By Andrew McSteen

Crystal Palace co-chairman Steve Parish has again reiterated his long-held position there is no imminent takeover on the cards at Selhurst Park.

On June 1 2010 Parish led Jeremy Hosking, Martin Long and Stephen Browett to form the CPFC 2010 consortium which saved Crystal Palace from liquidation and possible extinction as a club.

Fast forward nearly five years and the Eagles are in rude health.

They sit 11th in the Premier League, have international players throughout their squad and are managed by one of the games’ brightest young English managers in Alan Pardew.

Throw in a new multi-billion pound UK TV deal to boot, it is not surprising then the Eagles have attracted a wide range of interest from potential investors around the world.

Speaking to the local media earlier this week about rumours of a £100m bid from a group of American investors led by businessman Joshua Harris, Parish was quick to point out Palace is far from being taken over but confirmed that investment is being sought.

“I have said quite a lot of times that we’ve spoken to many people about possibly investing in the club,” explained Parish. 

“Unfortunately due to circumstances beyond our control, people know about this particular discussion (with Josh Harris). 

“It gets wildly reported that it is happening last Monday or three months ago - there’s nothing imminent.

“There’s a kind of bizarre way this is reported in the press, like we are public company - there’s a buy-out offer and we have to consider it and it’s on their time.

“Nobody will get involved in Crystal Palace on their terms. Nobody is going to take this football club over and put it in debt and ruin five years of work that we’ve put in – it’s just not going to happen.

“These deals are always more complicated than they are reported and we’ve got to get things in the right shape for the football club. Until you’ve done a deal, things will change.

“People can write what they want and assume what they want, but the football club will continue to be run along the lines that it is run now and that’s important.

“I’ve never strayed from the same message but people continue to write the same thing.”

Parish owns a 25 percent stake in the Premier League outfit, just like each member of CPFC 2010.

But fans have been concerned about the possible financial investment from billionaire Harris resulting in the four devout Eagles fans losing control and management of the club.

“It’s wrong to think that,” said Parish.

“Fans think that if you don’t own 51 percent of the business then you don’t control it, but shareholding and governance of a business are two completely different things.

“Somebody can have economic rights in a business but have absolutely no say in how it is run at all.

“If we do something it will be because we can move the club forward quicker in a less risky manner, but don’t think for a minute we’re not prepared to put money in because we are.

“You need to keep progressing, and Palace has been underinvested for various reasons for 20 years - that was when we last had any major infrastructure addition so there’s a lot to do.

“The sums that we need to fix an underinvested football club - to secure it in the Premier League, balance the player wages, get a better facility where we can accommodate more fans and then grow the scale of club, following and support as well as improve the training ground, sport science and those kind of things  - is over £150 million in excess capital.

“I can probably take that amount of money out over 20 years but do you want to wait that long?

“I’m not getting any younger. I don’t really want to be here at 70 doing that, but if we can accelerate that with more funds and maybe some advice from other areas without putting the club at risk then great.”

Parish already has experience of attracting investment having already sold TAG Worldwide, a marketing company he founded, and admits lessons learnt in that process are standing him in good stead with the current investment talk about his beloved Palace.

But he was quick to highlight he would not let just anyone in.

It has been reported Harris, who owns NBA basketball team the Philadelphia 76ers and NHL ice hockey side New Jersey Devils, first approached Palace last summer after initially looking at Aston Villa.

It is believed he came to the Premier League’s attention and was the subject of extensive scrutiny from the organisation, although Parish was quick to point out Palace are far more stringent about who would make a potential backer in the club.

“It’s very good that the Premier League do their fit and proper persons test,” explained the Eagles co-chairman about the process for vetting any potential new investors.

“With no detriment to the Premier League test, my bar is so much higher than that bar in terms of who I want to own, be part-owner in or invest in Crystal Palace Football Club.

“It’s absolutely essential for me that they’re the right type of person and that they understand the club.

“It’s really important for us that we make those decisions and those decisions aren’t made for us - we (CPFC 2010) have got our own governance.

“I have spoken to so many people and most of them have not come anywhere near to passing our test, which is are they the right people who I feel understand the club?

“What I would say about the people you’re talking about (Harris) is that they’ve taken a lot of time and trouble to understand and listen and ‘get’ the football club - which is why you don’t want to do deals quickly because you’ve got to get to know these people and understand what their motivation is and know what they’re like.

“It’s a question of me finding people that buy into my vision for the club.

“People haven’t called me up and said: ‘Hey, we’d like to do this with the club.’

“There are people around who want to have conversations and I share with them my vision for the club and then I see if it fits.

“We are in a very fortunate position as pretty much a debt-free, profitable football club.

“Why would I put a timescale on anything when it is much more important to me that (any deal) is right?

“Everybody amongst the current ownership structure would like me to carry on doing what I am doing and we think that it is going well, so if we take investment, or partners, or however you want to put it, then it needs to be right.

“Palace is something that I have been in love with since I was four years old and it means a lot to me, the people in Croydon, the community and my fellow investors.

“The football club doesn’t need to be shaken upside down and changed, we’re going OK and we are not under any pressure to do anything.”

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