EFL Cup quarter-final at Manchester United….but Charlton Athletic fans still on ‘high alert’ over ownership uncertainty
Charlton Athletic Supporters’ Trust say they are still on “high alert” over their club’s future, despite a mouth-watering last-eight trip to Manchester United in the EFL Cup on Tuesday night.
The Addicks are set to have just shy of 10,000 fans at Old Trafford for the fixture.
CAST announced in December they would campaign for owner Thomas Sandgaard to sell the League One outfit.
Since then there has been talk of impending investment from the Lenagan family, who previously owned Oxford United and still own Wigan Warriors’ Rugby League side.
Sandgaard has not publicly commented on whether he has entered into a period of exclusivity, as claimed by the club’s former chief executive Peter Varney.
Ian Lenagan’s son Simon has been at recent Charlton matches.
Varney has a party interested in acquiring Charlton but they would also want to buy The Valley and Sparrows Lane training ground, still owned by Roland Duchatelet.
“The owner has an agreement with another party who have exclusivity and Roddy Duchatelet has an agreement with Thomas Sandgaard that Thomas has to pay £50m for the two main assets and Roddy [Roland’s son] will only assign the lease if £50m is guaranteed,” Varney recently responded to an Addicks fan on Twitter.
“I’ve seen us lose six cup quarter finals in my years supporting the club,” says Heather McKinlay, chair of CAST. “I’ll be travelling more in hope than expectation of a change in fortune this time. There’s a lot of excitement around the match, especially among our younger supporters who missed out on trips to clubs like this when we were last in the Premier League 15 years ago. It is light relief for all of us compared to the uncertainty surrounding future funding and ownership of our club right now.”
CAST’s press release added: “Despite the glamour fixture, CAST are once again on high alert.
“The club faced a major crisis in 2020 when fans feared administration or worse. Thomas Sandgaard arrived to widespread relief and was warmly welcomed as the new owner in September 2020. He spoke of lofty ambitions for the club. Just over two years on, though, scepticism and pessimism are back on the Addicks’ agenda. The fanbase has lost confidence in the desire and ability of the present owner to lead the club, which is losing millions of pounds a season while the team languishes in the bottom half of League One.
“Sandgaard insists he is not selling the club but actions suggest otherwise. A group of investors has seemingly been given a period of exclusivity to do a deal.”
McKinlay added: “The memory of the shenanigans of 2020 is too raw for us. The lack of transparency regarding the situation and above all the future financial security of the club are really worrying for fans.
“Right now we want to enjoy our big night out at Old Trafford, which is what football should be all about. But until the recommendations of the Fan Led Review are fully implemented, clubs remain at the mercy of speculators.”
CAST recently launched The Addicks Charter to outline the partnership fans seek with the ownership and to embed the club’s values for the future.
Like every Charlton supporter – and I have supported this club for 61 years and am a season ticket holder – I do worry about the future of the club. I am not a business man, but it does not take rocket science to know all the shady, covert dealings that go on in the capitalist world and, unfortunately, football is no exception. However, I am going to stick my neck out and say that if all the rumours are true, then this does not appear to be a bad takeover, if it takes place. At least the proposed buyers do have some noteworthy pedigree in dealing with football clubs. I also admire Peter Varney for his life long support of the Charlton cause over the years, but perhaps he should stop talking about the wrongs and rights of potential buyers and get his preferred shining knight in white armour installed asap. As I said before, I do not propose to know all the ins and outs of the business world, but action does speak louder than words, does it not ?