Foot & Soccer Soccer Match Reports, Football News 
April 4 – US-backed club investor FC32, led by Australian Paul Francis, which was buying its way into lower tier European clubs in a bid to develop and sell playing talent, has pulled out of second tier Austrian Club SKN St. Polten at short notice.
The FC32 investment model was to gradually buy into clubs, supplying cash over a period of time with a view to unlocking the talent existing in youth teams and club academies.
FC32 had started well with SKN, providing finance as per the agreement, and enabling the club to reduce debt while at the same time improving performance.
However, after a year that has abruptly ended with the unexpected news that there would be no more money, and that the commitment to finance through to the end of the season would not be met.
“We were surprised last Sunday with the news that FC32 Holding will cease all payments with immediate effect,” said SKN Managing Director Matthias Gebauer.
“We received payments from FC32 last week. We reacted immediately and have been doing everything we can to secure the club’s long-term future ever since.”
FC32 are understood to have stopped financing after irregularities arose within the group and trust was lost in Francis.
The group also an agreement with League of Ireland Cobh Ramblers FC, which was founded in 1922 and was the club where Irish and Manchester United legend Roy Keane began his senior career, playing 23 matches before moving to Nottingham Forest and then Man Utd.
That deal, understood to be in the low millions of Euros, also sees FC32 release finance regularly to the club.
It is unclear if Cobh will also suffer the same fate as SKN, have their finance ended.
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