise cash. The embarrassing situation is embarrassing.

In May of 200 1, Leeds United were still competing with Valencia for the last place in the Champions League, and now it is only a stone's throw from being liquidated. From then on to more than 800 days before the start of this season, Leeds United's free fall and disintegration surprised the football world-usually the decline of top clubs is a slow and gradual process, and the aging of the team and the complacency of the players led to the disintegration of the team five years later. Leeds United showed the world how a listed professional club was crushed by huge debts in less than three years.

Last year, 65438+ 10, as a listed club, Leeds United announced the worst loss in English football history. As of June of the same year, the annual financial statement showed a net loss of 49.5 million pounds and a debt of 78 million pounds. In February 2004, Leeds United became even more desperate-it lost six games in a row, ranking at the bottom of the league, with a debt of more than 654.38 billion pounds, and two presidents stepped down one after another. Birch, who paid off Chelsea's debts, is also the chairman and CEO, racking his brains to avoid being entrusted. Even so, Leeds United just lingered on, fighting for time week after week, waiting for a miracle.

Leeds United won the last championship of the old first division with 1992, and it was their last England coach Wilkinson who led the team to beat Manchester United to win the championship. Leeds United withdrew from the top 10 in the season of 195-96, and Wilkinson was replaced by Graham, and Leeds United went public in the same year. However, Graham left his job in the middle of1June 5438+1October, and then he talked to his friends about Leeds United: I know they are not far from bankruptcy.

Graham's assistant, O 'Leary, took over the baton, and Leeds United began to attack the league, which opened the prelude to borrowing money to buy the championship. O 'Leary spent four years at Elland Road and spent 97 million pounds to sign 14 players. Leeds United 1998-99 ranked fourth, qualified for the UEFA Cup, and bridges and others joined. 1999-00 season, Ferdinand won the third place and entered the Champions League. Transferred from West Ham, worth180,000 pounds, setting a record for the defender's transfer fee. Robbie Keane, Dakot and Viduka joined in the same period.

At that time, Leeds United was striving for players in addition to the transfer fee, and the salary was also very generous. Some players recalled: "I thought no one would agree to a weekly salary of 30 thousand, but it was 35 thousand when I opened my mouth." Surprisingly, many high-priced players, such as Viduka, do not belong to Leeds, but are rented by a "European football financing company". Although many small and medium-sized clubs also use this method, once the income of Leeds United drops sharply, the rental fees of these people will be extremely expensive.

Leeds United reached the UEFA Cup and the Champions League semi-final respectively in the first three years under O 'Leary, and all of them were bought by loan sharks of banks and insurance companies with the income of the club in the next 25 years, mainly TV and tickets, amounting to 60 million pounds. Reddes Dale believes that he is not afraid to borrow money as long as he wins the league title and the Champions League tickets. Leeds United managers also have a very luxurious lifestyle. They didn't achieve Manchester United's achievements, but they imitated Manchester United's style everywhere: they rented 76 luxury cars from car dealers for 600,000 pounds a year, and even Reddes Dale's office spent 20 pounds a week to wait on a goldfish.

Leeds United was eliminated from the Champions League by Valencia on May 8, 2006. The league unexpectedly lost to Newcastle at home, and it was only 1 point away from entering the top three again. Disaster struck suddenly. Sky TV alone lost 680,000 pounds per broadcast, not to mention UEFA's dividends, tickets and various sponsorships, but 68% of its turnover was used to pay salaries. Reddes Dell recalled afterwards: "We thought there was still hope to enter the Champions League, so we continued to borrow money to expand our strength. If we can win all the time, we can escape being liquidated, but we won't win again. "

At that time, the Premier League had already won four Champions League places. Leeds United 1 1 10,000 bought Liverpool and abandoned Fowler for the last time. In the end, they were five points short of the required score, and Newcastle replaced them. After missing the Champions League for two consecutive years, the debt snowballed. Reddes Dale asked O 'Leary to sell Ferdinand to pay his debts, but was rejected. He fired O 'Leary, welcomed venables and boasted that Leeds could still win the Premier League.

But not long after, the main players of Leeds United were bought out at low prices. Dakot bought 7.5 million yuan, but only 2.5 million yuan when it was sold. Fowler moved to Manchester City and Leeds United only got back 3 million. Another 3 million depends on performance. Kewell's 5 million yuan transfer fee is only 2 million yuan in Leeds United's account, and Baoye's 654.38 million yuan transfer fee is even more outrageous. Woodgate was bought by Newcastle, venables stepped down and Reid came to power, barely avoiding relegation. Reddes Dale subsequently stepped down and Professor Mackenzie took over. The situation didn't improve at all. He fired Reid, who left him to the fans to decide whether he would stay or not!

From the beginning of the 200 1-02 season, Leeds United gradually lost, and O 'Leary was the chief culprit. At that time, Bao Ye and woodgate were involved in cases of beating Asian students. In the end, both of them escaped from prison during the second court session in February 200 1 65438. The Times angrily wrote: "Rogues and swindlers are at large", but at this time, O 'Leary wrote his autobiography "Leeds United on trial" (the original text can be understood as "Leeds United on trial"