Oldham owner BANS club’s own fans from buying tickets for next two games

Oldham Athletic owner Abdallah Lemsagam bans his club’s own fans from buying tickets for the next two games following recent protests.

It’s well publicised how frustrated the supporters of the Lancashire side are with a number of pitch invasions at majority of their home matches in a backlash to the chief’s disastrous reign.

Oldham, who are a founding member of the Premier League, now find themselves second-bottom of League Two and it’s left the fans worrying not only for relegation to the National League, but the club’s future.

In a move that has sparked uproar, the club has since barred anyone who doesn’t have a season ticket from buying a ticket for this weekend’s trip to Leyton Orient. Sales of tickets for next weekend’s home match with Hartlepool have been suspended while season tickets have also been withdrawn from sale.

A statement on the troubled Latics’ website read: ‘In light of ongoing issues with crowd behaviour at Boundary Park, several meetings have taken place and will continue to do so with the local authorities, including Greater Manchester Police.

‘In the meantime, the club have been advised to change its ticketing arrangements for the forthcoming matches.’

The move has been widely ridiculed by pundits, reporters, ex-players and the fanbase, many of whom are desperate for a change of ownership.

A change in the ticketing arrangements for upcoming fixtures. #oafc https://t.co/n0NWi822MH

— Oldham Athletic (@OfficialOAFC) September 8, 2021

The owner’s latest attack at supporters come just hours after he went on talkSPORT radio, saying how he wants to work with the fans to resolve issues. A weird way of going about it in suddenly banning them.

Under Lemsagam, who installed his much-criticised brother Mohamed as sporting director, Oldham sank into the bottom tier and, including caretakers, have employed nine managers within three years.

A peaceful, joint protest had been planned with Leyton Orient supporters at Brisbane Road on Saturday.

Lemsagram, joining talkSPORT on Wednesday, promised fans that Oldham will not go into administration under him as he once again made it clear he has no plans to sell the club.

“We are very serious with this and we have only learnt from the EFL, we’re going to fix it,” he told the White and Jordan.

“I put my money and will try and fix everything – trust me, I will never let the club go into administration.

“We are going in the right direction. I will not let this club go into administration.”

😡 “It’s not acceptable! To go on the field, I’ve never seen that!”

😩 “I admit I’m not the best owner, I’ve made a lot is mistakes.”

🙏 “Live with you I’ll tell you I won’t let this club go into administration.”#OAFC owner Abdallah Lemsagam send a message to the club’s fans. pic.twitter.com/viNH49QG2r

— talkSPORT (@talkSPORT) September 8, 2021

Despite his words, fans’ group Push The Boundary on Monday announced a combined effort with Leyton Orient fans to continue the protests – but in a peaceful manner.

“I think we have to plough on and do what we need to do in order to unify the fanbase and put even more pressure on in the right way,” said PTB founder member Steve Shipman.

“The way that we want to do things is we want to keep it peaceful,” Shipman continued.

“Away from home if there are mass protests and people running on pitches and stuff like that it’s not going to do our reputation any good as a club or a fanbase because you get them (the opposition club) fined and that’s not going to get you any support.

“I think there’s a lot of support for us around at the moment and we want to keep it that way.”

Twitter users reacted as the Oldham owner BANS the club’s own fans from buying tickets for next two games…

@Pandamonium1881: Absolutely scandalous. Whether it’s the authorities & or the club, they are punishing fans. Granted, entering the playing surface is an offense but we have all seen the pictures. Every act has been conducted in a perfectly peaceful manner. @_OASF & @PTB_OAFC have confirmed that away from home there would be absolutely no plans to interrupt games out of respect for home clubs. Who remembers when the @EFL tried to knock us down for the Blackpool away game? #disgusting #punishingfans #rogueowners #Abdallahout

@afrancis_oafc: @EFL won’t be ordering us to play behind closed doors, Lemsegam is doing a good job of that by himself

@andyhusky: Looks like it’s us v’s them now. Bring it on! #AbdallahOut #oafc

@sambucawasevil: PROTEST STILL GO AHEAD WHOS GOT A GOOD THROW ON THEM ??????

@MBoafc: Ticket office is never open anyway

@NewIndieSounds1: Really helping the finance this isnt it. Do you think fans concerns will evaporate after a few weeks? Fans couldn’t attend for 18 months!!

@HarryBeevor: Can’t stop us going in the home end!

@heg: Our club is boycotting its fans now. You’ve absolutely lost it. #oafc

@nick80c: Unbelievable 🤣

@sleepysilvery: Time to contact other clubs and ensure we are able to get access to our away games either through pay on the day or tickets.

@dancingdickie: If anything says your time is up Mr. Lemsagem, this is it. Just go #oafc

@bignutty25: Presuming this wasn’t mentioned in your little chat @Sjopinion10 @JimWhite @talkSPORT So much for wanting to work with the #oafc fans and supporters groups

@MarkworldOldham: Corney, Stott and Hardie had their faults, and made mistakes. But they did try to engage the fans, and keep them onside. This owner, however, goes straight into the same bracket as Ken Bates. #oafc

@JoshOWTB: Lol what the fuck.

@TheMellorGeek: Any chance of building bridges has well and truly gone now. A club without fans is no longer a club, well done. Sell up to someone who cares and is capable please #Abdallahout #SaveOAFC #oafc

@InvictaMoto: So this means that those of us that have supported Latics for many many years but live elsewhere in the country and don’t have a season ticket are now unable to buy tickets? This is truly pathetic and cutting the revenue stream even further.

@gav_b_1977: Have you alerted Rochdale that they are going to be up shitcreek with Latics fans all over their ground. If I was the police or a steward I’d pull a sickie that day!

@matt_meyrick: Wow, stopping the protests by banning all fans?

@11ConnorLOFC: Oldham fan’s buy tickets on the orient website for the south stand we all support you #Abdallahout

@Domw921: Really taking into consideration fans that can’t get to the ticket office, top work lads 👏🏻

@lukedharrison: You will need supporters before they need you, and you’d do well to remember that. #oafc.

@DazOAFC72: Maybe Leyton Orient will suddenly discover a northern branch in Oldham and invite those of our fans who are unable to get a ticket to the game from Stallag Boundary Park can get them from Leyton Orient direct?

@Y8sy: Wow! #OAFC @talkSPORT @JimWhite @Sjopinion10 Abdallah is a saint though yea?

@handywould: Home fans, oldham residents, now looking like not being allowed entry to home games. I do hope @OldhamCouncil @AngelaRayner @JimfromOldham @Debbie_abrahams look into this. Many residents pay on the door as they cannot afford season tickets #oafc

@jblock_webb: Keep at it lads, Charlton had a similar mess. You will get them out if you keep on! #cafc #oafc

@DickoOAFC: Our club is a joke

@AndyRob19133934: Hang on though, is this because of suggested orange wigs and so on at away games? He really doesn’t like being shown up in public.

@anthonyfdshaw: the absolute state of you

@Latic_Fanatic: Tick tick tick…… How much of your cash are prepared to lose Abdallah? The longer you cling on the more you lose, until we are relegated from the football league and you LOSE IT ALL!

@NJAMcFarlane: Absolute disgrace 🤬 we want our club back! Time for Mo and his brother along with the board to clear off. We the fans and people who care about the club want someone who wants to work with the fans, give a damn about the history and want to take the club forward.

@WestYorksLatic: Abdallah 6 September ‘ The actions of certain fans at the moment, the ones that want me to sell, are hurting the club. Encouraging non-attendance at matches’

@caunce_owen: And they say we’re the ones ruining the club

@siblezard: Away end it is 😂

@dave_buckley88: Because no body protesting has season tickets 🤦‍♂️

@DanAuton2590: Astonishing 🤣

@andysteel1990: Desperate act from a desperate regime

@EWarby: Do we even have 500 season ticket holders

@peanutsphotogr1: @OfficialOAFC the only club to boycott it’s own fans for boycotting them laughable

@iamtonyking: If the club was ran properly then it wouldn’t be at this stage would it ? Decisions like this show you couldn’t even run a bath!! What will the role of the new finance guy be if there is no income?

@wobblybobenglan: 🤡🎪🎡

@platty82639487: #oafc 👊fans I feel for you guys as we had the same at #cafc but we won and the fans kicked the owners out and fortunately we now have an owner who wants the club to progress BUT importantly work with and for the fans. Remember owners move on – you the fans are forever 💪🏻💪🏻👏👊

@OAFCNick: AL goes on National radio to say he wants to work with the fans and then within an hour puts this out…. Beyond belief, truly beyond belief. You are alienating more and more of us by the minute, it’s beyond recoverable! @talkSPORT

@oafc19: fold the club

Well done again AL and Mo, another step in the right direction to bring that connection with the fans closer, keep up the good work, your doing a great job……. #oafc pic.twitter.com/ap0vkzsdR5

— AlexT145 (@T145Alex) September 8, 2021