Morfuni has enjoyed holding back at home and abroad over the years, but Swindon Town has finally blown its cover. He is a warm-hearted, but direct character with no airs, who feels just as comfortable chatting with his team as he is with the so-called “shrimp sandwich brigade”. He is a season ticket holder with Tottenham Hotspur and a regular face in corporate suites throughout the Premier League. He’s had lunch with Leicester City Manager Brendan Rodgers and is advised by Socceroos legends Harry Kewell and Tim Cahill, who both know exactly how things work at the base of the English professional pyramid.
“When they found out I owned Swindon, they came out of the woodwork to find out what was going on,” he said. “I caught up with Harry a couple of times. He says, ‘Buddy, it’s a roller coaster ride – you must be crazy to buy into a football club’. Probably I am, but I love the game. I understand the English and how ruthless they are. You just have to be careful. There are a lot of sharks over there. I keep telling the English that there are more sharks in the streets of London than in the waters of Australia. “
Swindon Town was never seen as the powerhouse of English football, either on or off the field.Credit:Getty
Morfuni comes from a modest background, was born and raised in Sydney to southern Italian parents. Football-obsessed from a young age, he followed Marconi and APIA Leichhardt into the old National Soccer League and is a big Sydney FC fan. He’s still playing too.
His love for sport crystallized when he flew to Germany in 2006 for the Socceroos’ historic World Cup campaign. The next year he expanded his business to England, attended a few Premier League games, and realized he had a burning ambition to buy a club.
A customer convinced Morfuni that it would be easier to sponsor a team through his company, Axis Plumbing. And so he did, and put his money into Harrow Borough, a rustic, non-league club. A few years later he was introduced to Lee Power, then chairman of Swindon Town, through a mutual friend. Axis first sponsored the club’s jersey and then bought 15 percent of the shares for £ 1.1 million ($ 2.08 million). Morfuni was a non-executive vice chairman for a while.
In short, the relationship between Power and Morfunis deteriorated and a lengthy, complicated legal battle ensued over possession of the club. It went all the way to the High Court and was only recently resolved. Morfuni gained full control and has also earned the trust of the local council, fans and the English Football League as the right man to bring the Robins forward.
It was a long wait between drinks at the highest level for the Robins, who only played one season in the Premier League in 1993/94.Credit:Getty
But when the takeover was complete, the club had no manager, no CEO, a mountain of debt, only six players on the books, a transfer embargo, no jersey (because he hadn’t paid clothing supplier Puma), no bus to take the team to and from games Transport had not paid players and staff for two months and was still affected by relegation from the top division last season.
“It was an absolute mess,” said Morfuni. “But it didn’t worry me. I’ve been in the business for 27 years now and understand the business side of football. “
Founded in 1879, Swindon Town was never considered a powerhouse, either on or off the field. The club’s trophy cabinet is fairly spacious and contains four professional league titles and the 1969 League Cup. They first reached the Premier League in 1993/94 under Glenn Hoddle, but were quickly relegated. Morfuni believes her rightful place in the championship is – from there who knows? – and sees growth opportunities in the club’s geographic location, away from its big rivals.
“I love the club. The supporters are really good, I’ll tell you now. The club is big enough, but small enough if that makes sense, ”he said. “It’s a good size. It’s not a two-bob club. You have Bristol 30 miles away, you have Oxford and you have Reading. There is no other team nearby. “
Clem Morfuni attends a game at the County Ground in Swindon.Credit:Rob Noyes
Morfuni also wants Swindon Town to be the first port of call for Australian players looking to venture into Europe. It’s a model that has been followed in the past – most notably by alleged cheater Bill Papas at Greek club Xanthi FC – but no Australian has ever wholly owned an English club before so this is uncharted territory. Morfuni plans to see The Robins’ Football Director Ben Chorley visit Australia next year to assess local talent.
“We have so many good Aussie kids who want to play soccer, but when they’re 17 it falls off the cliff, there’s nowhere to go,” he said. “If you don’t get into the minor leagues, you will never make it [straight] in the Premier League, I’ll tell you now. You have a better chance of getting into those minor leagues, learning the ropes and learning how it actually works in England because it’s a tough market. “
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Morfuni has sponsored Australian teams in the past including the Sydney FC and NPL NSW Marconi and Mt Druitt Town Rangers teams.
“I put a lot of money into football here too,” he said. “People will ask why I didn’t buy an A League club? I thought the opportunity to buy an English club would be a lot better because when you move up in the league you can make a lot more money. If I go to the championship, I’ll get £ 10 million ($ 18.9 million). The difference between here and there is that you buy and sell players. If I buy a kid for 50 grand, I can sell it for a million pounds or two or five. Then you will receive a sales clause in your contract. “
Swindon Town’s short term goal is simple for now: avoid relegation. Once they are stable, they can build. Morfuni doesn’t seem to be there for any reason other than his own love of football and insists he is buckled up for the ride just like any other supporter. He lives the dream very much.
“Something like that,” said Morfuni. “It’s hard work, it’s full, it’s relentless. It is good? Absolutely. But it takes its toll. My son, wife and family have probably suffered the most from being away from driving what I tried to drive. But I said the following to the people in Swindon: You can do whatever you want. If we all work together with drive and passion, we can do anything. Take it from me. “
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