£5m Prozone sale saved Coventry City from administration

[dutchman]

Coventry City’s parent company Sky Blue Sports and Leisure are understood to have pocketed up to £5 million from the sale of the performance analysis firm Prozone.



It has emerged that French-based Sport Universal Process has bought the company once built up and owned by former City chairman Ray Ranson for a figure believed to be between £4-5 million.

But the Coventry Telegraph understands that the football club – which is losing a crippling £500,000 a month – has already swallowed up the money, it apparently being the investment Sisu pumped into the club to keep it afloat until the end of the season when the new board took over at the end of March.

Back then, Sky Blues’ chairman Ken Dulieu said City were days from administration when Sisu were persuaded by the board to stump up millions to keep the club going until the end of the season.

Prozone, who supply statistical data to some of the biggest clubs in the world, including Barcelona, Manchester United, Liverpool, Arsenal and the New York Red Bulls, was originally owned by former City chairman Ray Ranson.

He sold it to Sky Blue Sport and Leisure – an investment vehicle set up by Sisu to buy the club – in exchange for 24 per cent of Coventry City Football Club plus cash which, it is understood, was only paid when the 50-year-old left the club.