John Sleightholme was the chairman of

Derby County Football Club Derby County Football Club () is a professional association football club based in Derby, Derbyshire, England. In 2022, it was announced that DCFC was acquired by Clowes Developments (UK) Ltd, a Derbyshire-based property group. Founded in 1884 ...

. He is a

barrister A barrister is a type of lawyer in common law jurisdictions. Barristers mostly specialise in courtroom advocacy and litigation. Their tasks include taking cases in superior courts and tribunals, drafting legal pleadings, researching law and ...

and deputy

coroner A coroner is a government or judicial official who is empowered to conduct or order an inquest into Manner of death, the manner or cause of death, and to investigate or confirm the identity of an unknown person who has been found dead within th ...

, and was nominally made chairman and owner of two-thirds of Derby County in October 2003, in a move arranged by

Murdo Mackay Murdo John MacKay (August 8, 1916 – August 8, 2000) was a Canadian professional ice hockey forward. MacKay played 14 regular season games and 15 playoff games in the National Hockey League for the Montreal Canadiens The Montreal Canad ...

. There were also two other directors,

Jeremy Keith Jeremy Philip Charles Keith (born 1964) became chief executive of Derby County after a corporation he controlled with two others bought the club out of receivership for £3 in 2003. He had previously been a director at Portsmouth and had a financ ...

, who owned one-third of the club, and Steve Harding. Mackay soon became more formally involved by Sleightholme, and he was promoted to

director of football A sporting director, or director of sport, is an executive management position in a sports club. The role is well known as a manager role for European football clubs, which are sometime also "sports clubs", offering many types of sports. The sport ...

. In early 2006, the club was facing a boardroom battle between Sleightholme and Keith. Following protests by the Rams Protest Group and RamsTrust, it didn't seem that Sleightholme and Keith would be chairman and chief executive respectively for much longer and, indeed, in April 2006, Sleightholme resigned, stating "My position has been made untenable. Recently it has come to my attention that meetings have been held, important decisions taken and documents signed without my knowledge. Important information has been withheld from me." Keith himself departed later in the month, to be replaced by a new board led by Peter Gadsby. In March 2009, Sleightholme gave evidence in the court case against

, Derby County's former finance director Andrew MacKenzie, accountant Mark Waters and solicitor David Lowe who were all charged in relation to a fraud allegation centred on a loan from a

Panama Panama ( , ; es, link=no, Panamá ), officially the Republic of Panama ( es, República de Panamá), is a transcontinental country spanning the southern part of North America and the northern part of South America. It is bordered by Cos ...

-based company that effectively saved Derby County after their relegation from the Premiership. Mackenzie, Keith, Mackay and Lowe were subsequently jailed for their involvement. Neither Sleightholme or Steve Harding, were implicated in the fraud, not charged with any offence, while Waters was found innocent

References

Derby County F.C. directors English football chairmen and investors Living people Year of birth missing (living people) {{England-footy-bio-stub