Clem Morfuni issues response to calls by Swindon fans for change of ownership at the club

Clem Morfuni issues a response to calls by Swindon fans, with an open letter sent, urging for a change of ownership at the club.

Swindon Town Football Club would like to issue the following statement from Clem Morfuni:

— Swindon Town Football Club (@Official_STFC) May 16, 2024

MORFUNI STATEMENT:

Swindon Town Football Club would like to issue the following statement from Clem Morfuni:

Dear Supporters,

We have carefully considered the Swindon Town Supporters Trust’s open letter published yesterday and acknowledge the concerns expressed.

Respecting all viewpoints, we plan to request a meeting with supporter groups in the coming weeks to discuss both the letter and the recent fan-led survey.

Our main activities since the end of the 2023/24 season have been to conduct thorough reviews of our performance on and off the pitch, ensuring that we learn from our mistakes and make positive changes for the 2024/25 season. We recognise that last season was not up to our club’s standards.

While we value the feedback from the Supporters Trust and the wider fan community, we would like to mention that we do not fully agree with all the points raised in the open letter. Nevertheless, we believe that open dialogue and collaboration with our fan base is essential to future success.

Our team has already taken steps towards addressing some known issues, as we sat down together during my recent visit and started working on solutions.

We will keep you informed of our progress and any updates on these matters in the coming weeks.

Regards,

Clem Morfuni

Charlie Austin reveals Swindon’s future ‘is on a knife edge’ in tell all interview

OPEN LETTER SWINDON SUPPORTERS TRUST:

Dear Mr. Morfuni,

We write this open letter, not only out of a sense of deep frustration but also through a duty to look after the best long-term interests of Swindon Town Football Club.

We, at the Trust, led the agreement to purchase the County Ground from Swindon Borough Council with the help of the Eady Trust in order to give the Club a significant reduction in rent and the ability to invest in the facilities to make the Club sustainable moving forward.

In addition, we have tried to support, encourage, advise you and give you constructive feedback in order to give you the best chance of success in running the Club.

We made sure that throughout an incredibly hard second half the season we remained focused on supporting the Club and its players, putting the relegation battle first. Although we avoided relegation, we did still end in the worst league position in modern history.

There are many things we have and continue to appreciate, including the creation of the Advisory Board, joining us in a Joint Venture to own the County Ground and bringing the Women’s team into the Club.

However, with the season over we hoped that our survey, which over 2,000 of your customers completed, would be used to finally make you see both the level of feeling of the fans and to take on our advice to avoid another disastrous season.

But the advice, feedback and survey results are still met with a consistent level of denial and a version of reality which does not relate to the facts. For example, you continue to insist the Club is debt-free. It is not.

You have declined to transfer the shareholder debt into equity, which would fulfil the commitment you made at the last Fans Forum where you said you would ‘wipe the debt’.

Consistently over your tenure you have repeatedly not been honest. The Club has been found guilty of EFL charges relating to both undisclosed shareholdings and late payments and it is clear that the Club is constantly struggling with cashflow.

With the County Ground Joint Venture, the club has conducted a secret Master Plan project without the expected collaboration and denied all knowledge that it existed when initially first asked about it. The rent has been persistently getting paid later and now that we have set the ground rule and limit of 30 days past it’s due date, it’s unsurprising that the rent is now being paid exactly 30 days after it’s due without fail.

Your persistence in appointing an entire team running the Club (with few exceptions) who have never performed their role before and/ or come from a football background, has meant nobody can be surprised at where the Club finds itself now – and frankly, relegation would not be a surprise to us next season.

You have had over 100 days to find and appoint a first-team manager and it is indicative of the lack of leadership, overall strategy and ability at the Club, which the fans have recognised and voiced in our survey, that we remain managerless today.

We do not doubt everyone is working hard, but the Club requires both investment and experience if we have any chance of progressing both on and off the pitch.

At the Fans Forum on January 30th, you committed to better communication. Since then, there has been silence from the Club’s leadership, including the recent period when you were in Swindon for a week and conducted zero interviews and published zero articles through the Club’s official channels.

We, as a Trust led by our recent survey, are today declaring we have lost all confidence and trust in the leadership and ownership of our beloved Swindon Town Football Club. Further, we have no faith that a promised re-development of the County Ground is plausible under your ownership.

We call today for:

– an immediate and significant investment in both money and experienced personnel into the Club;
– a clear and credible funding plan for the ground re-development; and
– a commitment to complete transparency and honesty in more frequent communication.
– Alternatively, it is time for you to sell the Club and find a new owner who can provide these things as soon as is practically possible.

We are a proud Club which has cherished our football league status for well over 100 years and we implore you to make the changes now before we lose that status under your tenure.

The Board of TrustSTFC

Swindon fans call for change in open letter to Clem Morfuni while Charlie Austin speaks out

Here’s how fans reacted as Clem Morfuni issues a response to calls by Swindon fans for change of ownership at the club…

@DinseyRob: “Thank you for your email. The Club is out of the office at the moment, and will respond to you when we return”

@luongodinho: No apology or accepting of any of his own failures. No clear plan or timeline for the future. More empty words. This guy is a delusional narcissist #stfc #ClemOut

@PaulCottle:
What’s happening with the club
Who’s in charge
What’s the transfer policy
Squad budget they’ve had 6 months to decide upon a manager etc !!!

@LoathedStranger: Weak! Weak! Weak!

@PaulCottle: Season ticket holder update. I’ve still not renewed how many more of you are out there who haven’t comment on this and let’s make them see because at the moment they think all is okay 🤦‍♂️

@STFCNarbs: We plan to request a meeting in the coming WEEKS!!!! I would’ve thought coming days would be better and how long ago was his visit? No sign of any change/movement since then.

@DhaswellphotoUK: Clem is fighting a lost battle with statements like this. No doubts its only gone out as a direct result of being called out for lack of communication. Statement adresses nothing- just puts wood on the fire

@PaulCottle: Not really an update just more waffle from clem to pass the time

@StfcJoe: Shouldn’t have taken the letter for the slightest ounce of communication from the club, even this still leaves many questions to be answered

@TrevorSTFC: If you don’t agree, you’re wrong. It’s simple. 95% of the fanbase and your ex- players agree. And as for “the next few weeks” it’s a matter of urgency, your “next few weeks” normally means months..

@StfcShaun: At least we have something from the club hopefully they will speak with the trust in a separate meeting not just in the AB. No it’s not the best statement but at least they have spoken and it moves on.

@cyphnar: Can’t believe it has taken ~30 hours for a non-statement like that, it could have had that released at 9am yesterday. You are spending a great deal of time reviewing the seasons mistakes, hopefully you actually share the findings and demonstrate some learning from them. #STFC

SELL THE CLUB pic.twitter.com/zVtSJ4x3Z0

— jetight (@jettight19) May 16, 2024

@RichardSTFC94: Sunday league clubs are run better than we’re being run right now!

@PaddyStavros: Boycott Season Ticket sales. 👊🏼

@dazascott85: More wishy washy bollocks from our pathetic chairman. You can kick the can down the road all you want Clem, but the problems won’t disappear.

@dezined: “We would like to mention that we do not fully agree with all the points raised in the open letter.” And the points raised by your captain and vice-captain, agree with those? Take some responsibility. Clear out the incompetent imbeciles anc chancers. FIX YOUR BUSINESS. #STFC

@DaveSTFC94: Bore off Clem, get your cronies out the door and get in a proper manager

@Simonhockey45: Your time here is done Clem.Its obvious you don’t have the finance or the capability of working in the football industry. You’ve had 3 years and we are heading into the National League on your watch. Do the right thing!

@CamelSaunders: Can someone, anyone, EFL the FA tell this joker this is pro football club not some kick about on a Sunday morning, Jesus..

@joemerriman_: Awful response #STFC

@adam_petty: Basically says ‘we’re still not interested in what you say, we do what we want but it will be your fault for not buying season tickets and backing the club’ 🙃🙃🙃

@Hank_OmH: Collaboration with the fan base with nothing but silence 🤫 Time to sell the club Clem!

@swindonsam: No substance to that whatsoever?

@pieman80: Not good enough

@simongoodall1: Rinse repeat again from More Foni. Says absolutely nothing as usual….

@jettight19: 😂😂 SELL THE CLUB CLEM

@Stfc80dave: You’re right, 23/24 was not up to our standards on & off the pitch. We deserve better. The people running the club are not up to standard in their roles. The review should take 5 seconds to know to remove these people who clearly have no idea & replace them with people who do

@danquince2: Get out the club u fraud

pic.twitter.com/Nt7y5bSTAN

— Fools Rush In – STFC fan chat (@FoolsRushInSTFC) May 16, 2024

@JoshBarclay9: That’s a poor statement no substance of any use. Sell the club.

@Iamapuppett: National league next season if things continue as they are.

@azure111s: Oh dear. Still nothing positive. Wonder if there ever will be.

@Al_Red_Mac: A statement from Clem Morfuni, that starts with “We”. not I ? That’s odd. Would be more sincere if it looked like he had written it himself, or had a decent PR person draft it.

@StooCollins: Well, I guess it’s a start by acknowledging the open letter published. Let’s hope it’ll lead to something good from here and not just be ignored/delayed etc etc.

@ChisieWeirdo: We don’t really care if you agree with the points raised. Do much better or go – that’s the only message you need to focus on.

@STFCluke_: No wonder @TrustSTFC have kicked off. Still in denial mode 😔

@finney86: Absolute cop out! Pointless statement, the trust letter reflected the majority of supporters attitudes currently and yet you still don’t agree with aspects of it!

@Rorystfc: Could have used this statement to tell us about the managerial search and contract situation

@Samhxrt: Whole lot of nothing statement

@CamelSaunders: Bore off.!