Football finance expert Kieran Maguire has recently discussed the protest which was staged by Charlton Athletic supporters at The Valley stadium.
Last month, it was reported that a group of Charlton supporters had occupied the boardroom at the Addicks’ stadium to protest against the ownership status of the club (per BBC).
This was following a peaceful protest that was organised outside of the stadium, before a group of around 80 people gained access to the boardroom.
On the latest episode of The Price of Football podcast, Maguire discussed the recent protest and the latest with the club’s ownership.
He said: “I think they’re taking a non-violent, direct action approach, which I applaud. They have been quite innovative in their protests against previous owners.
“I think it’s always quite good to appear on this show once, but when it’s once a fortnight, you normally know there’s a series of bad news coming around and unfortunately, Charlton are appearing far too regularly at present.
“This is in respect of the present owners, who are East Street Investments, owned by Tahnoon Nimer and Matt Southall. They bought the club for £1, I think it was in December.
“So, what Charlton fans have done is, they managed to get access to the ground, they invaded the boardroom and they stuck up a giant photograph of a pound coin and they’ve been dropping pound coins outside the ground effectively saying, ‘Our pound is worth far more than yours.’
“The club has lurched from crisis to crisis over the last few months. The EFL – to give them some credit here – they have rejected the new potential owners. I think they’ve identified there’s an element of frying pan and fire in respect of some of the potential people that are trying to buy the club.”
TIF Thoughts…
As can be seen in what Maguire had to say, he supports the “non-violent, direct action approach” being taken by supporters and believes the EFL deserve “credit” for rejecting a recent application to take over Charlton.
Do you think the protest by Charlton supporters was worthwhile?
No, it was pointless
Yes, I think it'll help
It would certainly seem as though the Addicks are currently in a sticky situation, so, hopefully, Charlton supporters’ recent protest will put the spotlight on the club and aid in finding a solution.
However, only time will tell if that will be the case.