Bohemians lose Dalymount court case

They may have proved almost invincible on the park this season, but newly crowned eircom League champions Bohemians were dealt a crushing off field blow today when a High Court case over the sale of their ground went against them.

In 2006, Bohemians agreed to sell Dalymount Park in Dublin 7 to a property company owned by developer Liam Carroll, Danninger Limited. Under the terms of the deal, which was valued at €60 million, the club were to receive €40 million in cash and have a new 10,000 seater stadium built for them on a Greenfield site near Dublin Airport.

Trouble was, another property developer, Paschal Conroy, claimed that Bohemians had already agreed to sell a part of the stadium to two of his companies, Albion Properties Ltd and Albion Enterpries Ltd. Bohemians claimed that no agreement had ever been finalised between the two parties. However, High Court judge Mr Justice John Edwards today ruled in favour of Albion.

It is a ruling which throws Bohemians lucrative deal with Danninger into serious doubt. The club has admitted that it will now need to speak with Carroll to see if they can agree to an amendment in their original deal.

In the deal with Albion, Bohemians had agreed to sell part of one of the stands, known as the Tramway End, in Dalymount Park in exchange for cash and the building of corporate boxes. Bohs are then alleged to have been given a cash deposit of around €100,000 and subsequent other payments over the following years. A deal was later agreed between Albion and Bohemians whereby the firm would pay Bohemians €750,000 in cash instead of building the corporate boxes.

Relations between the two parties then soured. Bohemians attempted to pull out of the agreement by sending Albion a cheque for €1.05 million – the total amount which they had pocketed from the company. Albion weren’t having any of it, however, and Albion returned the cheque, stated their wish for the deal to go ahead.

The dispute has rumbled on ever since, culminating in today’s court case. It now remains to be seen whether Bohemians choose to appeal the decision and what Carroll’s take on the situation is.