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Former Derby bidder gets 20 years

Chris Kirchner, who came close to buying two English football clubs, has been sentenced to 20 years in prison for fraud.

Kirchner, 36, was sentenced at Fort Worth courthouse in Texas and also ordered to pay $65,415,938.12 in restitution. His sentence will be followed by three years of supervised release.

The fall of Kirchner was sudden and spectacular. His deal to buy English Football League (EFL) club Derby County collapsed in June 2022, just a few months after he walked away from a similar deal to purchase Preston North End, another Championship club.

He was previously named as the preferred bidder to take over Derby, who were then being run by the club’s administrators and was backed by then-manager Wayne Rooney.

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