A thread on #ValenciaCF owner #PeterLim

So recently, @MothershipSG (a Singaporean news site) decided to run an article about the abuse Peter Lim & his daughter Kim Lim had gone through. (1/25) https://mothership.sg/2020/07/kim-lim-valencia-cyber-bullying/

Being a football fan, I was naturally curious what could've riled up an entire fanbase. Hence, I started off by looking at the club's on field success. Since his takeover in May 2014, the club has finished 4th no less than 3 times. (2/25)

This is coupled with 3 UCL group stage exits, this season's exit at the UCL knockout stages, and runs to the Europa League knockout/QFs stages. However, they now find themselves in 9th place in La Liga now, far away from the European qualification spots. (3/25)

But to understand the fans anger, one has to take a deeper look at how the club is being run. Right from the beginning, Lim made the unpopular decision to sack then coach Juan Antonio Pizzi and brought in Nuno Espírito Santo. (4/25)

Then president Amadeo Salvo later revealed that hiring Nuno was one of the conditions Lim had insisted on before purchasing the club. Given Nuno was a client of Jorge Mendes, a business partner to Lim, the appointment immediately raised suspicion. (5/25)

A year into Lim's ownership, Salvo resigned citing personal reasons. However, fans speculated it might be due to a rift between him and the board, although this has never been confirmed. Another popular figure among the fan base, discontent among supporters only grew. (6/25)

It wasn't good news on the pitch too, with Nuno resigning after a poor start to the season and exiting the UCL group stages. In came Gary Neville, another of Lim's known associates. More well known for his punditry rather than coaching, his appointment came as a surprise. (7/25)

Unsurprisingly, Gary's reign as coach was nothing short of disastrous. Recording the lowest win percentage in La Liga history, he was given the chop on 30 March 2016. Pako Ayestarán was promoted from assistant coach, and the club ultimately finished a lowly 12th. (8/25)

By now, any fan would've been disheartened by the run of events. But it's about to get worse for Valencia. After a run of 4 straight defeats at the start of the 2016-17 season, Pako was sacked and Cesare Prandelli was hired. (9/25)

However, he resigned less than 3 months later citing false promises over transfers. This was immediately followed by the resignation of sporting director Jesús Garcia Pitarch, who claimed he felt like he was used as a shield for criticism by the club. (10/25)

As a result, he felt that he couldn't defend something he no longer believed in. Voro was subsequently named caretaker manager, with Valencia finding themselves in the relegation zone ranked 17th. They survived the drop by finishing the season in 12th place yet again. (11/25)

Next to resign was club president Lay Hoon Chan and was replaced by Anil Murthy. Marcelino was appointed as the new manager, and he managed to guide the club to a 4th place finish, semi-final berth in the Europa League, and a Copa del Rey cup. (12/25)

But just as it seemed like the good times were returning, things took a turn for the worse. Marcelino was sacked in September 2019 and Celades became the new boss. Under him Valencia reached the UCL knockout stages, but it was Valencia's league form that cost him his job. (13/25)

With his sacking on 30 June 2020, it brought the total number of managers dismissed under Lim's stewardship to 6. Sporting director Cesar Sanchez also resigned shortly after, making him the 6th sporting director to leave in the same period. A pretty tumultuous 6 years. (14/25)

Which begs the question, has Lim put the club's interest first or his own? His earlier appointments might suggest the latter. He has also failed to address the club's debt, which reportedly stands at €274 million. (15/25)

Furthermore, their 54,000 seater stadium has yet to be completed, an ongoing problem for over 10 years. With so much issues on and off the pitch, fans will naturally be pretty upset and blame the owner for the woes that Valencia has undergone. (16/25)

Unfortunately for Lim's daughter, some Valencia fans have used her Instagram page to vent their anger. Her latest post has attracted 3,000 comments mostly from said fans. With the amt of hate, it's understandable that Kim Lim (Peter's Lim daughter) has some strong words. (17/25)

On her Insta story, she uploaded the following, which did little to quell the anger. She then played the race card stating that she was being "bullied" for being Chinese. That itself I've a problem with, as racial abuse is a very serious matter. (18/25)

From what I can see, most fans are just incensed at the way the club is being run and had nothing to do with race. It's people like her that makes racial problems worse, as it may lead people to dismiss true racial prejudices as whining complaints in the future. (19/25)

You might ask what has a Singaporean LFC fan have to do with Valencia's ownership?

1. The people in question are Singaporeans and I would like to stress we do not behave in such a haughty manner.

2. I'm disheartened to see netizens with no football knowledge commenting. (20/25)

3. That Lim could very well been LFC owner had FSG not bought the club. Valencia's current state is eerily similar to what happened under Hicks & Gillette. Debt & stadium issues, children (see Tom Hicks Jr) clashing with fans, LFC fans can certainly relate to. (21/25)

Yes, your father might be the owner of said club, but a responsible owners has to put the club's interest first. For fans, going to games have been the way of life from grandads to fathers to sons. To wipe away 101 years of heritage thru poor leadership would be sinful. (22/25)

Since Kim Lim says she's targeted cause she's Chinese, let me, a Singaporean Chinese, state that it's not! Owners have to be accountable for the wrong decisions made, and fans that care for the club have the right to voice out their concerns. (23/25)

They may use harsh words, but that's because they care so much about their club, something that Kim Lim fails to understand. Sure if there's racial abuse, go ahead & report them but from where I stand, I just see a group of sad & angry fans wanting justice for their club. (24/25)

As football fans, I'm sure no one would want to see their club in such a position. Hence I feel there's a need for me to publish this thread. Do feel free to comment if you've further information or if you do not agree with my stand. Am always open to diff perspectives.(25/25)