#RobertMaxwell

Look forward to catching up on this @BBCiPlayer

His legacy lives on in so many ways (most nefarious)!

His dealings were never really understood by the wider public when he was alive - So much has come out posthumously☠️

@MattyStu77 @sisu_sanity #Derby #OUFC

https://twitter.com/Livooo/status/1392438461576122370

#RobertMaxwell #PergamonPress #TodorZhikov #Lukanov #Gorbachov #Israel #Mossad #MountOlives #Promis #Inslaw #MI6 #Epstein #Ghislaine #MoneyLaundering #DarkMoney #Football #Politics #Mirror #BlackMirror 🤪

Some convoluted tales... 🤷‍♂️🕵️‍♂️💸

#FollowTheMoney

https://twitter.com/Livooo/status/1421417596730159110

There's lot's of things that just don't add up in the #DerbyCounty story (not just the balance sheet)!

#DCFC

Fortunes squandered
Rules bent/broken
Offshore
Financial Engineering
Fronts
Fraudsters

It's not the first time the poor DCFC fanbase have been exposed to these c*nts I was reminded of this incredible story from the mid 2000's that had passed me by at the time... but could be instructive of things to come.

#DCFC #QPR
- MD Nissan
- Fraud/Financial Engineering
- Offshore
- Loans/Mortgages on the stadium
- Dodgy solicitors & administrators

⚽️💸

#EuanBlair Doing bits! 🤑

#Multiverse goes from being valued at £14m in 2018 - £648m today

To be fair, it sounds like a good idea (and apparently, unlike many other 'Unicorns' is actually turning a profit)

US Hedge Fund driving that #valuation though #D1 💸

Shades of #WeWork?

https://twitter.com/nomiackerman/status/1442847172207255554

-Kernel of a good idea & proof of concept
-Focal Point (Euan Blair - son of former PM)
-Attention of monied US Hedge Funds hunting returns 🚀 in a bubble
-Hedge Funds have influence in big Tech co's. Intro the two parties 📈
-Highfalutin aims
£130m investment ⏩ £260? in a year🎲

This is a brilliant thread 🧵by @uglygame

A fraudster with a shady #Crypto company looking to invest in football clubs (#PerthGlory / #Nantes)

It's a great tale - It also links to some seriously questionable characters...

#ChristopherSamuelson
⚽️💸🤔

https://twitter.com/uglygame/status/1443187809041489923

The link is #AlanJohnFrankHitchins

#Portsmouth & #AstonVilla fans may have seen his name before.

Think mining scams, laundering money via offshore & criminal networks

fansnetwork.co.uk/football/ports…

🧵I love #football

Have done since the 1980's ⚽️

Nowadays though, the off-field stuff seems to get as much coverage & column inches as the game itself 🗞️📺📱

Competition isn't just about trophies - it's about eyeballs, soft power, geo-politics, PR and #money

Quick tale... Did you see that news report from the #US this week about the #billionaire financier #TomBarrack being arrested? ($250m bail)

In the weird (but fun) world we live in, that incident ties to #NewcastleUnited & the #PremierLeague

Say what?! 🧐

#FollowTheMoney #Networks #Power 💸

#OperationTrojanShield

Wow! Big news!!

With this operation, #Encrochat #Sky #MPC & other encrypted networks being infiltrated, does this mean the end of #Drugs #Corruption #OrganisedCrime ?🤔

Hmmm!

It's a brilliant operation BUT may have unintended consequences

A #Thread

https://twitter.com/FBISanDiego/status/1401967319459434498

I got sucked into doing some amateur study of the economy of drug trafficking because of brilliant TV shows.

When you study the numbers, understand the geo-politics, social, criminal & financial elements behind the global industry... you realise just how powerful it really is!🎬

1.
#DAZN #Matchroom
#disruption #sport
#Legacy v's #PurePlay specialists

This week #EddieHearn announced the worst kept secret in sports broadcasting - He's taking his show, Lock Stock, to Mr #Blavatnik first-mover streaming service.

#Thread with a different perspective...🧐 2.
This is exciting for #Sports fans - Especially #boxing

Lower cost access
More shows
Bigger production

Interesting, it's announced a week after #SundayTimes named the owner of #DAZN as the richest man in the UK (again)!

That rich list is an good starting point to explore

Yesterday was another crazy day for #Football & specifically in this case, for #Derby #dcfcfans

#EFL ruling on their accounting practices

Threat of sanctions - What will that mean?

#RichardKeough ruling - They have to pay him £2.3m (bonkers episode)🤯

bbc.co.uk/sport/football… Then add in the farce of the #takeover process

A 29 year old front-man masquerading as an Instagram Billionaire (complete with macho boxing backstory & links to Indonesian investors & looted billions) #Suharto

👏 @secondtierpod ⤵️

#DCFC #FitAndProper

https://twitter.com/secondtierpod/status/1392047158929543169

The news cycle is a confusing space sometimes;

Eg1.
- #ElectricCars are the future for the planet
V's
- Mining #Lithium batteries is destroying parts of Bolivia/Chile/Argentina

2.
- Decentralised #Cryptocurrencies are the future
V's
- Mining #Bitcoin = huge energy consumption The narrative around everything nowadays is all about #Values

Corporates latch onto every opportunity

Individuals the same (just read some of the stuff on LinkedIn) 🧐

Life & business is essentially a game
#Winning is always key! (Be nice tho)

The rest is Perception=Reality

Few major headlines recently seem to be connected;

- #Greensill #Cameron #Softbank #Wirecard #Fintech
- #Bitcoin #Coinbase #Crypto #NFTs
- #Ant #JackMa #China #BeltandRoad
- New opportunities & Race to 'be first' in the new era
🇺🇸💪🇨🇳 💰🌏🌎🌍
- #GeoPolitics
- #disruption
🙄🤔 While lockdown has been slow for some, it's certainly not been for others who have smelt the winds of change!

#SPACs are bypassing Direct Listings & IPO's in a race to market - Sucking up all that 💰 hunting for returns 📈

#Fintech joining 'Democratise & Digitalise everything'

Had a brain wave / brain fart today - Don't know which?!

Recently re-read x2 #books that seem pretty consequential to modern day news cycles 📚

- #JohnPerkins #ConfessionsOfAnEconomicHitman

- #BillBrowder #RedNotice

Both began their careers for #Boston based consulting co's #Boston #USA is part of that #IvyLeague playground 🧐

#MIT & #Harvard are in close proximity - Like #Oxford & #Cambridge in the UK (those prestigious institutions also synonymous with producing spy's & leaders)!

Perkins worked for #ChasTMain
Browder for #BostonConsultingGroup

This is the biggest story in World #Sport at the moment

The way the narrative is starting to play out is so reminiscent of the #Trump election - It's a scary template!

Regulated media V's Unregulated Media competing to tell the story 🤯#Boxing #Tribal

bbc.co.uk/sport/boxing/5… For any #boxing / #sport fan with no previous knowledge of these characters, we should be sceptical of simplistic caricatures that are served up by Online Fans OR stenographers masquerading as journalists!

There's a lot of sh*t out there! 🤳💻

Research & Critical thinking! 🤔

Very stylish!📽️

Very gory!! ☠️🔫💉👃💸

Perfectly set up for Series 2!🇲🇽🇺🇸🇷🇺

Stark visualisation of the key zones for a massive, dark, dangerous/murderous industry;

#Production - #Logistics - #Distribution - #EndMarkets

💸🔁

#ZeroZeroZero
@skytv @skyatlantic @NOWTV #Narcos

https://twitter.com/skytv/status/1357702788780855297

#ZeroZeroZero

Has obviously drawn on some recent real-life inspiration.

- Poor deprived zones of production

- Use of big business in distribution ✈️⛴️ (Price 📈)

- Wholesale & Street dealers

- End Users 👃💉💸

forbes.com/sites/giacomot…

@BBCPanorama #boxingandthemob #kinahan #MTK

Here's an interesting parallel tale from 1980's boxing! 🥊

#HaroldSmith

1.Dark Money (Fraud/Stole from banks)
2.Associated with big name boxer (Ali)
3.Paid Boxers/Trainers over the odds
4.Laundered stolen💸

If you control the big name (e.g. Fury) & there is a lack of scrutiny in professional boxing - Bingo!

-Big name📸📺
-Grow brand📈
-Attract more fighters🥊💰
-Appear mainstream
-More shows/opportunities 2 launder💸
-Side deals (podcasts/clothing/vodka/property)🤝💱
-Big following

Bigger than #ElChapo bigger than #PabloEscobar 💉💊☠️💰

Big news then, I guess 👀

#TseChiLop
#SamGorSyndicate

Huge numbers! $400 billion+ pa 🌎🌍🌏
National security type influence.

Social - Political - Economic

Where does all that money go? 🤔🔁💸

https://twitter.com/Reuters/status/1183892709708357636

When illegal drug operations get this big, they cross borders, networks become huge & they need protection/assistance

According to well documented incidents, intelligence agencies sometimes oversee 👀

Political expedience
#VangPao #Laos #KhunSa #Golden🔺

@martynziegler @TheAthleticUK

#disruption
The 'buzz word' in business - Footy is soon to get it's dose

What's this about though?

#Control #Money #power

These 'Elite' club owners will point to #UEFA & #FIFA chequered pasts & say "We'll do it better"

https://twitter.com/Livooo/status/1321455928680611842

https://twitter.com/martynziegler/status/1352273676117409792

Despite massive numbers in revenues💰💱 Football clubs are so bloated, the top guys feel they need more!

For long term planning, they need control of the rules of competition too.

The huge swathes of capital hoarded by the investment banks/rich are willing to fund this new comp

1/
"Life imitating art" 📽️

Saw a headline last week about the #VaticanBank being involved in some mysterious money flows, so decided to watch the newly edited #Godfather 3 #Coda

Topical

For those that don't know the connections, read on... Gives the📽️an added dimension 👀🕵️‍♀️ 2/
In the film, Michael #Corleone is effectively trying to break from the #Mafia life & channel his family wealth into something 'legit'

To do that, he tries to exploit an opportunity with the #VaticanBank who are attempting to plug holes in their balance sheet

#Immobiliare 💸

I noticed the #Derby #takeover is looking on shaky legs from the reporting today - Quelle surprise!

In addition to the thread & background Offshore/Samuelson/Obolensky, thought it might be worth posing more questions

How do these people/structures work?
independent.co.uk/sport/football… I've read quite a lot about ⚽️ finances & the machinations of 💸 in the offshore world.

So, I'll try and give some crude speculation below (with a couple of factual references) & see if we get anywhere near the mark 🧐

Money Men - Fronts - Frauds bbc.co.uk/sport/football…

*Football, Finance, Front Companies & Exotic Benefactors*

1/

I saw a story this week about @DerbyCounty_TT & their looming takeover - Sounds exciting!

Something really piqued my interest though

A couple of names in the report that I've seen before

#Offshore 🕵️‍♂️⚽️💸🌴 2/

The two 'Shadow Brokers' who get fleeting mentions over the last 15 years as the cast of foreign ownership in English football has become increasingly... 'cosmopolitan' are;

*Chris Samuelson* & *Andrew Obolensky*

Who are they?

What do they do??

Why should we care???

#Thread
1/

In the run up to the #USPresidentialElections2020 when the characters & stories seem more mind-boggling than ever, it can be difficult to discern...
'How the fuck did the world end up here'?

Some great answers/insight here #Kleptopia 👏📕
💸
2/
Uncivil & Outright Criminal Behaviour seems to have been normalised throughout societies everywhere;

- Politics
- Crony Capitalism
- Social Media
- Reality TV
... Even Sport 🧐

I've tried to get my head around it with the help of some good books & following smart journo's

1/

Reading first few chapters of @tomburgis new book #Kleptopia (very good so far!)

On the story arc, Och-Ziff Hedge Fund mentioned & their bribery for contracts/mines/elections in Africa.

Saw some interesting connections to #FinCENFiles current story...

#PoliticsAndMoney 2/

Ziff brothers are the favourite financial bogey men of Putin/Kremlin.

#OchZiff referenced in 2016 #TrumpTower meeting challenging #Magninsky act championed by #Browder

Effectively Kremlin saying "Listen Don Junior, here's the dirt on Clinton for your Dad to use...(cont)"