Chapter 643 The Creditor Arrives
RS office in Manhattan, New York, USA.
Real estate tycoon Stephen Ross, along with his team of assistants, pushed open the door of the conference room with a clang and walked in one after another.
This made Matt Higgins and Charlie Stillitano, who were sitting inside, feel a little helpless. There was a look of surprise in their eyes, and it was obvious that they felt the atmosphere was abnormal.
Usually, when Stephen Ross came to RS, he would either come alone or bring bodyguards with him. But it was rare for him to come like today, when he not only brought bodyguards, but also his personal representative lawyer and his most capable accountant.
What does this mean?
Could it be that he was here to check all the debts and bills of RS Company?
Matt Higgins looked at Charlie Stillitano, as if to ask, is this doubting us?
Charlie Stillitano raised the corner of his mouth and shook his head, indicating that he would wait and see what happened.
As soon as Stephen Ross walked into the conference room, he sat down at the top seat. The lawyer and accountant sat on his left and right sides respectively, just separating Matt Higgins and Charlie Stillitano.
This made the two people behind him feel obviously offended.
We agreed to be partners, but what does it mean to do this now?
"I'm here. You're in such a hurry to find me. If you have something to say, you can tell me now!"
Stephen Ross chuckled, his narrow eyes shrewd behind his gold-rimmed glasses.
Matt Higgins glanced at Charlie Stillitano, who nodded, signaling that he was ready to begin.
So, Matt Higgins coughed heavily, "It's like this, Stephen, in order to prepare for the North American Invitational Tournament, we rented hotels, training grounds and stadiums for each participating team. At that time, we only paid the down payment. According to the terms of the contract we signed at that time, after the tournament, we should..."
Before Matt Higgins finished his words, Stephen Ross raised his hand.
"Matt, I understand what you mean. Since we signed the contract, we should act in accordance with it. I think you don't need to ask me about this kind of thing, right?"
Matt Higgins and Charlie Stillitano immediately realized that this matter was very tricky.
"But, Stephen, after paying appearance fees to teams like Chelsea and AC Milan, as well as the expenses incurred in the preparation stage of the previous event, our income has already been..."
Matt Higgins's meaning was very clear, that is, the company had no money!
Stephen Ross heard this and chuckled, "What did the bank say?"
"We have not yet repaid the several loans we have taken out in the past few years. I am afraid no bank will be willing to lend to us again!"
"So what you mean is..."
Matt Higgins is still young and inexperienced after all, and there are some things he can't express.
Charlie Stillitano has been active in the American sports world for many years. The reason why RS Company’s previous North American Invitational Tournament was able to invite so many European giants to participate was all due to his connections and operations.
Usually, people of this type tend to be thicker-skinned.
So, seeing that Matt Higgins couldn't speak, he took over.
"Stephen, we agreed before that the first few years of preparation for the tournament would definitely result in losses. No tournament can make money from the beginning, not even the FIFA Club World Cup. And you promised at the time that you would be responsible!"
This is also a key part of their cooperation with Stephen Ross!
After all, the three of them are united in interests and are not completely united.
After listening to this, Stephen Ross also nodded and said, "Yes, you are right, but you two told me at that time that in five years at most, this event would be able to break even and even make a small profit. But what about now?"
Charlie Stillitano and Matt Higgins looked at each other and felt the helplessness in each other's eyes.
There is a saying that goes, A poor couple has many worries.
When the company was developing well, everything was easy to talk about and solve, but now that the company has encountered problems, all the contradictions have immediately surfaced.
Last year was a little better, after all, the situation was pretty good last year, but this year it’s completely ruined.
Because the schedule of the North American Invitational overlaps to a large extent with that of the International Champions Cup, the combined attendance of all games of the North American Invitational was less than 70,000, less than the average attendance of the International Champions Cup.
Just thinking about it makes me want to curse because the difference is so huge!
Only Charlie Stillitano and Matt Higgins themselves understand that, in the final analysis, the operating team of the International Champions Cup is too outstanding, and they have invested real money to invite the top European teams to participate, which in itself has a very high market appeal.
In this case, the sensible thing for the North American Invitational to do is to avoid the competition, adjust the schedule, and miss the International Champions Cup. After all, they had already drawn up the schedule in February, which was obviously to tell you to stay away from them.
But Stephen Ross went against the majority's opinion and refused to change the date. He was determined to go head to head with the International Champions Cup.
Now, it’s all over, right?
Charlie Stillitano felt helpless because Stephen Ross's tone clearly blamed the two of them. He was clearly trying to put the blame for the North American Invitational's consecutive losses on them.
But what can they do?
"Okay, Stephen, what do you think now?"
"What else can we think of?" Stephen Ross found it funny. "We have a total of 200 to 300 million in debt, and now the creditors are coming after us. Otherwise, the three of us shareholders can invest more money according to our shareholding ratio, but whether we should continue to operate next year is another matter for discussion."
"Or we can just pat our butts on the back and leave this mess to the court to clean up, and then we can do what we need to do, relax and be free!"
Charlie Stillitano couldn't stand it any longer and stood up. "Are you going to declare bankruptcy and dissolve the company?"
"What else?" Stephen Ross asked.
Charlie Stillitano's face was filled with grief and indignation, and Matt Higgins also found it unbelievable and hard to accept.
They are different from Stephen Ross, who is only responsible for paying the money, but they have invested a lot of time and energy in this company. If they declare bankruptcy and dissolve the company now, not only will their reputation be ruined, but they may also be burdened with some debts and legal liabilities.
If it is not handled properly, they may lose all their connections in the sports world and forget about staying in this circle.
"Charlie!" Stephen Ross looked at Charlie Stillitano. "Let's just be frank. I've even brought the people here for you. Just be straightforward!"
"I am very, very dissatisfied with the organization and operation of this year's North American Invitational. Compared with last year, not only has there been no progress, but it is actually going backwards. The International Champions Cup signs new sponsorship contracts every year, the broadcast area is getting wider and wider, and the influence is getting bigger and bigger, but what about us?"
Charlie Stillitano and Matt Higgins were both speechless.
"Not only is no one interested in the broadcasting rights, but sponsors are also running away one after another. Our income from this aspect is pitifully small, so the losses are getting worse and worse. Tell me, how long can we hold on?"
No one can answer this question.
But Charlie Stillitano and Matt Higgins, who were responsible for attracting investment, were depressed because many things were not caused by their problems, such as the broadcasting rights.
You insist on arranging the schedule to overlap with the International Champions Cup. Now, how can the TV stations broadcast two different football events at the same time?
The final result will definitely be between the two, and the event with the highest ratings will be chosen for live broadcast!
So, everyone chooses the International Champions Cup. No matter how eloquent you are, what can you do?
This is true for broadcasters, isn't it also true for sponsors?
When the competition is scheduled is crucial for an event!
Didn't you see how much work FIFA did to arrange the Club World Cup in December? How many years of coordination did it take?
Stephen Ross saw that neither of his two men spoke, so he shook his head, sighed, and sneered.
"I personally understand that it is difficult and not easy for you to make this decision. You have all invested a lot of effort in this event, but you have to understand that this is not about feelings. We are discussing the management of a company and capital operation!"
When Stephen Ross said this, he sighed heavily again and stood up.
"Well, I'm the major shareholder, so I'll make the decision on this matter. I have the final say!"
Charlie Stillitano and Matt Higgins looked at each other, both a little panicked.
It seems that he has to make this decision today!
"Although I am very happy to cooperate with you in the past few years, and we get along very well, but unfortunately, I have to make this decision. If you want to blame me for this, then I have nothing to say!"
At the end of his speech, Stephen Ross gave a cunning smile and reached out to button his suit.
"John, Jack, everything here is left to you. You know how to deal with it!"
The lawyer and accountant who came with Stephen Ross also stood up immediately and nodded to the boss.
It was obvious that they were already very familiar with doing this kind of thing.
Seeing Stephen Ross leisurely leave the meeting room, Charlie Stillitano and Matt Higgins seemed to have all their strength drained away.
Because they found that the career they had worked hard for for many years completely collapsed in such a short time because of someone else's words or a decision, which made them feel a very strong sense of frustration.
The company is going to go bankrupt and they will definitely be burdened with debts. What will they do in the future?
What are they going to use to pay off these debts?
How would RS's partners react if they heard the news?
There are also these two people, a lawyer and an accountant, who are obviously trying every possible way to help Stephen Ross avoid debt and reduce the burden as much as possible.
They had heard of such tricks before, but they had never imagined that the first time they experienced it, it would be like this.
But if they really do this, they will definitely offend a large number of creditors. How can they continue to survive in the sports world?
Thinking of this, the two of them actually began to hate Stephen Ross in their hearts.
He is a real estate tycoon. Although he owns a football team, offending these people in the sports world has no effect on him at all. But they are different. Their careers and connections are all here.
Where else can they go if they leave the sports world?
Is this really the only way?
Charlie Stillitano and Matt Higgins both saw the helplessness in each other's eyes.
There was nothing they could do about it.
But at this moment, Charlie Stillitano's phone rang at an inopportune time.
Unknown number, who is it?
Charlie Stillitano was a little scared and looked at Matt Higgins, who was very sensitive to data but didn't know the origin of the number and shook his head.
As soon as I picked up the phone, a man's voice came from the other end.
"Hello, Mr. Stillitano, I am the CEO of Miracle Media, my name is Sun Yue!" R1148