The Blues’ wealthy owners at the top of the Premier League pyramid, their boardroom billionaires in a different world to their counterparts at League Two relegation battlers Morecambe, where a tangled, messy takeover saga is entering its third year and has caused frustration and anger among their committed fanbase.
Ahead of the introduction of an independent regulator for the game, the saga raises big questions about who should own our community football clubs and why fans are still rendered powerless to the whims of unpopular owners.
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Read MoreThe club’s board, made up of Morecambe-supporting local businessmen and independent of the owner, have frequently clashed with Whittingham and have in the past accused him of putting an unrealistic asking price on the club.
Morecambe enter the new year back in a frustrating holding pattern of having a prospective new owner in place who is struggling to make quick progress on the EFL’s owners’ and directors’ tests.
Alongside fellow director Harjit Singh, they have agreed a price with Whittingham and have begun the beefed up set of tests that every prospective club owner has to go through before getting final, binding EFL approval.
Morecambe are battling to stay in League Two this season (Photo: Getty)The EFL told The i Paper that the owners’ and directors’ test is “ongoing” but it’s understood that a resolution is not imminent and that situation hasn’t moved forward definitively in weeks.
But with the situation cloaked in non-disclosure agreements, there’s no clarity on what the issues are that need to be resolved – and few people on either side willing to go on the record to speak about it.
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Read MoreAt a recent fans’ forum it was confirmed that Whittingham – who told The i Paper in the summer that he felt a deal could have been done before the season started – wants to have sold his majority stake in the Shrimps before the end of the current campaign.
And little of substance is known about Momi, apart from a statement released through the club after an FA Cup win over Bradford City in November where he set out his intentions to ensure the club “thrives on an off the field” and made promises to invest in facilities at the club’s Mazuma Stadium.
When The i Paper rang a number associated with Momi through one of his businesses there was a refusal to even give a name of who answered.
Invited to clarify further, they said “there’s so many reasons it’s not possible” before ending the call.
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Read MoreTarnia Elsworth, the tireless chair of the club’s Supporters’ Trust, sums up the feeling of many in the fanbase.
“Of course we’re in a position where we thank Mr Singh Momi and Mr Singh for the money that they have put into Morecambe FC to help the playing squad in January, however we are concerned about how long this current situation can go on for. The longer we go without hearing from anybody, the more concerning it is.”
While the takeover drags on, Bond Group Investments will need to keep financing the club.
So while supporters will enjoy their day out this weekend, fear of what comes next stalks the club.
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