It is the most complex and
mysterious transfer in the history of the Premier League. And
now Manchester
United have shown
their hand; they are keen to sign Carlos Tevez, but they want a
cheaper deal with Kia Joorabchian, his owner.
So what is the inside story of the latest transfer involving
Joorabchian, the deal-maker responsible for more than £100million
worth of talent in the English game and whose influence stretches
deep into illustrious clubs such as United, Liverpool
and Everton?
Here, including Joorabchian’s own answers to questions posed by
Sportsmail, LEE CLAYTON
unravels the Tevez transfer
saga...
Such is the demand to work with Kia Joorabchian that one
Barclays Premier League manager recently approached him and asked:
‘Everyone else is getting players, why don’t you bring talent to
me?’
Owners are regularly in his company at Les Ambassadeurs, the
exclusive fine dining club just off London’s Park Lane, where
multi-million-pound deals are completed at 4am over £700 bottles of
wine, Beluga caviar and hefty cigars. It is a bolt hole, too, for
some of the Premier League’s most high-profile managers.
Man with the answers: Carlos Tevez's mentor Kia
Joorabchian spoke to Sportsmail in detail about how he came to
part-own the Argentina striker.
As well as Carlos Tevez, Joorabchian, his company and a
team of agents have been central to domestic transfers involving
Javier Mascherano, Jo, Alex, Robinho and Afonso Alves. His players,
mainly South American, stretch across Europe, playing in countries
such as Russia, Portugal, Spain, Holland and Greece. There is a
fresh batch of Brazilians on their way, though he insists he plays
no formal role in transactions between clubs.
Joorabchian’s ambitions do not rest there, however. An Arsenal
supporter and box holder at the Emirates Stadium, he may soon
purchase an English club of his own, a potential trading post for
his emerging stable of talent, as well as scouting for young
British players to mentor, just as he has Tevez.
But, because of the mishandling by West Ham of the transfer
documents surrounding the arrival of Tevez in England, it is that
deal which still draws unwelcome attention to Joorabchian and his
business empire — and so many questions.
Shown the door: Tevez eventually had to leave West
Ham.
Kia Joorabchian:
Originally, I wanted to buy a club in England. I grew up here, I
was educated here, I love English football. English football
excites me. Instead, I was drawn to Brazil, where Pele’s agent
suggested Corinthians.
They were a club with 25 million fans, the second biggest club in
Brazil, but gates were as low as 12,000. I needed a player to spark
interest and bring the club to life for the project to stand a
chance.
So, we looked at videos, spoke to scouts; the consensus was that
we should buy Robinho. Then I saw one DVD of a Boca Juniors game,
involving Carlitos (Tevez). I knew he was the player from the first
moment I met him, because of his desire to be a winner.
I flew back and forth to Buenos Aires and tried many times to sign
him. Each time they said ‘No’. He was Boca’s talisman, their hero.
I was going crazy. The deal took six months to complete.
In the end, Carlos decided that he wanted to come and my company
agreed a £14m fee with Boca, a South American record. He came to
meet me to sign in a Shell petrol station, wearing his
flip-flops!
This was the biggest news in South American football history — and
he was in his flip-flops and shorts on the petrol forecourt! When
Carlos flew in to Sao Paulo, word got out that he was coming.
There was a dinner for 400 Corinthians officials but 3,000 people
forced their way into the room and 20,000 lined the streets. He
started slowly but once he started scoring goals, it was
phenomenal.
I said to him then: ‘This project is yours and mine. You do your
bit and I will do mine.’
KJ: I had to return to
England after the death of my father. I then tried to buy West Ham.
I showed Carlos the club had massive potential, with a huge fan
base. He wanted to come to England, along with Javier Mascherano,
to join me.
Like me, he was excited by the potential of the club. He hoped to
be playing for a club competing for a place in the top six but they
asked him to mark a winger in one game at Chelsea!
It didn’t work out but then he started scoring and won the player
of the year award. His goals helped West Ham to stay up. Ask their
supporters about him. At their end-of-season dinner last week, he
was still given a standing ovation when they read out his name.
That is the impact Carlos Tevez has on any club where he plays.
KJ: What happens in
Brazil, Argentina and some European nations is that clubs cannot
afford to buy a player. So they go to a business, a bank, a major
supermarket, a person, a wealthy individual and say: ‘We want Mr X.
You put up 70, 80, 100 per cent of the money, let him play
here.’
So that person buys the player outright, invests in the player,
maybe helps with education and development, and the club sign him
from you; they take the registration. The rights on any resale
belong to the individual or company who has put up the money.
There are no secrets: Brazilian clubs report the details on their
websites and include information on who owns the player and what
percentage is owned by the club. It is there for anyone to read and
it’s the same in Argentina and Portugal.
There is total transparency. Dodo, who was linked with Manchester
United this week, is a good example of this — Corinthians own 50
per cent of the player and Traffic, a different investment group,
own the other half.
It does not afford any right to influence when he can play or where
he should play. UEFA president Michel Platini has said this sort of
transfer is common in parts of Europe and in South America.
KJ: It is a business,
yes, but imagine finding a player in Brazil, nurturing his talent,
then watching his adventure unfold in another continent.
You have to trust your instincts and your knowledge when making the
initial investment. When you see a player fulfilling his potential,
it is a wonderful feeling of achievement.
The company owning the player never decides the destiny. That is
down to the player.
It is like Cristiano Ronaldo leaving Manchester United. If he
decides to do that, what can they do? The power is with the player.
Carlos Tevez will decide where Carlos Tevez plays.
