Gonzalez poised to take over Finn Harps
Finn Harps’ proposed takeover by former Philippine football player Freddy Gonzalez moved closer to completion on Tuesday after club members overwhelmingly approved the acquisition at a special general meeting.
The resolution cleared the required 75 percent majority, allowing the club to proceed with the transaction.
“Members of the Finn Harps Co-Operative voted to confirm the Special Resolution concerning the proposed acquisition of the club by Freddy Gonzalez at a Special General Meeting this evening,” the club said.
“The Board will now work with Freddy to finalize the transaction in the coming weeks.”
The vote followed an earlier approval by members of Finn Harps Co-Operative Society Limited two weeks ago.
Gonzalez, 48, has pledged an initial €4 million investment into the Donegal-based club, which is currently fan-owned and finished bottom of the SSE Airtricity Men’s First Division this season.
The investment is expected to cover renovations at Finn Park, squad strengthening and staffing as the club targets a return to full-time status next season.
Gonzalez, a former manager in the Philippine men’s football team, has also committed to helping complete Finn Harps’ proposed new stadium in Stranorlar.
Speaking to RTÉ Radio 1’s Sunday Sport last October, Gonzalez said spending on the squad, ground improvements and infrastructure had already exceeded €4 million.
He added that the plans included improved recovery and rehabilitation facilities, an office and a club shop on Main Street in Ballybofey.
“It’s the renovations of Finn Park. It’s the squad for next season. It’s the staffing,” Gonzalez said.
“We’ve rented a number of buildings already in town in Ballybofey. We’ll be building an office. We’ll be building a club shop on Main Street,” Gonzalez said.
“There’s a lot of things that we’ve been working on behind the scenes that people don’t know about. In the next three to four months, people will be surprised that all of a sudden there is all this Finn Harps infrastructure coming out.”
Gonzalez is co-founder of Terry SA, a retail company in the Philippines, and has family ties to the International Container Terminal Services business group.