Chapter 109: Planning for Changes - Football Dynasty

The United States—especially Hollywood in Los Angeles, California—has long been considered the entertainment capital of the world.

It was, after all, the beating heart of global entertainment: the epicenter of music, film, and cultural influence. If Maddox Entertainment wanted to compete on the world stage, America

was

the stage.

With that in mind, Richard took his time observing the real estate scene across the States. His mouth twitched slightly.

"Capitalist bastards..."

The American estate tax was notoriously harsh—up to 55% of an estate’s total value could be claimed by the government. For Richard, that wasn’t just a statistic—it was a barrier.

"I ended up working for the taxman instead of the future."

"Estate tax is indeed a bad tax—but it’s practically useless against the ultra-wealthy, who have countless ways to avoid it," said Adam Lewis, recently attending the ceremony for

Barrister of the Year

at the Lawyer Awards.

Thanks to his victory representing Richard in his case against the FA and UEFA at the European Court of Justice, now he was in Los Angeles for the event.

"This is a country where profit rules. That’s why many billionaires prefer to set up trust structures, explore tax treaties, and establish headquarters in low-tax states or offshore entities," added Nick De Marco, another of Richard’s legal representatives in the ECJ case.

Nick was currently enrolled in a GDL law conversion course in the U.S., so with both of them in America, Richard took the opportunity to call for a reunion—along with some business, of course.

Both Lewis and De Marco were currently reviewing all the results of Richard’s recent negotiations and investments from the WWW Conference.

They looked at the papers scattered across the table in disbelief. "Are you sure all these investments will pay off? You’re not just throwing money around, are you?" they asked, speechless.

Infoseek, an internet search engine with a pay-for-use service: Invested $250,000 for 33%

GeoCities, a platform to browse, create, publish free websites : Invested $250,000 for 45%

WebGenesis, an online social media platform: Invested $200,000 for 20%

WebChat Broadcasting System (WBS), a web chat service: Invested $200,000 for 30%

All of them are internet-based companies.

"And why would you even want to invest in a non-profit company? UUNET? You spent $300,000 for just 5% of the shares? And what is this—Amazon? An online bookstore? You put $1 million into that? Have you lost your mind?" Lewis threw up his hands, completely at a loss for words.

Richard smiled, offering no further explanation.

"Don’t worry about that," he said, waving his hand. "Now that you’re here, help me with the legal matters, alright?"

When the founder or stakeholder negotiates a deal, they typically need a lawyer or a team of lawyers to finalize everything. Like drafting, reviewing, finalizing legal documents such as contracts, investment agreements, and shareholder agreements.

They ensure that the deal is legally binding, compliant with applicable laws, and that all parties involved are protected.

Since Blackstone Chambers is the official law firm of Maddox Capital, they handle the due diligence, intellectual property protection, and any necessary regulatory approvals required to close the deal.

Naturally, after finalizing the deal, Richard handed everything over to Lewis and De Marco. They both sighed at that. Lewis picked up his phone and quickly made a call to inform his team about their next assignment.

"Alright, that’s done. What else? You said there was something important you wanted to talk about?"

Richard nodded, then pulled out his old IBM ThinkPad 775CD laptop and said, "I just had an idea for another investment."

"Another one?" Both Lewis and De Marco exchanged a look. "Alright, what is it this time?"

"I was browsing the internet and came across a site called

Jerry and David’s Guide to the World Wide Web

. I’m interested. What do you think? Is it possible for me to invest in their company?"

"Oh yes, I’ve seen that site before," De Marco replied, then frowned slightly. "But they’re based in Silicon Valley, aren’t they? Companies like that usually already have venture capital firms lined up. Richard, I’ll admit this might be a good opportunity—but this is a game of big capital. You might not even get a seat at the table."

"I know. But yesterday, during the WWW Conference, they failed to secure funding. That’s why I’m planning to reach out. It’s worth a shot. I’ve already gathered their details—can you help me set up a meeting with them?"

What could they say? Their client had already made up his mind—so they could only comply.

"Alright. When do you want to arrange the meeting?" Lewis asked.

"Hmmm... let’s schedule it after we wrap up all the current investments," Richard replied, closing his laptop with a decisive

click.

A month passed in the blink of an eye.

John Maddock, the current General Manager of Manchester City, couldn’t help but admire Richard’s clever strategy regarding the club’s kit this season.

Currently Manchester City’s primary sponsor was Mancunian Transport, and their kits were supplied by Jako—a German sportswear brand looking to expand its presence in the UK market. Yet, within just a month, a new sponsor came knocking.

Brother Industries, Ltd.—a Japanese multinational electronics and electrical equipment company based in Nagoya—reached out with an offer to become the team’s shirt sponsor.

Because, surprisingly, Manchester City’s jersey sales had skyrocketed, jumping by more than 20% this year, despite the club still playing in the second division.

John remembered the moment clearly—when the jersey design was first brought to Richard for approval. He had assumed Richard would follow tradition, like Peter Swales and Francis Lee before him, and stick with the club’s iconic traditional City sky blue, known as ’Laser Blue’.

Since the founding of the club, there were a few things that set City apart from other teams when it came to jersey sales. Usually, when talking about a football club, it’s the home jersey that takes the spotlight—dependable, iconic, and deeply tied to the club’s identity.

City was different, however. While the home shirt was generally well received, it was the away kit that held a special significance for Manchester City fans.

Because the home kit remained largely unchanged year after year, former chairmen like Peter Swales and Francis Lee likely faced a dilemma—should they break tradition and revamp the home jersey, or leave it untouched? In the end, neither wanted to be the first to make that bold move.

As a result, their creativity was channeled into designing the away kit instead. This made the away jersey not only more unique each season but often more popular in sales, consistently outperforming the home kit.

Richard was the first to break this unspoken tradition.

Before the season even began, he told John, "No—Kippax Stadium has already cut into our matchday revenue from ticket sales. If our jersey sales are weak too, we’ll end up in an even worse position. We need to completely revamp both kits."

With that, he suggested a bold change: the home shirt for the season would feature a slightly darker shade of blue—a subtle but significant departure from tradition.

"Darker blue represents the toughest period in Manchester City’s history," Richard said. "Second division. I hope this change resonates with the fans, offering them a sense of hope and a sign that new management is ready to make a difference. It reflects the challenges we’re facing, but also our determination to rise again."

"As for the away kit..." Richard tapped his foot in displeasure as he scrutinized the design.

If you compare the current kit with the designs from when City was under Mansour’s ownership, this one feels outdated—too boxy, too old-fashioned. What he wanted was a jersey that stood out, something electrifying, that no other team had.

"When you’re done with Jako, ask their designer to come in. We’ll brainstorm the new design for the away jersey."

At the end of the day, it was the luminous yellow and navy blue stripes that Richard chose. This decision left John, along with all of City’s employees, stunned by the design. Even City’s current solicitors and barristers, who had never been involved in such matters before, questioned Richard’s choice, but he remained adamant.

The yellow, in particular, was somewhat garish and had never been worn by City before. It was peculiar and unusual for them, let alone for Manchester City fans, who had never seen such a jersey. However, Richard believed this jersey would take on a whole new meaning when it was worn for the first time.

And his gamble paid off.

Although this season technically marked the lowest point in Manchester City’s history, the away kit quickly transformed from an average, slightly unusual shirt to one of the most iconic jerseys in the current season.

A frustrating few months of the season mounted pressure on O’Neill, and even John started considering replacing him as soon as possible. However, Richard rejected the idea. He kept faith in him.

This season, the English divisions underwent significant restructuring.

For example, the Premier League was reduced from 22 teams to 20, meaning only two teams would be promoted from the First Division—the champions and the play-off winners. The same system was also implemented in the Second Division.

Thanks to O’Neill finally deploying his strongest squad, City gradually began to shake off their reputation as draw specialists—going on an impressive run of six consecutive victories in the Second Division.

Things changed, however, as December approached—Ronaldo and Cafu got injured.

Richard, who was in America at the time, felt a sudden chill when he heard the news. He was ready to fly back to England immediately, but John assured him it was only a minor hamstring issue and nothing serious. That calmed Richard down instantly.

’As long as it’s not the knees,’

he thought, deciding to stay in the U.S. for the time being.

Cafu and Ronaldo’s absence, however, threw City off balance. Without them, their unpredictability vanished, and their playing style regressed to how it had been earlier in the season.

While they could still score—thanks to the attacking trio of Solskjær, Shaun Goater, and Paul Dickov—they were frequently caught on the counter, often losing possession in midfield.

The climax came with yet another dismal home performance—City suffered a 1–0 defeat to Preston.

It marked their third straight league game without a win just before Christmas—hardly the form of a team chasing promotion. Frustration finally rippled through the stands, as fans were baffled by how City were struggling so much in the third tier of English football.

O’Neill, realizing that the squad might not be good enough to gain promotion, rang the changes at Maine Road.