Sunderland owners in line for €90m bonus

THE Irish consortium that owns Sunderland football club is in line a for a pay day of almost €90 million when the Black Cats are officially promoted to the Premiership on Sunday.

Sunderland are guaranteed a return to top flight football just after being relegated to the Championship in 2006/2007 with the lowest points tally recorded. The jump to the Premiership will see the club reap millions from broadcast revenues, prize money and other sponsorship deals.

Sunderland was bought less than a year by the Drumaville consortium, which is fronted by Niall Quinn, who acts as the club’s chairman. The other members of the consortium are well-known Dublin publicans Louis FitzGerald and Charlie Chawke, builders Paddy Kelly, Jack Tierney, Patsy Byrne, Patrick O’Beirne and Sunderland businessman John Hays.