This lengthy piece by Giles Turner and David Hellier for Bloomberg suggests that “Premier League officials studying the suitability of 777 Partners to own a major English football club have also begun adopting a more skeptical stance in recent weeks after questions were raised about its finances, according to people with knowledge of the deliberations.”
At the same time they write that “777 Partners says there’s a campaign to torpedo its purchase” and quotes a statement from the Miami-based firm:
“777 Partners considers these scurrilous and damaging accusations to be deliberately timed to undermine its ongoing commercial activities, including the ongoing period of regulatory approvals for the proposed acquisition of Everton FC by 777 Football Group.”
Yet as the Bloomberg article points out, concerns over 777’s financial practices have increasingly been raised by people within the company or those working with them, including a consultant hired during their purchase of Standard Liege who was only paid for his services after they had threatened to complain to the Premier League.
This, of course, follows the news that Vasco da Gama were placed under a transfer embargo by FIFA for unpaid transfer fees and the assertion that the British Basketball League (of which 777 own 45%) is at risk of going into administration because of unpaid tranches of investment from the company.