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FA Cup tie at Eastleigh halted as Reading fans protest towards owner Dai Yongge

The FA Cup tie at Eastleigh had been halted for a number of minutes as Reading fans protest towards the owner Dai Yongge.

Fans of the League One strugglers chucked on fake money, tennis balls and a pyro, while a big banner reads ‘Dai Yongge Out’.

The players, meanwhile, took chance to reset, had a drink and take stock while staff ran onto the pitch to quickly take away everything that had been thrown on by fans.

It comes amid reports that Reading have returned under an EFL Embargo having failed to pay HMRC as this month’s bill remains outstanding.

The club haven’t been able to pay tax on time every month for the 2023/24 season, with two winding-up petitions already handed to them this season by HMRC for failing to pay monies due.

They had already been played under an embargo until 2025 and the club risk facing more punishments from the Football League as they face an independent panel in the near future, another points deduction another concern for those involved with the Royals.

Owner Dai Yongge cleared two months’ worth of tax around two week ago to stop the club requiring to face a judge in court, but is now hoping an agreement is close to sell the club.

He faces an independent panel after failing to deposit money to cover wages after he paid staff late on three separate occasions last season.

Mark Pougatch: Talking about, I don’t know, people who work in the canteens, the kitmen, the people who work on the gates. These are people three weeks before Christmas being told they’re not being paid on time.

Ian Wright: Well, we’re talking about owners who’ve got previous in this. They’ve had a club dissolved in China, they’ve had a club in Belgium go bankrupt. You know, the mismanagement is on such a scale. I’m hearing that their club sponsors are having to come in and maybe say, the club sponsors are just there to try and get the exposure and they’re coming in Select Car Leasing to actually try and save them. How do they get to get in this position owners when they’ve got previous form of doing this? Reading, 6th oldest club in the league and they’re going through this. Maybe what we might see administration, hopefully, it doesn’t happen. But I’m totally with the Reading fans here.

Mark: It’s great that Mark Bowen and the manager, Ruben Selles says don’t pay us yet. We’ll postpone the paying of our wages until hopefully everybody who’s not a player can be paid in full.

Jobi: Yeah, I think it’s showing solidarity with that group of staff who are doing so much work behind the scenes. And that’s the other disappointing thing. Since Dai Yongee’s been there, the real spirit and culture of the club’s just been eroded. They’ve got rid of a lot of good people behind the scenes and eventually actually it just filters down onto the football pitch and you see what’s happened with the points deductions but a bunch of kids, which it is now. And it’s inevitable really in terms of the downside.

Ian: Demoralising.

Gabriel Clarke spoke with Mark Bowen, Head of Football Operations at Reading, about their current financial situation.

Gabriel: Well, Reading had a decision to make this week. They decided to pay the players in full to avoid another points deduction. That meant the staff didn’t get their full wages. Mark Bowen, alongside me, it’s been another tough week and just tell us about your situation as well and the situation of the manager, Ruben Sellers, because you had a choice to make.

Mark: Yeah. What it was in effect, Gabriel, there was not enough funding coming into the club this month to pay everybody the wages in full. The chief executive made a decision to pay the players, stop us getting another point deduction. And there was a percentage paid to the rest of the staff and myself and Ruben, the manager. We decided that we’d forfeit all our wages until staff are paid in full.

Gabriel: And you hope that’s next week?

Mark: Yes, we’ve been told that the funds will arrive and everything will be settled by early next week.

Gabriel: The key, of course, to all of this, Mark, is a sale. What is the timeline?

Mark: Well, the timeline seems to be changing, but we do have an understanding that they’re close, but there’s still a little few points to get ironed out and until that happens, we’ve just got to basically wait and see how it develops from there on in. But listen, the club cannot move forward until the club is sold and we get significant funding in to take us forward.

Gabriel: There’s going to be another protest by the fans, the 16th minute tennis balls, we believe, thrown onto the pitch. You’ve been in that position before. Can you understand it?

Mark: Very much so. Listen, our fans have been nothing but patient, I don’t think, over the last few years. Again, today, you’ll see, we got a hell of a turnout and the things they’ve had to put up with, it just been really difficult. So I fully support any protest they want to make, as long as it’s within the confines of being manageable.

Gabriel:And what chance a team average age 22 coming through all this and winning?

Mark: Well, we’re confident because in the cup game so far, we’ve had the season, we played really well. It’s been a little bit different in the league, but we’ve got a young squad, vibrant squad, that’s improving week after week. And we’ve had a strategy going forward and a vision going forward that just needs, let’s say, needs ownership to come in and help us take the club to those places we all want to go.

Gabriel: Mark, very challenging times. We wish you all the best today. Thank you. Thank you, guys.

Reading tweeted on the 16th minute: “We are fully aware of and understand our fans’ frustrations, but we must reiterate that throwing objects onto the pitch can put the fixture at risk of abandonment and can result in personal consequences including banning orders. Thank you for your support today.”

Shortly after the protest, Paul McCallum go Eastleigh ahead, netting from the back post to pile on the misery for Reading.

Eastleigh then had the ball in the net again… only for it to be ruled out.

Femi Azeez struck a thunderbolt to level it up, and right at the end, McCallum pokes it home from close range to send Eastleigh through, where they will play either Barnet or Newport in the Third Round.

–

This is what fans had to say with the FA Cup tie at Eastleigh halted as Reading fans protest towards owner Dai Yongge…

@randomgbird: Fair play reading fans 👏🏻👏🏻 #readingfc

@TheTilehurstEnd: It’s not paper! It’s fake £20 notes! Love that! #readingfc

@CMNS21: Fair play Reading fans #readingfc #sellbeforewedai #yongeout

@RoyalsDan95: Often slag off broadcasting, but @ITVSport have been brilliant regarding protests and speaking about the clubs issues #readingfc

@ROldfieldDesign: Absolutely class from the reading fans 👏🏻 Shame our fan base is too accepting and just carry on as we are #swfc

@Kianj05: Well done @ITVSport for the good coverage and facts around reading fc 👏 #readingfc

@NikhilK4pila: Ngl that protest was amazing, especially with @sammatterface explaining our plight. Well done @SellBeforeWeDai #readingfc

@Gazspurs46VR: Fair play to @sammatterface 👏🏼👏🏼 for explaining the reasons regarding the Reading protest and explaining in detail with a balanced view #readingfc

@amwilson30: Fair play to ITV, the way they’ve covered and explained the #ReadingFC protests has been excellent.

@MarkRobins89 (replying back to Reading tweet): ITV commentators know the score more than you

@laticssamuala (replying back to Reading tweet): I’m no reading fan ( wigan) and we’ve been there twice recently. Do yourself a favour and how about supporting your fans. Rather than critiquing them. Surely as admin you won’t be paid either so this will affect you and all staff!

@mrchrisr91 (replying back to Reading tweet): Admin was probably one of the ones only partially paid, I’d have outright refused to tweet this. Our fans did that for you and the club.

@TH161_: Incredible from Sam Matterface there, proper research and told the tale perfectly #ReadingFC

@SidRfc: well done lads. dai out #readingfc

@luke_tizzard: Fantastic to see the protest broadcast nationally! WE WANT DAI YONGGE OUT!! 🎾 #readingfc #SellBeforeWeDai

@daveespley: Good for the #readingfc fans. Hope they get rid of their awful owner. #facup

@Josephluckett6: Fairplay to the commentators for being nice about it #readingfc

@talkmurtytome: Sell up and fuck off 🎾🎾🎾🎾🎾 #Readingfc

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