Controversial Gillingham owner Paul Scally claims of being sent hate calls from vile fans while caring for a dying friend of his.
The 66 year old reveals to the media of being left terrified when online trolling turned into intruders vandalising his property and car. Not only that, he also received alleges getting late-night hate calls after his mobile number was posted on social media.
The Gills chairman, English football’s second-longest serving owner behind Middlesbrough’s Steve Gibson, having been at the helm for 27 years.
He announced in the last week that he is to take ‘extended break’ from the club with a businessman brought in as co-chairman and chief executive.
EXCLUSIVE: #Gillingham owner Paul Scally tells how he was targeted by vile fans with late-night hate calls while caring for dying pal. The #EFL‘s second-longest serving chairman talks about his ordeal.#GFC #TheGills #GillinghamFC @TheGills #Gills #EFLhttps://t.co/2Cm2oqKQ40
— Justin Allen (@justinallen1976) August 8, 2022
STATEMENT:
Gillingham Football Club is delighted to announce the appointment of Paul Fisher with immediate effect.
Paul will join the Board of Directors as Co-Chairman and CEO of the Club and will be responsible for the day to day running of the business.
Born less than a mile from MEMS Priestfield Stadium, Paul understands the culture of the area and indeed the significance of the Football Club to Medway and beyond, not least of all he fully recognizes the huge potential the Club has, being the only professional club in the County of Kent, all qualities which will be invaluable as the Club progresses.
Paul has many years of business and sporting experience, he was formally Assistant Chief Executive of Rochester upon Medway Council, being involved in the formation of the Unitary Authority that formed Medway Council in 1997, before moving to become Finance Director of GFC in the late 90’s, assisting the Chairman in the development of Priestfield Stadium in 2000/01 and being part of the team that oversaw the Club’s first ever trip to Wembley in 1999 for the game against Manchester City, a game that still ranks historically amongst the most dramatic of play-off finals ever held.
After leaving GFC in 2001/2, Paul joined Jockey Club Racecourses as CEO, a £250m turnover business operating 15 horse racing courses within the UK. He left that role last year after almost 20 years to carry out other opportunities.
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Chairman Paul Scally comments: “I’d like to take this opportunity of welcoming Paul to the Board as Co-Chairman and CEO.
“I have been at this Football Club for over 27 years, a significant part of my life, making me probably the longest serving Chairman/Owner in the EFL, a period which has seen great change for the Club and indeed professional football in particular, many challenges but also many great occasions, and I’d like to thank our great supporters, sponsors, stakeholders and importantly staff for their huge support and loyalty to myself and the business during that long period, I’ve enjoyed almost every minute of it.
“As, effectively, a “one man band,” I have generally carried the burden of responsibility on my own shoulders for this entire period, not through choice for sure, but through circumstance, in fact, despite many efforts over the years, I have never been able to persuade any Kent based supporters or business people to help with the task financially, at least to the level required, to take this Club on an upward journey and be part of what I have always believed, and still believe is possible, i.e achieving its huge potential and operating in the higher levels of our football structure.
“It was that same lack of ‘local’ help which led to me coming to this Club in the first place in 1995, a football loving Millwall fan, a Kent resident, a Gillingham outsider who didn’t want to see this club fail and go out of business, and until recently it’s fair to say my love, passion and commitment to this club has never been in doubt.
“The past two years have been particularly punishing, I have worked non-stop to ensure the Club came through the Covid period, faced challenges the like of which I have never experienced, both from a business and personal perspective, seen hardship on a huge scale and experienced great sadness with the loss of dear friends, some of them great fans, however what I never expected, nor in my wildest dreams thought I’d ever be subject to, was the relentless level of extreme personal abuse I have been subjected to from a small, mindless but vocal group of individuals who have generally used the ‘safety’ of social media and other forums to pursue their hateful and malicious campaigns, sadly often influencing those that are susceptible and vulnerable to these media, and who have themselves been caught up in the `frenzy’ that has persued.
“This abuse has been unacceptable, unfair, malicious, painful and without merit, no one individual should ever be subjected to such abuse, especially when simply getting on with their job in hand, in their place of work. Those involved are shameful and should look closely in a mirror, they certainly do not represent the views of normal decent supporters, nor, in my view, society as a whole.
“I am one human being and unfortunately this level of abuse and intrusion into my private space has had a huge effect on me personally, both mentally and physically, it has undoubtedly had some effect on the business and club, but more importantly it has affected my family and close friends, something I am unable, nor prepared to reconcile, despite the help and support of many that also care about this great club.
“I have therefore decided, (hence the decision behind the appointment of Paul Fisher to the Board), to take an extended break away from football and this great Club, a period whereby I can reflect on what my priorities are, a period whereby I can establish how damaged my love for this Club and football generally has become, and a period whereby I can rest and focus on my own life, family and other important matters.
Credit: Kent Online
“The running of a Football Club is high profile, 24/7 and 365 days a year, it is a high scrutiny job and I have always accepted an owner will often be in a “no win” situation, such is the beast, but I have always had the passion and fight needed to do the job, to stand shoulder to shoulder with our support base and to be proud of what we are and have achieved together. I have never shied from making those tough decisions, always in my mind in the best interests of the Club first and foremost.
“There is no question that right now, I am physically and mentally exhausted from the efforts, stress, strain and worries of the past couple of years, coupled with the personal abuse effects, and need a break to recharge my batteries.
“Myself and Paul fully intend to continue exploring options regarding the long term future of the Club, and indeed we are currently considering the possibilities of forming a strong and credible Board of Directors capable of continuing the journey, should external investment or new ownership not be an option.
“One thing we will not do is allow the Club to further its journey with anyone who does not possess the appropriate credentials, nor have the best interests of the Club at heart, indeed over the past couple of years there have been a number of ‘chancers’ who have touted credibility, but whom in fact have been everything but suitable to take on a Club of this magnitude. Our supporters would expect no less from me after all these years.
“I have every confidence in the work Neil and his team are doing with the rebuilding process, not easy to recruit the right individuals and build a new team in such a short space of time but the footballing side is in good hands and it was nice to get our first win of the season yesterday with such a solid performance, sadly I was not in the stadium to witness it, albeit I watched from afar.
“Relegation was painful for all of us that care about this Club, I have taken it very badly and with personal responsibility, but thankfully the spirit within the Club is high and positive, and I know everyone will work as hard as possible in trying to get the team initially back into League One, and then into the Championship at some stage thereafter.
“This is not quite a farewell from me, albeit that may well be the ultimate conclusion of the next few months, I do hope there is still a flame deep down, one that can re-ignite with the help of those closest to me, and with the help of others externally, but time will be the greatest judge of that, certainly if it is the end it’s fair to say it was never the way I expected to see the final curtain.
“In the meantime I would urge each and everyone of you to unite behind Neil, Paul, the players and staff, hold out the hand of compassion to those that have damaged the Club in the past, if they ever were genuine fans maybe they deserve a second chance, focus on all that has been good within the Club over the years, remember all the good times had, and indeed think about all the good times to be had, and continue the journey we all know is possible. This Club is bigger than any of us, it has a tradition and great History, and it deserves the chance to go again.
“I will be doing whatever I am capable of behind the scenes to support where and if needed, I will do my work quietly and privately and hopefully we can all see the benefits of our hard work in the days, months and years ahead.
“Thank you all for the years of trust, support and happiness.”
Scally recalls going through hell, balancing the Kent club’s finances after losing as much as £3m because of Covid while helping lifelong pal Philip Ewens, who had terminal thrombosis of the lungs.
His friend succumbed to the disease last June, but sustained attacks continued on Scally during the 2021/22 season with even a plane being flown over Priestfield carrying the message “Scally out”.
With Gillingham were relegated to League Two on goal difference following their home defeat to Rotherham in April, violence broke out during a pitch invasion prompting a number of arrests… not helping the look of the club.
It had Scally thinking whether he wanted to remain in the game he loves, telling The Sun: “I was in a bad place because I was suffering from a torrent of abuse from a minority of fans. Some of it was brutal and personal. Damage was done to my property and car.
“And at that time I was also acting as a carer because one of my closest friends, who I went to school with from the age of five, was gravely ill.
“Everyone thought he had Covid but it turned out to be thrombosis of the lungs. He had no-one to look after him.
“Phil was staying in a room in Charlton and I can only describe the place as a dump!
“I said, ‘Mate, you can’t stay here, this place is horrible.’ There were barely any windows, he had no Sky TV, no wifi. He was alone, it was really sad.
“It was during the Covid period and I was at home all the time. So I said, ‘I’ve got a spare room, I’ll get it kitted out and you can stay with me.’
“I had a walk-in shower put in, the NHS sent a hospital bed and oxygen machines while I became his carer.
“Everyday I made his breakfast, lunch and gave him his medication.
“I built a chicken run and there were eggs laid every morning. Phil loved poached eggs so was getting them fresh.
“We were good company for each other and it gave me a sense of purpose. He was only given two months to live but lasted 11 months.
“I wouldn’t say he had a happy time but it was far happier than if he had been stuck in that dreadful place.
“We had great banter and didn’t talk about the fact he was dying. The only thing that got between us was the fact he was a Charlton fan! Even the day before he died, I was ribbing him about football.
“He was with me until the end. His body just gave up. He was 65.”
Scuffles breaking out on the pitch between Gillingham fans and Rotherham fans.
Chiedozie Ogbene gets in the middle and tells Rotherham fans to move back pic.twitter.com/ey60ecISxj
— Jamie Ralph (@ModernLepra) April 30, 2022
During Scally’s time, they’ve gained three promotions, reached three Wembley playoff finals, won four FA Cup ties against Premier League clubs and achieved their highest-ever finish of 11th in the Championship.
However some fans became restless and the Gills chairman said: “I was getting abused on the internet and some of the language was vitriolic and full of hate. It was disgusting.
“I couldn’t understand why these people were so angry with me and it was like they were feeding off one another and social media didn’t help.
“They were putting out my phone number online and I was getting calls at 2am. I wasn’t sleeping some nights because I was getting woken up. I had intruders on my property one night and they caused some damage.
“It was scary. It affected me more because I didn’t know why they were doing it. It came out of nowhere.
“One minute things seemed relatively fine and the next I was getting chaotic abuse and hate. And this was all happening while I was looking after Phil.”
He said on football seeing more trouble post-Covid: “There’s no question I’ve been damaged by it. No human-being who has been on the other side of what I’ve been through for the last year could not be affected by it —especially if you haven’t done anything wrong.
“It’s true I haven’t put in £10m-£20m because I haven’t got those sorts of funds. I’m not like ex-Derby chairman Mel Morris, who could write out £100m cheques — although that didn’t end well, did it?
“I’m not a wealthy benefactor. I’ve never been nor will I. I’m just a normal person who runs a football club. But it’s increasingly clear in the English game that there are limited spaces for such owners nowadays!”
Questioned if he still had thoughts in his head about throwing in the towel at Gillingham, he said: “I’ve decided to take an extended break from football so I can reflect on what my priorities in life are. I need to rest and focus on my own life, family and other important matters.”
Twitter users react as the Gillingham owner claims of being sent hate calls from vile fans while caring for a dying friend…
@Thomas_Goodearl: Wishing Paul Scally a good rest. He’s worked so hard for so long for the club a nice rest is probably the best for his mental & physical health, which is always more important than work. ❤️👍
@DannyGipson: How terribly the egotistical Paul Scally has been treated & abused while taking millions of pounds out of the club & never putting a penny back in. He never says a bad word about anyone. Such a sad story. At least we still have Championship football to be thankful for 🙄 #gills
@darius_s1987: Hard to think of a bigger narcissist than Paul Scally, however anybody that tries to justify 2am abusive phone calls after his number leaks online coupled with criminal damage at his house is a bit special.
@jfoote4: Personally, I think some Gills fans need to take a look at themselves at times. The abuse and recent chants about Paul Scally has been absolutely disgusting and at times been ashamed to be a Gillingham supporter.
@MickSpurr1: Scally has a very selective memory. He seems to have forgotten calling fans a form of cancer for not agreeing with him. He called former manager Tony Pulis evil and despicable, many more examples available. That’s the sort of guy he is
@TipperaryGills: Jesus there’s 2 sides to every story and maybe he wouldn’t have bveen abused if he hadn’t called fans cancerous for voicing an opinion against him or maybe the constant lies about searching for investment whilst holidaying in dubai at fans expense he won’t be missed the parasite
@BonjelaLawson: He’s also a narcissist who is NEVER in the wrong or accepts blame for anything
@DomGFCBallard: Scally 🤝 The Sun
@OwenLDBR: Bit silly if you expected this to be anything but me me me from Scally, blokes got a kink for being a victim
@gfc_josh: Never listen to what Scally has to say anyways, but even more so that this interview is with The S*n
@deanmcbeano: What a load of bullcrap
@twhitehead1986: Typical Sun. What a load of shite, all it does is make ALL Gills fans out to be scumbags.
@fcblu1: The “club statement” no doubt released to coincide with this – all feel sorry for me article.
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