Is Reading FC eligible to play in England?

[BonBoh]

Following the takeover of Reading FC by Thames Sport Investment, we have become Reading Football Club Ltd, registered in Gibraltar.
Legally, where does that leave us. We are now a Gibraltar based company/club with a ground in England, paying taxes in Gibraltar.

Has anyone ever considered whether we are even eligible to play in a football league in this country?
What are the FA rules?

Could Galatasaray play in the Premiership now that they have a partnership deal with us? For example, they could argue the partnership deal involves a ground-sharing relationship giving them a stadium in England in which to play. Where does one draw the line?

Discuss.

['lista]

Erm. No thanks.

[ZacNaloen]

Reading Football Club Ltd is not registered in Gibraltar.

[sandman]

[jonnye5]

brilliant topic..

[maffff]

More importantly, could we win the league of Gibraltar? Would that let us into Europe?

[BonBoh]

Reading Football Club Ltd is not registered in Gibraltar.

Read this...

http://www.guardian.co.uk/football/davi ... tax-havens

[parky]

The football club are registered and affiliated to the FA of the country that they play in. Swansea, Cardiff, Wrexham, Newport, Merthyr etc. Are all affiliated and registered to the English FA rather than the FAW. Which means they play in the English leagues and will represent England if they get into Europe. Therefore, If Galatasaray could convince the FA to affiliate them to England it could happen however I doubt the FA would ever grant them affiliation and if they did the Turkish FA and Uefa may kick up a fuss.

[BonBoh]

Reading Football Club Ltd is not registered in Gibraltar.

Read this...

http://www.guardian.co.uk/football/davi ... tax-havens

This mentions us as Reading Football Club International Limited

http://www.companieshouse.gi/publications/5SUPP0989.pdf

[Royal Lady]

Zac's having a bit of a 'mare. Didn't think ED ever said he'd spoken to McD about the team and now doesn't think we're registered in Gibraltar. Even I knew that!

[BonBoh]

The football club are registered and affiliated to the FA of the country that they play in. Swansea, Cardiff, Wrexham, Newport, Merthyr etc. Are all affiliated and registered to the English FA rather than the FAW. Which means they play in the English leagues and will represent England if they get into Europe. Therefore, If Galatasaray could convince the FA to affiliate them to England it could happen however I doubt the FA would ever grant them affiliation and if they did the Turkish FA and Uefa may kick up a fuss.

But do Cardiff, Swansea, etc. pay taxes in the UK or offshore?
We've seen the hoo-hah about companies such as Starbucks not paying UK corporate taxes. It only takes HMRC to have a closer look and decide the set-up is not in the public interest. They could soon convince the relevant football associations that only UK-registered clubs paying UK taxes should be playing in UK leagues. Where would that leave us?

[akranes]

The football club are registered and affiliated to the FA of the country that they play in. Swansea, Cardiff, Wrexham, Newport, Merthyr etc. Are all affiliated and registered to the English FA rather than the FAW. Which means they play in the English leagues and will represent England if they get into Europe. Therefore, If Galatasaray could convince the FA to affiliate them to England it could happen however I doubt the FA would ever grant them affiliation and if they did the Turkish FA and Uefa may kick up a fuss.

But do Cardiff, Swansea, etc. pay taxes in the UK or offshore?
We've seen the hoo-hah about companies such as Starbucks not paying UK corporate taxes. It only takes HMRC to have a closer look and decide the set-up is not in the public interest. They could soon convince the relevant football associations that only UK-registered clubs paying UK taxes should be playing in UK leagues. Where would that leave us?

In Gibraltar hopefully.

[parky]

The football club are registered and affiliated to the FA of the country that they play in. Swansea, Cardiff, Wrexham, Newport, Merthyr etc. Are all affiliated and registered to the English FA rather than the FAW. Which means they play in the English leagues and will represent England if they get into Europe. Therefore, If Galatasaray could convince the FA to affiliate them to England it could happen however I doubt the FA would ever grant them affiliation and if they did the Turkish FA and Uefa may kick up a fuss.

But do Cardiff, Swansea, etc. pay taxes in the UK or offshore?
We've seen the hoo-hah about companies such as Starbucks not paying UK corporate taxes. It only takes HMRC to have a closer look and decide the set-up is not in the public interest. They could soon convince the relevant football associations that only UK-registered clubs paying UK taxes should be playing in UK leagues. Where would that leave us?

If HMRC or HMG did decide to do that I'm sure it would leave us with Yeovil and Chesterfield winning the Premier League and the majority of clubs having to fold with nowhere to play their football. This is simply the way of the world now with increasing globalisation more and more companies and people are paying tax abroad. The gain to the taxpayer of kicking these teams out woudn't seem worth it if you compare it to the amount the economy would lose on a Saturday.

[moo]

This is so boring, and has nothing to do with the team.

[parky]

Sorry forgot to add to the end of my post

Club Policies

[BonBoh]

This is so boring, and has nothing to do with the team.

That's politics for you..

[Hampshire Royal]

The obvious place for us to relocate to is Geneva. The tax benefits are obvious; There is a large UK prescence here; The Stade de Geneve is a good 30,000 capacity stadium; The Swiss League is an easier league than the PL, so a prescence in Europe would be almost certain most seasons; Fans can fly to Geneva from Heathrow in less than 2 hours; Fans can drink beer in the stadium; It's not far from Lyon and Marseille so pre-season friendlies would be good.

Thanks for pointing out our ineligibility to play in England, BooBoo! Come on Anton, you know it makes sense!!!!!

[The Cube]

Reading Football Club Ltd is not registered in Gibraltar.

Read this...

http://www.guardian.co.uk/football/davi ... tax-havens

Zac's right - what's mentioned there is not the football club. The football club is "Reading Football Club Ltd" (or possibly "The Reading Football Club Ltd"). As a company, it is registered in England and Wales. And of course it is affiliated to the Football Association.

[ZacNaloen]

Some people just need to learn to read

[ZacNaloen]

Zac's having a bit of a 'mare. Didn't think ED ever said he'd spoken to McD about the team and now doesn't think we're registered in Gibraltar. Even I knew that!

No.

I asked where Eamon Dolan said he had asked for advice.

The quotes used to prove that he had where "ill probably speak to him before the match, if he wants to offer advice I'm sure he will"

Which is a diplomatic way of saying "no, I won't ask for advice"