Burnley's Dyche keeps focus on pitch amid takeover speculation
(Reuters) - Burnley manager Sean Dyche said on Thursday that he could shine no light on reports that the Premier League club are the subject of takeover interest from rival consortiums and was focused solely on how his team were performing on the pitch.
Burnley are third-bottom after a poor start to the season in which they have lost four and drawn one of their five games.
Sources told Reuters last month that the club's hierarchy were in talks with American sports investment company ALK Capital LLC over a possible sale.
British media, including the BBC, reported https://www.bbc.co.uk/sport/football/54723696 on Wednesday that Burnley were also the subject of a 200 million pounds ($260.66 million) bid by Egyptian businessman Mohamed El Kashashy and UK-based sports lawyer Chris Farnell.
"I know what you know," Dyche told reporters before Saturday's home game against Chelsea. "It's not my domain. I focus on the team and we have had a tough start. The chairman and the board will make the big decisions.
"I do not know of any ownership, as far as I know they are all stories in the papers but they seem to be getting more detailed over the last few weeks. Unless (the takeover) becomes a reality, I focus on the team."
Burnley are currently owned by British businessmen Mike Garlick, who is club chairman with a 49.24% stake, and John Banaszkiewicz, who owns 28.2% of the shares.
Dyche added that fans should wait for the facts to emerge.
"The first thing is first is to find out if it is factually true. Just because it is in the papers doesn't make it factually true in my experience," he said.
"I can understand (fans) reading the papers and trying to fathom out what is going on, but without any facts... the feel of the fans I am sure is only looking at whatever happens to safeguard the club.
"The chairman and the board are in control of that. I don't have any opinion on that or get involved in it."
($1 = 0.7673 pounds)
(Reporting by Simon Jennings in Bengaluru; Editing by Ken Ferris)
