Tan investing in the MLS

Last updated : 31 October 2014 By Michael Morris

C:WindowsTempphpC963.tmpVincent Tan has been in the press this week as an announcement was made that the City owner was looking to spread his footballing investment further afield than Europe.

Tan, along with other investors including baseball legend Magic Johnson and Hollywood producer Peter Guber have been awarded an MLS franchise in Los Angeles.

They will replace Chivas FC who, after 10 years of existence, will be erased from the MLS. The new Los Angeles FC will start as a brand new club.

Tan has not finished there. He is also looking to invest in another club in Europe. The possible club or country is unknown.

"I'm still negotiating so I'm not saying what it is now," Tan said.

"I believe the MLS will be a good investment.

"I enjoy investing in a football club and I believe that you can make money in a football club.

"I didn't really start off well investing in football, I wasn't that lucky.

"But there are a lot of clever owners who make money every year so I now understand the business so much better.

"I joked that I invested so much money in Cardiff and it is my tuition fees to learn the football business."

Tan still hasn't come to terms with fact that Cardiff City fans will never respect him for his decision to change the clubs colours. The MLS will suit Tan where clubs change names, colours and city's but in the UK where tradition and community is so important the fans, most of whom still turn up to support the club week in week out, are seen as ungrateful customers.

Yes Tan may have financially saved the club but the price of one of the most ludicrous rebrands in football was too much. Supporters still support the team on the pitch, as fans we are grateful for the financial investment but any hope that we will all worship the owner has been lost because of his actions and contempt.

Tan said he felt the worst of the fan protests against him were over, adding: “What else can the fans do? They just don’t support, it’s not going to change a lot. Logically they should support because I kept their club alive. I got the club promoted after 51 years.

“It is fun also, I enjoy watching matches. Whether Cardiff loses … it is not going to change my lifestyle. I did not borrow money to invest into Cardiff so it is all right.”

With over 20,000 still going to games the message that fans are not happy will never truly get through. Only an empty stadium on matchday would bring really negative headlines and show just how much the fans are hurt. Time has moved on though and now the supporters have accepted that there's little they can do but shun the red merchadise (it's thought Cardiff's shirt sales last year were the worst in the Premier League despite being the cheapest), hold their own mini protests like a blue scarf raising on 19 mins 27 seconds during games - something Tan has not seen this season as I don't think he's been to a game - and support the team, not the board.

Fans now follow the club on their own terms.The team still gets full support whether Tan thinks so or not. It's him have little respect for, not Cardiff City FC.