IN a world where news is delivered via 280-character Tweets, video clips and soundbites, David Conn is something of an oddity.
He is a sports journalist who can take weeks, months or even years to produce his work.
Conn started to write about the Hillsborough disaster 20 years ago and attended much of the two-year inquest into the 96 deaths, the longest case ever heard by a jury in British legal history, which in April 2016 overturned the original inquest verdict of accidental death and concluded that the people who died at the 1989 FA Cup semi-final between Liverpool and Nottingham Forest were unlawfully killed.
His report in the Guardian after the jury delivered their verdict ran to 6,500 words, a very long article for any newspaper to publish, but significantly shorter than the original one of 22,000 words that he had written.
Driving past the imposing gates of the Grammar School at Leeds (GSAL), I’d noticed a banner promoting a talk by David Conn about his latest book, The Fall of the House of Fifa.
I’ve admired his work as a journalist and writer for years, so when Leeds lawyer Richard Cramer, whose firm Front Row Legal were sponsoring the event, invited me to attend as his guest, I jumped at the chance.
I’ve never met David but we did once have a chat over the phone when he was looking into the finances behind Ken Bates’ ownership of Leeds United.
It prompted Bates to brand Conn “an international enemy of Leeds United”, which puzzled him as he lived in Yorkshire.
Conn trained as a lawyer and so has an organised and forensic brain – unlike many of us journalists – which he has focused on delving into the structures and finances behind many sporting clubs and institutions.
He has won a clutch of sports journalism awards and has been given the time and freedom by the Guardian to focus on his investigative skills on the stories he feels matter.
His latest book focuses on the corruption that brought down football’s global governing body, Fifa, including a fascinating interview with former president Sepp Blatter over lunch in Zurich.
Conn’s speech at GSAL highlighted some of the absurdity and, at times, utter farce surrounding the governing body.
Here was an organisation bringing in billions of pounds run by people you probably wouldn’t trust to walk your dog.
He said that US football executive Chuck Blazer, who became a whistle blower in the FBI’s investigation into Fifa, was an enormous bearded man who was arrested when he was riding his mobility scooter down East 56th Street in New York.
After he was detained by the FBI, in return for a plea bargain, he volunteered to dish the dirt on his colleagues and wear a wire.
Interestingly Conn says it is the same approach the FBI is using in the current investigation into possible Russian influence on the 2016 US presidential election – Trump be warned.
Conn believes Blatter was not as dishonest as many of his colleagues, but he was possessed of the delusions of grandeur that some people running major organisations are guilty of.
“I asked Sepp Blatter whether the story was true that he wanted to be awarded the Nobel Peace Prize,” Conn told the audience.
“He said yes, but it wouldn’t have been for him, it would have accepted it on behalf of football.”
:::
IN the drinks reception before David Conn’s talk, Richard Cramer introduced me to Ronnie Teeman, a Leeds legal legend who finally retired four years ago at the age of 82 after 60 years in the profession.
“Ronnie did sports law before anyone did sports law,” said Richard of his former boss.
Before anyone had heard of the Bosman ruling, Teeman spotted an opportunity in European laws that allowed him to negotiate lucrative moves to Italy for footballers like Liam Brady, Joe Jordan, Graeme Souness and Ray Wilkins.
“Forget Bosman,” I told him, “it should have become known as ‘doing a Teeman’”.
One of Ronnie’s most high profile cases was when Leeds United’s Billy Bremner sued The Sunday People for a front page story that claimed he had offered to bribe an opposition player in a crucial match.
Bremner sued the newspaper and won what was then record damages of £100,000, probably a lot more than he earned from football.
:::
THE highs and lows of exporting to China will be brought to life at the next quarterly ExportExchange ‘Live’ event by a panel of seasoned exporters.
Featuring real life accounts of the challenges and opportunities involved in selling to China, the peer to peer breakfast event will take place at Huddersfield Town Football Club on 29 November.
I’m looking forward to compering this event which features Huddersfield Town’s commercial director Sean Jarvis among the panellists who will talk candidly about the club’s dealings with Chinese firms, including its £3m shirt sponsorship deal with Chinese gaming company Ope Sports.
The line-up will also include panellists from global Leeds-based translation provider The Big Word, which has offices in China.
The ExportExchange.co.uk initiative, which launched in July to bring together experts in overseas trade within firms from the Leeds City Region, has already helped share exporting knowledge with many growing exporters who have registered to receive advice from experienced Yorkshire mentors or ‘patrons’.
The ExportExchange ‘Live’ quarterly events have been designed to provide real life examples of export opportunities and the resources available to new or growing exporters, from grants and matched funding to export documentation, research services and loan funding.
Sean Jarvis said: “We have seen first-hand, during our recent visit, that the market in China is now huge and there is enormous potential to export goods and services from Yorkshire.
“China is leading the way in the production and export of textiles, particularly in the football industry, where we have recently seen more Chinese companies becoming official sponsors of UK clubs as well as producing replica kit.
He added: “But, there is no denying that the market is daunting – especially for new traders or smaller companies that haven’t had much experience.”
The ExportExchange programme is backed by the European Regional Development Fund and supported by the Leeds City Region Enterprise Partnership (LEP), the Department for International Trade (DIT), and a number of private sector export specialists.
Businesses interested in attending the free event, which runs from 8am to 10am on Wednesday 29 November at the John Smith’s Stadium, Huddersfield, should register interest via the ExportExchange website www.exportexchange.co.uk/overcoming-the-challenges-of-trading-in-china
:::
IT is a strange feeling to wear your best suit to a lunch and know you won’t be the best dressed man there.
That is probably because the lunch was with tailor James Michelsberg and two of his customers, lawyer Richard Larking of Progeny Corporate Law and former Irwin Mitchell boss David Knaggs, who is far too young to retire so in acting parlance might be described as “resting”.
Heading from City Square in Leeds towards basement restaurant Sous le Nez, which has become writer Alan Bennett’s dining establishment of choice when he is back in his home city, I saw Mr Michelsberg arriving just ahead of me clad in double breasted camel hair overcoat and grey Borsalino fedora.
With an autumnal nip in the air, James’ choice of navy cashmere jacket and grey flannel trousers almost had me ordering my next ensemble on the spot.
Even more so after a few bottles of vino from the extensive Sous le Nez wine list.
James’ colleague Charlie Anderson spends much of his time based out of Manchester’s Hotel Gotham and the newest member of the House of Michelsberg is George Lewis, who will be looking to inject sartorial splendour into the Newcastle business community.
It is a real success story built on quality, enthusiasm, energy and a sense of fun.
:::
CHATTING to a very successful Yorkshire businessman this week, he told me it was his wife’s 60th birthday.
He admitted that she has all the clothes, handbags and jewellery she needs.
So what do you buy the woman who appears to have everything, I enquired?
“I’ve bought her a pair of emus,” he told me proudly.
What made him come up with that idea?
“Well, they are a lot less aggressive than ostriches,” he said.
Tell that to Michael Parkinson.
Have a great weekend.