Fantasist is the word I would use to describe Eric Alonso. A man who spells Eric with a K rather than a C, probably because it’s cooler. And that’s the thing with Eric; he’s all about status, publicity and being a somebody. Now it appears as though his proposed takeover at Derby County is off, even though, let’s face it, it was never on. I thought I would do a piece to sum thing up from my point of view. It probably won’t have the pizazz of other articles, and there are things I must leave out for good reason, but as Fabrizio Romano says, “Here we go!”
Anyone of an Owls persuasion reading will know that Eric Alonso first became known to the masses through an article written by Nancy Frostick of The Athletic, which is available to read by clicking here. I have it on good authority that Eric reached out to several media outlets a long while before this, but he failed to respond when questioned on his intentions and backstory. As many will know, The Athletic became a publication Eric regularly spoke to in an attempt to get his name and his story, or should that be fairytale, out there.
Nancy included a paragraph in the article linked above which read, “Alonso, who has links to MLS outfit DC United, and his associates have been brought on board to assist with a range of matters including recruitment and youth development with the goal of restoring Wednesday’s status as a top-flight side. The Spaniard has experience in the football industry and counts Max Gradel, Emre Mor and Gonzalo Escalante among his clients. He is also the owner of Indonesian top-flight side Bali United.”
The information, which I believe came from Eric, or Eric impersonating someone else, something that we will come onto later, is, in my opinion, fake news. In terms of Eric and Sheffield Wednesday, I believe he suggested he could assist commercially because of his contacts more than anything. I think he wanted an in, so to speak, to then progress to becoming an advisor on matters such as the recruitment of players and managers.
As for representing footballers such as Max Gradel and Emre More, I think this is nonsense. Everyone will more than likely have heard the Emre Mor story by now, but if you haven’t, you will find the following Twitter thread illuminating. Click here to read it. Eric has a large following on Instagram. When this is the case, it gives someone some credibility, which is wrong, but that’s how it is. I believe that Eric repeatedly suggests involvement in deals, going as far as tagging players, knowing they will receive hundreds of notifications a day, and it’s unlikely they will see his posts or stories, let alone respond. Either that or he ensures they can’t see by blocking them, for a short while at least.
So, onto the final part of the paragraph from Nancy’s article. The Bali United bunkum. It’s part of the story that Eric tells everyone. A detail many will have heard time and time again from the football super agent. Or, should that be sham agent? Bali United CEO Yabes Tanuri gave Eric’s claim short shrift in this article. It also makes for interesting reading as it shows how the former world champion boxer, at Amazon Logistics, operates. It gives insight into his MO of reaching out to clubs to offer his services in marketing, commercial, etc.
It’s my opinion that if anyone did a small amount of digging into Eric’s claims and reached out to those he regularly suggests he knows or is an associate of, his story quickly unravels. It concerns me that what Eric purports as accurate immediately finds its way into various forms of media. It wasn’t in just this article from The Athletic, a popular publication, that Eric’s claims ended up on the screens’ of readers. More on that later. But what I will add is that what Eric lacked and continues to lack is credibility. When the likes of The Athletic put his suggestions out there, it gives him a slight degree of credibility, at least. And believe me, I have heard his stories enough to know the comments are from him.
So, how did I get talking to Eric? The day his name started to get a mention, I reached out to him on social media, going on to speak on the phone. Following the chat, I went into a group call with friends and immediately suggested he was bad news and a bullshitter. I knew that some of what he was claiming wasn’t accurate. And found his willingness to talk in the manner he did and the things he was suggesting to be concerning. So I alerted the relevant people.
The days that followed saw multiple Wednesday fans speaking to Eric. I’m not digging anyone out, but my belief is sometimes football fans become starstruck or overexcited when talking to football people. There is also a desire to be in the know. Eric used this to his advantage significantly as he started to exploit a loyal and passionate fanbase through Twitter and Instagram.
Chancer. A person who exploits any opportunity to further their own ends. It’s another word I will use to describe Eric. When he came on the scene in terms of Sheffield Wednesday on social media, a lot, if not all, fans were against the Owls Chairman and Amadeu Paixao. It was an opportunity he was never going to pass up. Wednesday supporters, desperate for better, saw Eric as the provider of hope. And why wouldn’t they? But I think it shows you what kind of person the PPE magnate is.
He was effectively telling long-suffering fans what they wanted to hear. He made it all about the fans and all about progress. But this is what Eric is good at, talking and manipulating people and situations. While supposedly working for the Owls Chairman and the club, he was actually working against Sheffield Wednesday, in my opinion by what he was saying publically, in private, and by what he liked on Twitter. I remember tweeting something about this, but it’s challenging going against the grain at times. People DMd me about Eric occasionally, too.
A prime example of Eric exploiting the situation to increase his popularity and standing with the fans was the Paul Cook episode. Eric knew that Cook was the man many fans wanted to come in as manager. And he let people believe he will make it happen, conning Paul himself in the process by the sounds of things. And, add to that stories coming out in publications such as The Athletic, which effectively pointed fingers at Wednesday and the Chairman, positioning Eric as a guy trying to do good but coming up against resistance, and you can see the latter’s intentions weren’t all they appeared to be.
Now, I’m not as knowledgeable as some who have done some mining on Eric, but I have had multiple conversations with him. And, while some of the stuff he said I could go along with because it did make sense. There were also a lot of tall tales and wild claims. While it may appear shitty from me, I wanted him to trust me, so I acted as his friend, calling him bro. You get the gist. I felt he was dangerous to Sheffield Wednesday and potentially other clubs. You could say I fucked him over, but my intentions were always good.
Claims Eric made included his relationship with Ramon Calderon and that he is his godparent. He also told me Roberto Carlos is the godparent of his son. Now, I cannot say if these things are true or false, but if Eric’s track record is anything to go by, you would be inclined to say they aren’t. Wednesday supporters will be familiar with a player called Rodri. He recently rocked up at Bristol City, and Eric suggested he was the agent who did the deal. While many people can be involved in a transfer, and this isn’t conclusive, you can check some things out on the FA’s website, as shown below. He’s also not registered with the FA as an agent.
Eric told me he could bring players such as Samuel Grandsir, previously of Monaco, and Lazio’s Sofian Kiyine to Wednesday at zero cost. And, it was around this time that I received a tip from a trusted friend that Eric was friends with and potentially doing business with Matt Southall. I immediately became concerned because while I don’t know Matt directly, I have heard plenty on the grapevine, and everyone knows what happened at Charlton. So, I put it to Eric during a call that he knew Matt, and after an initial denial, he said, “Oh. The black guy?” Before telling me, Matt had offered him Derby County and Cardiff City. He told me to hold on during the call before forwarding messages from Matt, as shown below. I also alerted friends as a point of reference when I initially received the tip-off.
Regarding Matt Southall, I believe he wanted in at a football club for a while. Several years ago, a contact of mine received a message from someone in his camp, insisting they wanted in at Aston Villa after hearing it was available. Believe it or not, I reached out to a former Villa player who has links to the club and suggested the group wasn’t suitable for the club. Effectively because of what I had heard about Matt previously.
Following Eric’s “departure” from Sheffield Wednesday, his parting shot appeared to be a “bid” to purchase the football club. Eric retained some support amongst the Wednesday fanbase. There were requests for him to tell all about his experience, to dish the dirt. And thanks for his efforts. I believe there was no proof of funds provided at any point by Eric after making the “bid” and after suggesting he will speak on things and show proof, which never happened. I think more supporters started to realise he was and is a faker.
A few eagle-eyed Wednesday fans spotted Eric liking tweets from the official Derby County Twitter account. Then I saw Eric’s Instagram story where he had reshared a post from Matt Southall’s private account. It prompted me to post the tweet I’ve attached below. Word must have reached the esteemed entrepreneurs as they started to step back, and Matt removed the M from his profile and changed his picture. Spot the ram the delightful duo are attempting to pass off as a goat.
Knowing Eric’s personality, he was never going to disappear off the scene. And, a couple of months after my tweet, news broke that Derby County had reached an agreement with Eric’s No Limits Sports LTD. How ironic the company name is. Alongside Eric at No Limits was Tajinder Sumal, who recently resigned from his role as a director. It’s my feeling he was duped like so many others. Eric released a statement following Derby’s announcement, which I have attached below. I find the line reading, “We shall not be making any further comment until the EFL approves the transaction,” ironic, as Eric proceeded to speak to every media outlet on planet earth.
Eric’s charm offensive was well underway. Most press outlets, including Sky Sports, The Athletic and Talksport, were lapping it up. And, with reports that Eric and No Limits Sports, that is limited, lodging “proof of funds” with the EFL, there were people who believed the deal could happen. I, like others, had concerns, primarily where the proof of funds was concerned. I was hearing Eric sent a statement to the EFL proving himself to have millions in the bank, and the numbers tallied up with a document he sent me.
Right now, you may be thinking, why did he send you this? If I recall correctly, I think he doubted my belief in him, so he forwarded the file to regain my trust potentially. On seeing the statement, I questioned its authenticity and found you can purchase similar online for $99. It’s worth noting that Eric sent me the file when I started to probe about Matt Southall, too. I’m not someone afraid of asking tough questions or being forthright, and this could have provoked the response of him feeling he must prove himself.
Concerned, I decided to attempt to reach out to Mel Morris, as shown below. I also spoke with many Derby County supporters, journalists, and even the EFL. While some journalists have done Derby fans and English football a disservice in their reporting. I did receive some fantastic advice and calls from several with general concerns and interest.
Oh, and then Raja Sapta Oktohari’s name entered the arena. Eric named dropped Raja, as well as Erick Thohir, and others, to me. I will attach a voice clip below. There was a suggestion Raja is the money man behind Eric Alonso. Something Raja denied publically and in private, too. I will come onto my theory shortly. A story also appeared via Jason Burt about Erick Thohir in The Telegraph. The content suggests the information came from Eric Alonso. Read it here.
Now, my theory, one that I shared with several journalists, is that Eric has potentially impersonated Raja on LinkedIn. You can read Craig Hope’s story by clicking here . It validates what I thought as The Mail and Craig have seen messages. It’s a case of impersonating Raja because he has a degree of credibility and pass them onto Eric, even though Raja is Eric. Either that or Raja is involved, and this is a complex scam they’re pulling.
Maybe some of my theories are wrong. And, if they are, I apologise. But another one I have is that Eric creates accounts on platforms such as Instagram of people such as Gus Poyet, the former football and now manager. You can check out the account by clicking here. There are similarities between this profile and Eric’s. And, the accounts Gus8Poyet follows makes me suspicious.
At this point, I’ve probably babbled on for way too long. And it appears as though Eric’s “takeover” at Derby County is officially off, according to press reports. I want to finish with a couple of comments. The first is that Derby fans have been fantastic, and some journalists, putting in the hours to uncover the truth and unmask Eric Alonso. It shows the crucial role supporters play in football and that not all journalists are bad.
Now, the likes of Simon Jordan, Jim White, reporters at The Athletic and Sky Sports aren’t always going to get things right. But, in future, I implore them to at least check the information given to them before putting it out there and giving false credibility to chancers and fantasists. I respect the profession and those working in the industry, but I couldn’t believe what I was reading and hearing during this saga. And, as for Mel Morris, well, only he knows what’s gone on there.