Stepping up at Leeds as Madine is timed out

Salah Nooruddin, a Bahrain-based businessman with a 3.33 per cent stake in the club’s parent company LUFC Holding Limited, was yesterday confirmed as the new vice-chairman at Elland Road.

Bates’s tenure as chairman is not officially due to end until June 30, after which the 81-year-old will become honorary president under the terms of the deal in last year’s takeover by GFH Capital.

Nooruddin, who joined the United board last month with the brief of bringing in investment to the Championship club, is then expected to replace Bates as chairman on July 1.

In confirming Nooruddin’s new role as vice-chairman, Hisham Al Rayes, managing director of GFH Capital, said: “Salah comes with 25 years experience in the investment business in various regions, including the UK.”

Elsewhere in the Championship, Sheffield Wednesday have – by a margin of just three minutes – inadvertently avoided a £100,000 payment to Carlisle United and Gary Madine under the terms of the striker’s switch to Yorkshire.

As part of the 2011 transfer, an upfront fee was paid and a number of add-ons agreed. Some of those – including the Owls winning promotion and then staying in the Championship – have been triggered. Carlisle, however, have also been left counting the cost of an appearance related clause.

Carlisle managing director John Nixon said: “Gary had to make 23 league appearances this season for a further £100,000 payment to be triggered. The player would have received 10 per cent of that with the remainder coming to Carlisle, had it been achieved.

“Gary actually only registered 22 qualifying appearances this season and, when we sat down and had a look at it, we found that we were only three minutes away from activating that clause.

“For it to qualify as an appearance, he had to start a league game or come on to the pitch as a substitute before the 75th minute. There was a game (against Birmingham) back in February where he came on in the 78th minute – so you could argue that was the one.

“He had a hamstring injury for a number of weeks after that, but he was on the bench for the last game of the season. Unfortunately, he didn’t get on at all.

“That is just how football goes for you sometimes.”