Martin Edwards
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- For the a British crime novelist, critic and solicitor, see Martin Edwards (author).
Charles Martin Edwards (born 24 July 1945 in Adlington, Cheshire, England) was the chairman of Manchester United from 1980 until 2002. He still remains at Manchester United as honorary life president of the club.
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[edit] Biography
[edit] Education
Edwards was born in Adlington, Cheshire, England. At thirteen, he failed the entrance exam for Stowe School, his parents' first choice, and went to Cokethorpe instead. He left at 18 with six O levels and no A levels.
[edit] Manchester United
He was elected to the Manchester United board in March 1970. He became chairman in March 1980 when the previous chairman his father Louis died. When the Football Association voted to allow football clubs to have one paid director, he became Chief Executive and paid himself an annual salary of £30,000.
He had never shown much interest in football before inheriting the club, preferring to play rugby on Saturday afternoons until giving up through injury. He tried to sell United to Robert Maxwell in 1984 and to the property developer Michael Knighton in 1989. The sale for £10m collapsed when after being given access to the club's books Knighton was unable to raise the funds to pay for the club. However, Knighton was still given a seat on the board, and sources at the time suggested that this was in exchange for keeping quiet about what he had seen in the books.[1]
In 1986 Edwards appointed Alex Ferguson as manager of the club, a position he still occupies today.
After the failed sale the club's other directors persuaded Edwards to float the club on the stock market. This raised significant funds the majority for the existing shareholders such as Edwards. Being a public company did not have the stabilising effect that was originally hoped for. The club has been subject to takeover proposals by Rupert Murdoch's BSkyB with Edwards reportedly agreeing to sell his stake for £98m.[2] Edwards gradually disposed of his equity in the club and resigned as Chief Executive in 2000, appointing Peter Kenyon as his successor.
The Irish duo J.P. McManus and John Magnier also built a significant stake in the club. However, the club continued to have unprecedented success on the football pitch despite an uneasy relationship between manager Alex Ferguson and Edwards.
Edwards was forced to resign as Chairman in 2002 after allegations of using a prostitute on an official club business trip to Switzerland. Despite this, he continued to represent the club at FA and UEFA meetings.[3]
He still remains at Old Trafford as honorary life president and sits on the club's football board alongside Sir Bobby Charlton.
[edit] Controversy
[edit] Affairs
He has been subject to several newspaper allegations about his private life, alleging several affairs. It was also alleged that he used prostitutes while on club business, in Britain, Brazil and most recently in Switzerland. [4]
[edit] Toilet peeping Incident
Edwards received a police caution following an incident at the Mottram Hall Hotel, near Macclesfield, Cheshire on August 17 2002. A woman in her 40's alleged that he had entered the ladies toilets and spied under one of the cubicals at her. [5] He resigned from the Manchester United board soon after news of the caution broke, and stepped down as Chairman seven months later. After the incident further witnesses came forward stating they too had been victims of similar behaviour in toilets at Old Trafford [6] [7]
[edit] Careless Driving
In July 2005, Edwards was convicted of careless driving, having been involved in a head-on collision near Conwy, North Wales that April. He had just left the A55 near Conwy golf club, and took a right-hand bend on the wrong side of the road. In a letter to the court, Edwards explained how he had assumed he was on a one-way road after leaving the expressway. Andrew Boyd, the driver of the other car, a Vauxhall Corsa, was badly hurt in the crash, suffering a broken knee, fingers, nose, teeth and concussion, after his car had collided with Edwards' Mercedes-Benz. Edwards was fined £500 plus £45 in prosecution costs, as well as receiving five points on his driving license.[1]
[edit] References
Crick, Michael & Smith, David (1989). Manchester United - The Betrayal of a Legend. Pan Books Ltd. ISBN 0-330-31440-8.
[edit] References
| Business positions | ||
|---|---|---|
| Preceded by Louis Edwards |
Manchester United F.C. chairman 1980–2002 |
Succeeded by Sir Roy Gardner |
