Martin Edwards
Encyclopedia
Charles Martin Edwards (born 24 July 1945) was the chairman of Manchester United
from 1980 until 2002. He now holds the position of honorary life president at the club.
, 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.
, the previous chairman. 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.
During the season when Edwards took over as chairman, United finished runners-up to Liverpool
in the Football League First Division
, but had not won the league title since 1967 and had not won a major trophy at all in three seasons of Dave Sexton's
management. At the end of the 1980–81 season, United finished eighth in the league after seven successive wins at the end of the season. Manager Dave Sexton was looking set to be offered a new three-year contract, but the deal was never signed and Edwards sacked Sexton after four trophyless seasons as manager.
Edwards then began the hunt for a new manager. There was talk that he would appoint Lawrie McMenemy
, who had guided Southampton
to a shock win over United in the FA Cup
final five years earlier, as successor to Dave Sexton. It was also rumoured that United were interested in recruiting Brian Clough
, once a league champion and twice a European Cup winner with Nottingham Forest
, but Edwards insisted that he would not be approaching Clough about the job vacancy. He instead turned to Ron Atkinson
, whose impressive West Bromwich Albion
side had qualified for the UEFA Cup
three times in four seasons with top-five league finishes, reaching the quarter-finals on one occasion. Atkinson accepted the offer, and soon after this appointment, Edwards made the funds available for Atkinson to bring in Albion's midfielder Bryan Robson
for a national record fee of £1.5million. This national record would remain unbroken by English clubs for six years, and Robson went on to be one of the club's greatest ever players.
Atkinson guided United to two FA Cup glories (the first in 1983 and the second in 1985) but in the 1985–86 United faded away to finish fourth after a 10-match winning start to the league season, and speculation about his future as manager was mounting.
In 1982, Edwards had begun looking for younger colleagues to introduce to the clubs board. Sir Matt Busby had been appointed president of the club and Michael Edelson
was appointed to replace him, followed in 1983 by the addition of club solicitor Maurice Watkins
and club legend Bobby Charlton
.
In the summer of 1986, Edwards generated £2.3million (a record fee involving a British club, though Robson's record set in 1981 had yet to be broken by a British club) from the sale of striker Mark Hughes
to FC Barcelona
of Spain.
On 4 November 1986, United were floundering in the bottom half of the top division and that night were eliminated from the Football League Cup
with a 4–1 defeat at Southampton
. The following day, the four man board convened in Edwards Old Trafford office and decided a change of manager had to be made. The unanimous decision was to see if Alex Ferguson
, then manager of Aberdeen F.C.
in the Scottish league was available. According to Ferguson's autobiography, he received a telephone call in his office at Pittodrie
from a man with a Scottish accent. He subsequently discovered that this was Manchester United director Michael Edelson
who asked Ferguson if he would be interested in meeting Edwards. Following a short discussion, Edwards made contact with Aberdeen F.C.
chairman Dick Donald
and the four man United board drove immediately to meet Ferguson halfway between the two cities in Glasgow. Negotiations were quickly concluded and 72 hours later Ferguson was installed as manager of Manchester United. Ferguson went on to become the most successful British football manager in history.
Edwards 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.
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 £98 million. Edwards gradually disposed of his equity in the club and resigned as Chief Executive in 2000, appointing Peter Kenyon
as his successor.
Meanwhile, his efforts helped Manchester United enjoy some of the finest moments of their history during the 1990s and 2000s. The appointment of Alex Ferguson as manager in 1986 was indeed the turning point in United's history after two decades of relative mediocrity, but it took time for things to improve.
United finished second in the league in 1987–88 (Ferguson's first full season as manager), and around this time Edwards had made millions of pounds available to strengthen the squad with the reacquisition of Mark Hughes as well as the signing of high profile players including Brian McClair
, Gary Pallister
, Paul Ince
, Neil Webb
and Danny Wallace
. However, an 11th place finish in 1988–89 tested the patience of the club's supporters and as 1989 drew to a close, United's form was so bad (they occupied 15th place in the league on Christmas Day) that there were continued calls from the fans for Alex Ferguson to be sacked. However, Edwards stood by the manager and insisted that the issue of Ferguson being sacked was never up for debate. Some fans even called for Edwards to resign. While Edwards, naturally, admitted that he was disappointing with the lack of progress in the league, he understood the reasons for the disappointment, which was largely down to a series of injuries to key players, and said that he was pleased with Ferguson for his reorganisation of the squad.
The decision by Edwards to remain loyal to Ferguson paid off in 1989–90 as United lifted the FA Cup
to end their five-year wait for a major trophy. A year later, United won the European Cup Winners' Cup
. 1992 saw United win their first-ever Football League Cup
, and a year later they ended their 26-year wait for the league title when crowned champions of the inaugural Premier League. The double
followed a year later. 1994–95 was a relative disappointment for Edwards and indeed everyone else connected to United as they were pipped to both the league title and the FA Cup and left without a trophy, but United bounced back the following year to win a unique second double. By this stage, Edwards had been able to raise the funds for United to break the national transfer record on two occasions in the space of 18 months – the £3.75million move for Roy Keane
in the 1993 close season, and the £6million move for Andy Cole in January 1995. The success continued for the rest of the decade with another league title in 1997 and a unique league title/FA Cup/European Cup treble in 1999. By the end of the decade, Edwards had made available the cash for United to buy the first two eight-figure signings of their history – defender Jaap Stam
and striker Dwight Yorke
.
In the 1998–99 he had accepted a £623million bid from Rupert Murdoch's
BSkyB corporation to take over Manchester United, but the takeover was cancelled after the Mergers and Monopolies Commission blocked it. 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 Martin Edwards. The success continued into the 21st century, as United retained the Premier League title in 2000 with a record 18-point margin and gained their third successive title the following year.
Edwards enabled United to break the national transfer record twice in 2001 when they signed Dutch striker Ruud van Nistelrooy
and Argentine
midfielder Juan Sebastian Veron
, but he 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.
He still remains at Old Trafford as honorary life president and sits on the club's football board alongside Sir Bobby Charlton
. He sold his 6.7% share in the club to new investor Harry Dobson in 2003.
, 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. The driver of the other car, a Vauxhall Corsa, was badly hurt in the crash, 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.
Manchester United F.C.
Manchester United Football Club is an English professional football club, based in Old Trafford, Greater Manchester, that plays in the Premier League. Founded as Newton Heath LYR Football Club in 1878, the club changed its name to Manchester United in 1902 and moved to Old Trafford in 1910.The 1958...
from 1980 until 2002. He now holds the position of honorary life president at the club.
Education
Edwards was born in Adlington, CheshireAdlington, Cheshire
Adlington is a village and civil parish in the unitary authority of Cheshire East and the ceremonial county of Cheshire, England. It is known as Eduluintune in the Domesday Book. According to the 2001 census the civil parish had a population of 1,081 people across 401 households...
, England. At thirteen, he failed the entrance exam for Stowe School
Stowe School
Stowe School is an independent school in Stowe, Buckinghamshire. It was founded on 11 May 1923 by J. F. Roxburgh, initially with 99 male pupils. It is a member of the Rugby Group and Headmasters' and Headmistresses' Conference. The school is also a member of the G20 Schools Group...
, his parents' first choice, and went to Cokethorpe
Cokethorpe
Cokethorpe School is an independent school near Ducklington, Witney, Oxfordshire, England, founded in 1957 by . It is a member of HMC and SHMIS. The school has approximately 660 pupils, ranging in age from four to eighteen...
instead. He left at 18 with six O levels and no A levels.
Manchester United
He was elected to the Manchester United board in March 1970. He became chairman on 22 March 1980 following the death of his 65-year-old father LouisLouis Edwards
Louis Charles Edwards from Salford, Lancashire, was an English businessman and chairman of Manchester United from 1965 to 1980.- Manchester United :...
, the previous chairman. When the Football Association
The Football Association
The Football Association, also known as simply The FA, is the governing body of football in England, and the Crown Dependencies of Jersey, Guernsey and the Isle of Man. It was formed in 1863, and is the oldest national football association...
voted to allow football clubs to have one paid director, he became Chief Executive and paid himself an annual salary of £
Pound sterling
The pound sterling , commonly called the pound, is the official currency of the United Kingdom, its Crown Dependencies and the British Overseas Territories of South Georgia and the South Sandwich Islands, British Antarctic Territory and Tristan da Cunha. It is subdivided into 100 pence...
30,000.
During the season when Edwards took over as chairman, United finished runners-up to Liverpool
Liverpool F.C.
Liverpool Football Club is an English Premier League football club based in Liverpool, Merseyside. Liverpool has won eighteen League titles, second most in English football, seven FA Cups and a record seven League Cups...
in the Football League First Division
Football League First Division
The First Division was a division of The Football League between 1888 and 2004 and the highest division in English football until the creation of the Premier League in 1992. The secondary tier in English football has since become known as the Championship....
, but had not won the league title since 1967 and had not won a major trophy at all in three seasons of Dave Sexton's
Dave Sexton
David "Dave" Sexton OBE is an English former football manager and player.-Playing career:Son of former professional boxer Archie Sexton, he started his playing career with West Ham United in 1948. Playing mainly at inside-forward, he would finish his career with time at Luton Town, Leyton Orient,...
management. At the end of the 1980–81 season, United finished eighth in the league after seven successive wins at the end of the season. Manager Dave Sexton was looking set to be offered a new three-year contract, but the deal was never signed and Edwards sacked Sexton after four trophyless seasons as manager.
Edwards then began the hunt for a new manager. There was talk that he would appoint Lawrie McMenemy
Lawrie McMenemy
Lawrie McMenemy MBE is a retired English football coach, best known for his spell as manager of Southampton Football Club...
, who had guided Southampton
Southampton F.C.
Southampton Football Club is an English football team, nicknamed The Saints, based in the city of Southampton, Hampshire. The club gained promotion to the Championship from League One in the 2010–2011 season after being relegated in 2009. Their home ground is the St Mary's Stadium, where the club...
to a shock win over United in the FA Cup
FA Cup
The Football Association Challenge Cup, commonly known as the FA Cup, is a knockout cup competition in English football and is the oldest association football competition in the world. The "FA Cup" is run by and named after The Football Association and usually refers to the English men's...
final five years earlier, as successor to Dave Sexton. It was also rumoured that United were interested in recruiting Brian Clough
Brian Clough
Brian Howard Clough, OBE was an English footballer and football manager. He is most notable for his success with Derby County and Nottingham Forest. His achievement of winning back-to-back European Cups with Nottingham Forest, a traditionally moderate provincial English club, is considered to be...
, once a league champion and twice a European Cup winner with Nottingham Forest
Nottingham Forest F.C.
Nottingham Forest Football Club is an English Association Football club based in West Bridgford, Nottingham, that plays in the Football League Championship...
, but Edwards insisted that he would not be approaching Clough about the job vacancy. He instead turned to Ron Atkinson
Ron Atkinson
Ronald Ernest Atkinson, commonly known as "Big Ron" and "Bojangles" is an English former football player and manager. In recent years he has become one of Britain's best-known football pundits...
, whose impressive West Bromwich Albion
West Bromwich Albion F.C.
West Bromwich Albion Football Club, also known as West Brom, The Baggies, The Throstles, Albion or WBA, are an English Premier League association football club based in West Bromwich in the West Midlands...
side had qualified for the UEFA Cup
UEFA Cup
The UEFA Europa League is an annual association football cup competition organised by UEFA since 1971 for eligible European football clubs. It is the second most prestigious European club football contest after the UEFA Champions League...
three times in four seasons with top-five league finishes, reaching the quarter-finals on one occasion. Atkinson accepted the offer, and soon after this appointment, Edwards made the funds available for Atkinson to bring in Albion's midfielder Bryan Robson
Bryan Robson
Bryan Robson OBE is an English football manager and a former player. He is best known for playing in midfield for Manchester United, where he was the longest serving captain in club history. He was the manager of Sheffield United, being relieved of his first team duties at the club in February 2008...
for a national record fee of £1.5million. This national record would remain unbroken by English clubs for six years, and Robson went on to be one of the club's greatest ever players.
Atkinson guided United to two FA Cup glories (the first in 1983 and the second in 1985) but in the 1985–86 United faded away to finish fourth after a 10-match winning start to the league season, and speculation about his future as manager was mounting.
In 1982, Edwards had begun looking for younger colleagues to introduce to the clubs board. Sir Matt Busby had been appointed president of the club and Michael Edelson
Michael Edelson
Michael Edelson is a non-executive Director of Manchester United F.C. He is an angel investor, venture capitalist and philanthropist who has been instrumental in creating numerous cash shell companies on both AIM and PLUS...
was appointed to replace him, followed in 1983 by the addition of club solicitor Maurice Watkins
Maurice Watkins
Maurice Watkins is a former boxer from Houston, Texas. Nicknamed Termite, he was born into a family that was in the insect killing business, and he is a professional fumigator.-Professional Boxing Career:...
and club legend Bobby Charlton
Bobby Charlton
Sir Robert "Bobby" Charlton CBE is an English former professional football player, a member of the England team who won the World Cup and Ballon d'Or for European Footballer of the Year in 1966...
.
In the summer of 1986, Edwards generated £2.3million (a record fee involving a British club, though Robson's record set in 1981 had yet to be broken by a British club) from the sale of striker Mark Hughes
Mark Hughes
Leslie Mark Hughes, OBE , is a former Welsh international footballer. As an international footballer, he made 72 appearances and scored 16 goals....
to FC Barcelona
FC Barcelona
Futbol Club Barcelona , also known as Barcelona and familiarly as Barça, is a professional football club, based in Barcelona, Catalonia, Spain....
of Spain.
On 4 November 1986, United were floundering in the bottom half of the top division and that night were eliminated from the Football League Cup
Football League Cup
The Football League Cup, commonly known as the League Cup or, from current sponsorship, the Carling Cup, is an English association football competition. Like the FA Cup, it is played on a knockout basis...
with a 4–1 defeat at Southampton
Southampton F.C.
Southampton Football Club is an English football team, nicknamed The Saints, based in the city of Southampton, Hampshire. The club gained promotion to the Championship from League One in the 2010–2011 season after being relegated in 2009. Their home ground is the St Mary's Stadium, where the club...
. The following day, the four man board convened in Edwards Old Trafford office and decided a change of manager had to be made. The unanimous decision was to see if Alex Ferguson
Alex Ferguson
Sir Alexander Chapman "Alex" Ferguson, CBE is a Scottish association football manager and former player, currently managing Manchester United, where he has been in charge since 1986...
, then manager of Aberdeen F.C.
Aberdeen F.C.
Aberdeen Football Club are a Scottish professional football club based in Aberdeen...
in the Scottish league was available. According to Ferguson's autobiography, he received a telephone call in his office at Pittodrie
Pittodrie Stadium
Pittodrie Stadium is an all-seated football stadium situated in the Scottish city of Aberdeen. It was first used in 1899 and from 1903 has been the home of Aberdeen Football Club...
from a man with a Scottish accent. He subsequently discovered that this was Manchester United director Michael Edelson
Michael Edelson
Michael Edelson is a non-executive Director of Manchester United F.C. He is an angel investor, venture capitalist and philanthropist who has been instrumental in creating numerous cash shell companies on both AIM and PLUS...
who asked Ferguson if he would be interested in meeting Edwards. Following a short discussion, Edwards made contact with Aberdeen F.C.
Aberdeen F.C.
Aberdeen Football Club are a Scottish professional football club based in Aberdeen...
chairman Dick Donald
Dick Donald
Richard MacNaughton 'Dick' Donald was a Scottish footballer, businessman and football administrator. He is best known for his time as Chairman of Aberdeen Football Club during the club's most successful period in the 1980s, but he was also an important figure in the family firm, which operated...
and the four man United board drove immediately to meet Ferguson halfway between the two cities in Glasgow. Negotiations were quickly concluded and 72 hours later Ferguson was installed as manager of Manchester United. Ferguson went on to become the most successful British football manager in history.
Edwards 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
Robert Maxwell
Ian Robert Maxwell MC was a Czechoslovakian-born British media proprietor and former Member of Parliament , who rose from poverty to build an extensive publishing empire...
in 1984 and to the property developer Michael Knighton
Michael Knighton
Michael Knighton is an English businessman who is best known for his involvement in Manchester United and Carlisle United football clubs.-Early life:...
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.
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
Rupert Murdoch
Keith Rupert Murdoch, AC, KSG is an Australian-American business magnate. He is the founder and Chairman and CEO of , the world's second-largest media conglomerate....
's BSkyB with Edwards reportedly agreeing to sell his stake for £98 million. Edwards gradually disposed of his equity in the club and resigned as Chief Executive in 2000, appointing Peter Kenyon
Peter Kenyon
Peter Kenyon is a British businessman who has served as the chief executive of English Premier League clubs Manchester United Football Club and Chelsea Football Club, where he has been involved in contentious transfer dealings.-Early life:Kenyon was educated in Tameside at West Hill...
as his successor.
Meanwhile, his efforts helped Manchester United enjoy some of the finest moments of their history during the 1990s and 2000s. The appointment of Alex Ferguson as manager in 1986 was indeed the turning point in United's history after two decades of relative mediocrity, but it took time for things to improve.
United finished second in the league in 1987–88 (Ferguson's first full season as manager), and around this time Edwards had made millions of pounds available to strengthen the squad with the reacquisition of Mark Hughes as well as the signing of high profile players including Brian McClair
Brian McClair
Brian John McClair is a former Scottish international football player who played as a forward, notable for his near 11-year spell at Manchester United, as well as important tenures at Scottish clubs Celtic and Motherwell...
, Gary Pallister
Gary Pallister
Gary Andrew Pallister is an English former footballer, most noted for his nine-year spell at Manchester United from 1989 until 1998...
, Paul Ince
Paul Ince
Paul Emerson Carlyle Ince is an English football manager and a former professional player. He has managed Blackburn Rovers, Milton Keynes Dons and Macclesfield Town...
, Neil Webb
Neil Webb
Neil John Webb is an English former footballer and television pundit. He played as a midfielder and defender between 1980 and 1997 notably for Portsmouth, Nottingham Forest and Manchester United...
and Danny Wallace
Danny Wallace (footballer)
David Lloyd "Danny" Wallace is an English former footballer who played for Southampton, Manchester United, Millwall, Birmingham City and Wycombe Wanderers. He won one full cap for England. His football career was ended prematurely by the effects of multiple sclerosis.-Southampton:Wallace was born...
. However, an 11th place finish in 1988–89 tested the patience of the club's supporters and as 1989 drew to a close, United's form was so bad (they occupied 15th place in the league on Christmas Day) that there were continued calls from the fans for Alex Ferguson to be sacked. However, Edwards stood by the manager and insisted that the issue of Ferguson being sacked was never up for debate. Some fans even called for Edwards to resign. While Edwards, naturally, admitted that he was disappointing with the lack of progress in the league, he understood the reasons for the disappointment, which was largely down to a series of injuries to key players, and said that he was pleased with Ferguson for his reorganisation of the squad.
The decision by Edwards to remain loyal to Ferguson paid off in 1989–90 as United lifted the FA Cup
FA Cup
The Football Association Challenge Cup, commonly known as the FA Cup, is a knockout cup competition in English football and is the oldest association football competition in the world. The "FA Cup" is run by and named after The Football Association and usually refers to the English men's...
to end their five-year wait for a major trophy. A year later, United won the European Cup Winners' Cup
UEFA Cup Winners' Cup
The UEFA Cup Winners' Cup was a football club competition contested annually by the most recent winners of all European domestic cup competitions. The cup is one of the many inter-European club competitions that have been organised by UEFA. The first competition was held in the 1960–61 season—but...
. 1992 saw United win their first-ever Football League Cup
Football League Cup
The Football League Cup, commonly known as the League Cup or, from current sponsorship, the Carling Cup, is an English association football competition. Like the FA Cup, it is played on a knockout basis...
, and a year later they ended their 26-year wait for the league title when crowned champions of the inaugural Premier League. The double
The Double
The Double is a term in association football which refers to winning a country's top tier division and its primary cup competition in the same season...
followed a year later. 1994–95 was a relative disappointment for Edwards and indeed everyone else connected to United as they were pipped to both the league title and the FA Cup and left without a trophy, but United bounced back the following year to win a unique second double. By this stage, Edwards had been able to raise the funds for United to break the national transfer record on two occasions in the space of 18 months – the £3.75million move for Roy Keane
Roy Keane
Roy Maurice Keane is an Irish former footballer and manager. In his 18-year playing career, he played for Cobh Ramblers in the League of Ireland, Nottingham Forest and Manchester United, before ending his career at Celtic in Scotland....
in the 1993 close season, and the £6million move for Andy Cole in January 1995. The success continued for the rest of the decade with another league title in 1997 and a unique league title/FA Cup/European Cup treble in 1999. By the end of the decade, Edwards had made available the cash for United to buy the first two eight-figure signings of their history – defender Jaap Stam
Jaap Stam
Jakob "Jaap" Stam is a retired Dutch football player who was twice voted best defender in the 1998–99 and 1999–2000 UEFA Champions League. He played for several European clubs like PSV Eindhoven, Manchester United, S.S. Lazio, A.C. Milan and AFC Ajax before retiring in October 2007...
and striker Dwight Yorke
Dwight Yorke
Dwight Eversley Yorke is a Trinidad and Tobago former football player. He played for Aston Villa for most of his career, followed by stints with Manchester United, Blackburn Rovers, Birmingham City, Sydney FC and Sunderland...
.
In the 1998–99 he had accepted a £623million bid from Rupert Murdoch's
Rupert Murdoch
Keith Rupert Murdoch, AC, KSG is an Australian-American business magnate. He is the founder and Chairman and CEO of , the world's second-largest media conglomerate....
BSkyB corporation to take over Manchester United, but the takeover was cancelled after the Mergers and Monopolies Commission blocked it. The Irish duo J.P. McManus and John Magnier
John Magnier
John Magnier is Ireland's leading thoroughbred stud owner and has extensive business interests outside of the horse breeding industry....
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 Martin Edwards. The success continued into the 21st century, as United retained the Premier League title in 2000 with a record 18-point margin and gained their third successive title the following year.
Edwards enabled United to break the national transfer record twice in 2001 when they signed Dutch striker Ruud van Nistelrooy
Ruud van Nistelrooy
Rutgerus Johannes Martinus "Ruud" van Nistelrooy, , is a Dutch footballer who plays as a striker for Málaga CF in Spain's La Liga. He is the second-highest goalscorer in Champions League history with 60 goals...
and Argentine
Argentina
Argentina , officially the Argentine Republic , is the second largest country in South America by land area, after Brazil. It is constituted as a federation of 23 provinces and an autonomous city, Buenos Aires...
midfielder Juan Sebastian Veron
Juan Sebastián Verón
Juan Sebastián Verón is an Argentinian professional football player who is the current captain and midfielder for Estudiantes de La Plata in the Argentine Primera División....
, but he 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.
He still remains at Old Trafford as honorary life president and sits on the club's football board alongside Sir Bobby Charlton
Bobby Charlton
Sir Robert "Bobby" Charlton CBE is an English former professional football player, a member of the England team who won the World Cup and Ballon d'Or for European Footballer of the Year in 1966...
. He sold his 6.7% share in the club to new investor Harry Dobson in 2003.
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.Toilet peeping incident
Edwards received a police caution following an incident at the Mottram Hall Hotel, near Macclesfield, Cheshire on 17 August 2002. A woman in her 40's alleged that he had entered the ladies toilets and spied under one of the cubicles at her. 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 that they, too, had been victims of similar behaviour in toilets at Old Trafford.Careless driving
In July 2005, Edwards was convicted of careless driving, having been involved in a head-on collision near ConwyConwy
Conwy is a walled market town and community in Conwy County Borough on the north coast of Wales. The town, which faces Deganwy across the River Conwy, formerly lay in Gwynedd and prior to that in Caernarfonshire. Conwy has a population of 14,208...
, 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. The driver of the other car, a Vauxhall Corsa, was badly hurt in the crash, 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.