Bradford Bulls’ bid to secure another cash injection from Akbar’s is in doubt after the Bradford restaurant chain’s founder and managing director revealed that no further donations would be considered until next year at the earliest.
The Telegraph & Argus reported last July how Shabir Hussain was willing to give the Bulls between £25,000 and £50,000 “unconditionally” per year over three years after he left a consortium which was vying to save the Bulls from administration.
That had not yet materialised until January this year when Mr Hussain handed over a cheque for £25,000, but Gerry Sutcliffe said the club expected to receive further donations up to the sum of £150,000 in keeping with the original offer.
The Bulls’ co-chairman and Bradford South MP said: “We were grateful for the fact that Mr Hussain made an unconditional offer to us last year in the press.
“We’ve had the initial payment of £25,000, which was great, but we would now like the outstanding balance from the offer that he made.
“Clearly fans want to know if he is going to conclude the deal.
“We said when we took the club on last September that it would be a tough ask to turn the club around within two years.
“We’re well on track for doing that but when people make offers that are unsolicited, then it is up to them to honour those commitments.”
However, Mr Hussain said the continued economic downturn dictated that no further donation would be considered until 2014 and warned that the company’s focus was on its own business interests. He said: “We only made a donation to the Bulls three months ago.
“We did say we were going to make a donation once a year but it depends on how strong trading is for the business during that year.
“We’ve got to get our own house in order before we start making hand-outs.
“We will not know until the end of the year if we are in a position to make another donation to the Bulls.
“Unfortunately, due to the recession, 2013 doesn’t seem to be any better than 2012 was and it doesn’t look any more promising for the rest of this year either.”
Restaurant owner and businessman Omar Khan bought the Bulls from administrator Brendan Guilfoyle last September and the club was handed a one-year probationary Super League licence for 2013 by the Rugby Football League.
The Bulls are now on the brink of being awarded a full Super League licence until the end of 2014 in line with the 13 other clubs.
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