Oldham owner hits back at backlash to banning fans with petition signed by thousands

Oldham owner Abdallah Lemsagam hits back at the backlash to his side banning fans with a fan-led petition being signed by thousands.

The controversial man has insisted that he has the right to ban supporters for protesting against his running of the club, as he told them to apologise and ‘behave like proper fans’.

The club are currently struggling in League Two, and the latest low point for the club came this week when three-year bans were handed out to three supporters for ‘promoting dislike’ of the club and ‘taking deliberate steps to harm the club and cause distress.’

Bradley Knowles, Nathan Price and Dom Weiss were those to be have received the shocking letters from Oldham’s general manager Steven Brown.

It said that he had been asked by the board to ‘review actions of individuals that we feel are deliberately geared to harm and cause distress to the club.’ Non-executive board member Richard Bowden resigned on Monday, claiming that he had no knowledge of the letters and wouldn’t have agreed with them.

They bans apply to all first team and youth team games at any grounds they are playing at and is states that Greater Manchester Police were also informed.

The three supporters deny the accusations, and insist all protests and criticism of the club’s ownership has been done legally. Mr Knowles, an elected director of the Oldham Athletic Supporters’ Foundation, said the club were trying to restrict his free speech, while the Foundation likened Lemsagam’s actions to a dictatorship.

Lemsagam has responded to the controversy, telling talkSPORT that the three fans deserve their punishment and backed the decision to ban them from Boundary Park and demanded an apology.

“We have people at the club, they tell me,” he said when asked why the fans have been handed the bans.

“Not me, I’m in Dubai, different people every day are at the club. Why [does] everybody put me in the lies, why always Abdallah? It’s not Abdallah’s club, it’s Oldham Athletic. It’s 126 years old. It’s not the owner’s fault what happened there.

“They have people [who] don’t behave or do the right things, this is what happens in every club. Any club in the Premier League or Championship, the people who go in the field, shout at the club, they don’t have any interest in the club. The people getting banned, I think they deserve it, to be honest with you.

“If they are not behaving like every person just watching the game, they deserve to be banned.

“Of course, they have the right to protest, nobody stops them. But you cannot go on the pitch. If you don’t want to come, you’re right, if you want to protest nobody can stop you, but why can’t I also ban you? If you come to the club and protest and do everything against the club and you think the club cannot ban you?”

When challenged on his record at Boundary Park, Lemsagam said: “What do you mean I don’t do things? I do lots of things. You talk about we won’t play players on time, it’s one year and seven months we’ve paid the players on time. I deal with everything going on at the club.

“Some people go on there against the club, they can protest and nobody stops them. They don’t like me, it’s their right, nobody stops them liking me or not liking me. I’m trying to steer the club in the right direction. We’re working hard. It’s not easy. If you’re working hard and somebody puts you down more than what you think about the players every day…”

Opening the door for the controversial bans to be overturned, Lemsagam demanded an apology from the fans for the harm he claims they are doing to the club.

He said: “If they behave good and do whatever they’re doing bad against the club, not me. Me, they can do whatever, just leave the club alone. To all the people working hard in the club, to leave them to work in peace, to leave all the players to concentrate on football. To leave all the management working. We have almost 200 people working, on matchdays depending on the game. If you have three or four people against the club putting them completely down with other steps… If they behave, that is what I want.

“I can tell you a few things. [Fans] put me on jokes, put my pictures on that person. Every person in the world with family and business [relations] you think they’d like that? I’m happy to bring them back, more than happy, especially now in Christmas, I am a gentleman. But please behave like a proper fan.

“They can come back if they behave. They must apologise to everyone in the club. Not to me, I don’t care. But to every person who works in the club, to apologise to them and tell them we are together.”

A petition has been launched to ‘Free the Oldham Athletic Three’ and it’s had nearly 4,000 signatures. You can sign it HERE.

The page reads: “Football is nothing without fans, yet today, Oldham Athletic FC have attempted to ban three lifelong Oldham fans from EVERY ground in the country that Oldham play at, simply for disagreeing with the way their club is being run.

“Oldham Athletic are in crisis. Multiple managerial changes, relegations and facing demotion to non league, unpaid or late wages, transfer embargo’s. You name it, Oldham have or are suffering it, and the owner Abdallah Lemsagam, who constantly breaks promises to supporters, has sanctioned this latest disgusting move.

“Football fans everywhere, let’s stand shoulder to shoulder with Dominic Weiss, Nathan Price and Bradley Knowles.

“Please sign the petition asking Mr Lemsagam to reverse this decision with immediate effect and apologies personally to the fans involved.”

For those who missed it, enjoy. Part 1 #oafc pic.twitter.com/2Yj1qpbCrG

— tom (@1895_TF) December 22, 2021

Part 2 pic.twitter.com/OHIKJ7HmCm

— tom (@1895_TF) December 22, 2021

Part 3 pic.twitter.com/OWZhPA4oxk

— tom (@1895_TF) December 22, 2021

Part 4 pic.twitter.com/FvzflP92FK

— tom (@1895_TF) December 22, 2021

Twitter users reacted as the Oldham owner hits back at backlash to banning fans with a petition signed by thousands…

@SteveB2909: What have I just listened to? The guy’s a nutter and just doesn’t get it at all. Under no circumstances should the 3 fans apologise for wanting the best for #oafc

@PaulBar16310400: The sad reality is, he still has no intention in selling the club.

@gazapalooza:
“I don’t run everything. People run the day to day – ask them”….
He’s not even aware of the Fucking ban!

@RyanLeeJones13: The ramblings of a mad man #oafc

@JasonDunford4: The man is deluded

@chriswilliamsfc:
Wow, Abdallah is off his head.
He has lost the plot big time.
He is an idiot, surrounded by idiots.
#oafc

@Harriso58110519: THIS NEEDS TO STOP NOW! This is the most arrogant yet stupid maniac who wants nothing for the club that he gave to his brother to keep him off his back 🙄 #nomorepenniesforthelemmies #Abdallahout #oafc

@cazcroft: And he passed the fit and proper test!! The man sounds unhinged #oafc

@DomFarrell1986: This fella is having a special kind of mare, isn’t he?

@ReeceBulbb: I wasn’t that against AL I accepted he made mistakes & could learn from them. But banning the fans for protesting against him/personally is a step to far. We’re bottom of the professional league it’s not getting better any time soon he needs to go now #oafc

@ldav_s: This is all on you @EFL. You let these charlatans into football for a few backhanders. For the fans my fucking arse #oafc

@jackkk_slater: Lost for words at this point. How is this charlatan owning a football club… sell up so we can salvage what is left

@rphamer1984: Any non oldham fan who thinks they have bad owners running their club… listen to this

@Nathan_Garside: He has no fucking clue how to run a club, sounds like a crying child at the end. Embarrassing. Fuck off you useless cunt! #oafc

@oafcMB: Club is dead #oafc