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Fans of three EFL clubs team up asking ‘who next’ amid protest prior England game at Wembley

Fans of three EFL clubs team up asking ‘who next’ amid a protest prior the England v Belgium game at Wembley on Tuesday evening.

Reading protest group ‘Sell Before We Dai’ are planning a demonstration at Wembley to warn fans outside the stadium that the issues faced by their club could have detrimental effects on any club within the English football system.

Campaigners will make it clear that the England national team wouldn’t have talented players like Jude Bellingham, who made his way through the ranks of Birmingham City’s academy before joining Real Madrid, without the presence of lower-tier clubs while the likes of Harry Kane and John Stones, either began their careers or gained valuable experience at lower league clubs.

Yet a number of clubs in the Football League and lower divisions, are at risk of closure due to poor management.

Ahead of the sold-out game against Belgium, fan-led campaign group Sell Before We Dai, who put pressure on Reading owner Dai Yongge to sell their club, have raised funds for an advertising van to drive around the stadium and nearby area as everyone arrives.

Caroline Parker, spokesperson for Sell Before We Dai, said: “The match against Belgium will see players in the current England squad who wouldn’t be where they are today without clubs lower down the football pyramid, including Jude Bellingham and Ollie Watkins, who were made by Birmingham City and Exeter.

“The success of these players shows why English clubs at all levels must be protected from negligent ownership, poor governance, financial mismanagement and worse.

“We want to remind fans that while it’s Reading that are in trouble today, it could be someone else tomorrow.

“We need the new Independent Regulator for English Football to have the necessary powers to safeguard clubs and solve systemic issues.

“The world is watching – collective responsibility is needed to ensure we have a regulator with real teeth.

“The future of English football depends on it.”

Sell Before We Dai say they have chose the Belgium game as Yongge, alongside his sister Dai Xiu Li, bought Belgian team KSV Roeselare in 2016, but they then went out of business.

Reading have so far had 18 points deducted over the last three years and has dropped down the leagues. Employees are uncertain about receiving their wages, and the club has received winding up notices due to unpaid taxes.

Previously seen as one of the most well-managed clubs in the country during their time in the Premier League ten years ago, they are currently just above the relegation zone in League One.

But, more and more fans are determined to continue calling for change and shedding light on the broader issue of football ownership.

This has been mostly supported my fans across the country, with banners including the crest of West Brom, Sheffield Wednesday, Southend, Morecambe, Derby and Wigan, who have all protested against ownership issues.

Plans are being put in place to establish a new independent regulator of English football, with the Government looking at protecting the financial stability of clubs and the pyramid as a whole two of the new organisation’s three primary objectives.

The regulator will have powers to strengthen the test for new owners and directors “to make sure a club’s custodians are suitable and protect fans from irresponsible owners”.

It will also have powers to oversee the financial plans of clubs to ensure “clubs take sensible financial decisions and risks are mitigated so they do not jeopardise the club’s future”.

Superb sh*thousery as Reading fans take protest towards owner to whole new level

News broke on the day of the planned protest before the England game that Reading owner Dai Yongge has committed to a letter of intent with a potential buyer with completion expected to take up to two months.

A Reading statement said: “The club can confirm Mr Dai has committed to a letter of intent with a potential purchaser of Reading Football Club.

“The parties will now enter a period of exclusive negotiation to agree the final terms. The completion is expected to take up to two months, at which time the purchaser will be announced.

“The transaction would include the transfer of Mr Dai’s shareholding in The Reading Football Club Limited, as well as the Select Car Leasing Stadium and Bearwood Park training ground.

“The club will communicate with further updates when appropriate.”

Sell Before We Dai said in response: “Naturally we are delighted to see movement on the sale of the club, but as always with communications involving Mr Dai, this statement provides as many questions as answers.

“The most obvious elephant in the room is that the exclusivity partner has not been named. We respect that a deal as complicated as this one requires discretion, but when Mr Dai’s entire stewardship has been characterised by secrecy and shadowy behaviour, we reserve the right to be uneasy at this lack of transparency.

“This season, those who love Reading Football Club have been forced to ride the most emotional of rollercoasters. Rather than going around again, we would like to get off. We implore the potential buyer to reach out to STAR and the wider fanbase as soon as possible to provide some reassurances.

“We also need to stress that ‘exclusivity’ does not mean ‘done deal’ and as outlined in the statement, there is still some way to go before we can truly celebrate the end of the Dai regime. This may be the beginning of the end, but it is still just the beginning.

“However, though we are preaching caution, there is clear reason to be optimistic. It appears shortfalls and HMRC have been covered, but the most exciting part of the statement is that the deal includes the football club, the stadium and the training ground – all of the assets we believe should belong to, and be used by, Reading Football Club and nobody else. Our fans played a part in making this possible.

“The next two months will be riddled with speculation and we suspect there will be more twists and turns to come, but for now let’s enjoy this vital first step towards a change in ownership and hope that the next statement we write will be announcing the end of this campaign.”

Twitter users reacted as fans of three EFL clubs team up asking ‘who next’ amid a protest prior the England game at Wembley…

@CassBen1: This is a great idea. Strength in numbers

@seandonegan07: Bradford. Bradford are next unless things change

@AbiGoulding13: #ReadingFC are not the first, and unless something changes, they certainly won’t be the last #WhosNext #FootballHasAnOwnershipProblem

@Markmoorhouse2: Congratulations let’s hope we get new ownership out of it

@BillCrawford87: Great to see this from @SellBeforeWeDai @The1867Group and @shrimpstrust. We need fans of all clubs to come together if we are going to get our football back from the people who have stolen it from us #whosnext #FootballHasAnOwnershipProblem #readingfc #swfc #morecambefc #wwfc

Shane Bond: Let’s all arrange at Sit down demo at EFL HQ they are complicit in the demise of clubs by docking points that only hurt the players and fans and not the owners. who have caused the problems

Georgina Haines: I’ve just shared this post to the EFL in messenger.. maybe we should all do it to flood their inbox 🤣

Brian Newport: The system is rotten at the Top 🔝 How can lower teams flourish CV without top level support

Pete Wallace: Brian Newport it all went wrong, for lower league sides, when the premier league was formed. The greedy so in so’s. Solidarity to all our colleague clubs who been through our own fate. We support you through this. After all we support our local communities through thick n thin. GOOD LUCK AT WEMBLEY TONIGHT. RTID. 👏🏼 Well done to Caroline I heard her on TalkSPORT this morning talking to Jim White. You spoke a lot of sense girl. 💙🤍

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