Bonne’s Charlton Athletic in desperate times, fears they could be thrown out of the Football League

An ownership wrangle at English League One side Charlton Athletic has seen them run risk of being kicked out of the football league.

The main thing is noone knows who owns the club and whether they can finance it. It is not clear who is paying bills or if they are being paid at all.

This leaves a very uncertain time for the side for which Zimbabwean striker Macauley Bonne turns out. And this is on the back of their having been relegated from the Championship on the final day of last season.

How they got here

Charlton Athletic were sold to East Street Investments (ESI) in January and there was a lot of optimism. Roland Duchatelet was never popular. Then were a highly public dispute between majority shareholder Tahnoon Nimer and chairman Matt Southall. That showed that the Englsh Football League (EFL) had not received proof of funds.

As if to make it worse, ESI is subject to a takeover bid by a group led by Paul Elliot. The EFL rejected this deal because three individuals including Elliot his lawyer Chris Farnell, had failed the Owners and Directors’ Test. That decision is now under appeal.

Meanwhile, Nimer is looking for another buyer. Elliot on the other hand is seeking legal advice as he says the deal is legally binding.

It gets worse

The stadium is owned by Duchatelet still owns the stadium, The Valley as well as the training ground. ESI agreed to buy these for GBP50m.

So what now

So the fear is that what happened to Bury last season when their prospective buyer could prove funds on time will take place with Charlton Athletic.

And the EFL’s statement was ominous:

It remains the responsibility of the club and any prospective owner(s) to demonstrate that the requirements of the EFL regulations are met. The club is aware of the consequences of not meeting those requirements.

With a number of clubs said to be interested in Bonne, he must be hoping that happens fast. But even then, if a club wants to buy a player, which owner do that talk to?

with information from inews and BBC