The campaign group calling on Reading owner Dai Yongge to sell the club have put a festive twist on their latest high-profile stunt.
Visiting those on their “naughty list”, Sell Before We Dai sent an advertising van around London on Friday, where it stopped off at the homes of both Dai and CEO Dayong Pang, as well as one of EFL’s main offices in Paddington.
One sign read: “All I want for Christmas… (Reading FC edition): An independent regulator, a governing body that can remove harmful ownership, no more transfer embargoes.”
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Read MorePictured outside Dayong’s home with another sign reading “Liars or incompetent? Or both?”, the campaigners wrote on X: “We met him back in December last year. Since then, people have rarely seen him, so we thought we’d pay him a visit! He’s currently overseeing the demise of the club we love.”
The van also stopped off near the Houses of Parliament, where Reading fans highlighted Morecambe and Swindon Town’s “ownership issues”.
The group previously used a van to raise awareness around the wider problems of football ownership in March, when The i Paper followed the protest outside Wembley Stadium in the build-up to England’s match against Belgium.
Reading have been deducted 18 points under Dai’s watch, with fans persistently urging the Chinese businessman to sell-up – throwing tennis balls onto the pitch in 2023, and then invading the pitch themselves in January, leading to the abandonment of their match against Port Vale.
Reading’s owners claim to be actively seeking a sale, but one offer from former striker Roger Smee was rejected earlier this month.
The festive twist on one of the campaign’s many signs (Photo: Sell Before We Dai)The van pictured outside the Houses of Parliament (Photo: Sell Before We Dai)It was the latest blow for Reading supporters desperate to save their club, and in a plea to ensure this is not their “last Christmas”, campaigner took to the streets once more.
“All Reading fans want for Christmas is our football club to survive via a sale,” Sell Before We Dai spokesperson Becky Trotman said.
“This requires an owner to act in good faith and a CEO to act with competence and transparency. With reports suggesting that Dai Yongge and Dayong Pang haven’t been seen at Reading FC for months, we decided to take this message to their homes.
“Though Reading FC’s decline under Dai is better suited to Halloween, Christmas is a time for those who have done wrong to see the error of their ways. If Dai and Pang can sell the club without stripping out any more of its soul, they can still come off the naughty list.
The advertising board switched between messages on its journey around London (Photo: Sell Before We Dai)“Unfortunately, more than 400 days of non-sale, dishonest communications and discount player sales means our wish list is likely wishful thinking.
“As a result, we’re taking our message to the Houses of Parliament and wider authorities, imploring them to help us force an exit. Football clubs are for life – we cannot allow this to be Reading’s last Christmas.”
Former Wycombe owner Rob Couhig also had a deal for the club fall through earlier this season.
Couhig had even met with fans with talks seemingly progressing well, only for the bid to break down in September.
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Read More“Despite lengthy and complex negotiations, the parties have been unable to find an agreement. This exclusivity period has now expired, and the club will pursue alternative options,” Reading said at the time.
Since Dai took over in 2017, Reading have occasionally failed to pay staff and players their on time, but they welcomed a financial boost in the summer when Crystal Palace sold Michael Olise to Bayern Munich.
Olise joined the German club for around £50m, with Reading therefore pocketing around £5m after reportedly putting in a 10 per cent sell-on clause when Palace bought the winger in 2021.
Reading were last deducted points in February, after they failed to meet HMRC payment obligations, and currently sit sixth in League One.
New Reading boss Noel Hunt did not speak with Dai or Dayong when appointed earlier this month after Ruben Selles left to join Hull City, with head of recruitment Brian Carey calling him instead.
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