Conor McGregor's bid to take over football club ‘respectfully declined'

Sunday World

5 hours ago

'[The club] is a safe space for all, especially for women, girls, and families.'
A football club has said they have 'respectfully declined' a take over offer from Conor McGregor.
Hartlepool United Football Club, who are based in the North East of England have been the subject of takeover rumours for months.
Speculation McGregor was going to buy the club intensified recently when he followed them on social media.
Now, the company behind the club, the Herd International Group, have issued a statement revealing that they turned down an offer from a 'high-profile' individual.
Conor McGregor
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'As the directors and board members of Herd Group, we want to speak openly and clearly in light of recent speculation,' the statement began.
'We were offered the opportunity to involve a high-profile individual whose values and public behaviour we believe do not align with the spirit of Hartlepool United Football Club.
'We respectfully, but firmly declined.'
The club said that while others in the local community might feel that the person's association with them would 'represent a path forward' they don't share that view and 'never will.'
'Hartlepool United is a club rooted in community. It is a safe space for all, especially for women, girls, and families who proudly support this club and this town,' the statement continued.
"Our commitment is to preserve and strengthen that identity - not compromise it. We remain fully committed to completing the takeover and investing in the future of Hartlepool United - not just as a football club, but as a central part of the community.
"We believe in the potential of this town, and we stand ready to help it grow with integrity. unity, and purpose. Thank you for your trust and continued support. Herd Group."
The ex-UFC fighter has expressed previous interest in purchasing football clubs, including Chelsea F.C.
More recently, he expressed interest in purchasing two League of Ireland clubs.
His Crumlin pub, the Black Forge Inn, has its own football squad, in which McGregor spontaneously lines out for.
Last week he was caught on camera punching a partygoer to the ground at a nightclub in Ibiza.
Footage obtained by the Sun appears to show the Dubliner hitting a person twice during the incident in the early hours of Tuesday morning.
The 36-year-old is seen in conversation with a man before putting his arm around his shoulders and then hitting him with his left hand while holding a glass of alcohol in his right.
The former UFC featherweight and lightweight champion then takes another shot as the man stumbles to leave the reveller on the floor.
According to reports, McGregor carried on partying at the venue while the man who had been punched was thrown out.
The incident followed a boozy day session for McGregor who had earlier been pictured dancing with former glamour model Katie Price.
Last year, a jury found McGregor civilly liable for raping Nikita Hand at a hotel room in Dublin in 2018.
During the trial, Ms Hand testified she had been 'brutally raped and battered' by McGregor and at one point thought she was going to die and never see her young daughter again.
They also heard evidence that a tampon was wedged so far inside her vagina it needed to be removed with a forceps in the Sexual Assault Treatment Unit of the Rotunda Hospital, where she presented in a terrified state the following day.
The court was shown photos of Ms Hand's badly bruised body, taken by Gardaí two days after the events in the hotel.
In January, a judge ordered McGregor to pay Nikita Hand €100,000 of her €250,000 damages and €200,000 of her expected €1.3m legal costs.