Fergie’s cash calamity

MULTI-MILLIONAIRE football managers Sir Alex Ferguson and Sven Goran Eriksson will find their fortunes significantly dented in the next few weeks when HMRC send out sevenfigure tax bills to the 239 investors in the Eclipse 35 film-investment tax-avoidance scheme.

An appeal to the Supreme Court over tax relief benefits from the distribution rights to two Disney films, Enchanted and Underdog, has been rejected, meaning they will have 30 days to pay a bill that could amount to 10 times their investment in the scheme. Another investor in Eclipse 35 is the ex-Newcastle player Nolberto Solano. IT WAS the worst possible timing for gaffe-prone ECB chairman Colin Graves to describe the T20 NatWest blast as ‘mediocre’ when he and chief executive Tom Harrison are beginning a charm offensive around the counties selling their T20 grand plan, which has been blocked from starting until the next TV deal begins in 2020. There is opposition to a city or franchise style tournament, but the Graves/Harrison spin is that the big Test match ground counties will control the teams called Lightning, Scorchers, Tornadoes, etc and all 18 counties will greatly benefit. ENGLAND’S mixed-up prop Joe Marler, who has opted out of the tour to Australia, has changed agents to join the largest rugby-dedicated agency, Esportif International. Marler, who felt vulnerable during his ‘gypsy boy’ saga, feels that he needs Esportif’s support network off the pitch.