中國富豪將收購英國雷丁足球隊
The prominent Chinese businesspeople behind a proposed takeover of Reading Football Club were previously subject to a Premier League investigation that raised “red flags” over their commercial background.
對雷丁足球俱樂部(Reading Football Club)擬議中的收購交易幕後的著名中國商人，此前曾受到英超(Premier League)調查，對其商業背景“亮起紅燈”。Earlier this month the English Football League, the governing body for the country’s lower professional divisions, provisionally cleared the acquisition of Reading by Dai Yongge and sister Hawken Xiu Li.
這個月早些時候，英格蘭足球聯賽(EFL)暫時批准了戴永革和他的姐姐戴秀麗(Hawken Xiu Li)對雷丁的收購。英格蘭足球聯賽是英國較低級別職業球隊分組的管理機構。Chinese companies have invested in or acquired more than a dozen European football clubs during the past year, including Manchester City, Inter Milan and Aston Villa — a spending spree that followed President Xi Jinping’s call to transform the country into a football superpower.
去年，中國企業投資或收購了十幾個歐洲球隊，其中包括曼城隊(Manchester City)、國際米蘭隊(Inter Milan)和阿斯頓維拉(Aston Villa)。這是在中國國家主席呼籲將中國建設成爲足球強國之後出現的收購熱潮。
The Dai family were also behind a recent bid for Premier League club Hull City. At the time, Mr Dai was quoted in the Daily Mail newspaper saying: “We have a love for the game and we want to learn about European football.”
最近對英超球隊赫爾城隊(Hull City)的競購，幕後也有戴氏家族的身影。當時，《每日郵報》(Daily Mail)援引戴永革的話表示：“我們熱愛足球，我們希望學習歐洲足球。”Their most high-profile investment is based on transforming unused air-raid shelters in China into shopping malls. The family’s main listed vehicle, Renhe Commercial Holdings, has a record of financial difficulties and related-party transactions that last year led rating agency Standard & Poor’s to describe its corporate governance as “weak”.
他們最受矚目的投資，源自將中國廢棄防空洞變爲購物中心。戴氏主要的上市機構人和商業控股(Renhe Commercial Holdings)曾有過財務困難和關聯交易的記錄，這曾導致評級機構標普(S&P）在去年評價其企業治理“疲弱”。Before the takeover of any club in England’s top tier, the Premier League undertakes an extensive review into a proposed owner’s finances before approving any transaction. According to people briefed on the deliberations over Hull City, Premier League investigators found a series of “red flags” related to the Dai family’s proposed takeover via a consortium.
在任何英格蘭頂級球隊被收購前，英超會對擬議中的持有人的財務狀況開展廣泛調查後才批准交易。根據曾告知有關赫爾城隊審議情況的人士的說法，英超調查人員發現，在戴氏姐弟提出的通過一財團開展的收購交易中，有多處財務上的“紅燈”。In particular, there were concerns that the acquisition involved offshore companies that made it difficult for the Premier League to understand the family’s sources of funding, or whether they had sufficient income to maintain a large football club.
尤其值得注意的是，有人擔心這一收購涉及英國境外企業，這令英超很難弄清楚戴氏的資金來源、以及他們是否有足夠收入維持一個龐大足球隊。Hull City and the Dai family abandoned the deal before the investigation was completed. But the findings have been shared with the EFL after the Dais sought to acquire Reading, according to people close to the process.
在調查完成之前，赫爾城隊和戴氏就放棄了這一併購交易。不過，根據密切瞭解相關程序的人士的說法，在戴氏試圖收購雷丁之後，上述調查結果被分享給了英格蘭足球聯賽。
The family has satisfied the EFL that it is structuring its Reading deal in a different manner to the Hull City proposal, according to one person close to the club.
根據一位與雷丁關係密切的人士的說法，戴氏已向英格蘭足球聯賽證明，他們正在以和赫爾城隊交易方案不同的方式組織對雷丁的收購。This has allowed the EFL to announce last week that it has provisionally approved the takeover “subject to the agreement of a number of specific conditions” that have not been made public. The structure of the deal has not been shared with the Premier League, according to people with knowledge of the deliberations.
這令英格蘭足球聯賽在上週宣佈，該機構暫時批准了這一收購，“不過還要滿足多個具體條件”，至於條件的內容則並未公佈。根據瞭解審議過程的人士的說法，交易的方式並未知會英超方面。Reading, the Premier League and the EFL declined to comment. Renhe did not respond to requests for comment. Attempts to reach the Dais through representatives and at a London address were unsuccessful.
雷丁隊、英超和英格蘭足球聯賽拒絕置評。人和沒有迴應置評請求。記者試圖通過代理和一個倫敦的地址與戴氏姐弟聯繫，也未能成功。
