Yuan Yang, member of Parliament for Earley and Woodley, has joined forces with fan group Sell Before We Dai and the Supporters Trust at Reading to launch a petition calling for an inquiry into the club’s absent owners.
Fans plan to collect signatures for the petition before this Saturday’s home game against Birmingham, which kicks-off at 12:30pm and is live on Sky Sports.
Yuan Yang MP said: “I’m glad Sell Before We Dai have joined me in calling for an inquiry into Reading FC’s absent owner. After years of failing our club, please sign our petition to hold Dai Yongge to account.
“I’m confident that the Government’s Football Governance Bill will help clubs in future, but clubs in peril now need answers.”
Becky Trotman, spokesperson for Sell Before We Dai, said: “We are pleased to be part of this initiative, which could play a key role in holding Dai Yongge and Dai Xiu Li to account.
“The Dai siblings have been invisible for far too long and their time at Reading Football Club should remain in the spotlight. This is why we are so keen to support this petition – and we would like to thank Yuan Yang and her team for their work on this.
“We will be located around the stadium on Saturday afternoon so we can collect signatures for the paper petition from Reading fans. To the travelling Birmingham City supporters, we would also welcome your signatures, knowing you have been a victim of football’s ownership problem in the past.
“This is just one of numerous avenues we are going down to keep up the campaign to pressure the Dais into selling the club we love.”
Sarah Turner, Chair of Supporters’ Trust at Reading (STAR), said: “Fans have been left in the dark by Dai Yongge and Dai Xiu Li for quite some time – and we welcome the possibility of an inquiry taking place.
“Our supporters, many of whom continue to show up week in, week out, deserve better after many months of uncertainty.
“Having collaborated with other supporters’ groups in the past and present, we are firmly aware that we aren’t the only club that has suffered from the consequences of having absent owners.
“We hope an inquiry into Reading’s current owners could be the catalyst for similar investigations in the future.”
Since 2012, Reading Football Club has been through multiple owners and, in the last five years alone, Reading fans have not only seen severe financial mismanagement of their club, but an overwhelming lack of transparency from the owners.
The club has slid towards insolvency under the ownership of Mr Dai Yongge and Ms Dai Xiu Li. Staff have been paid late, multiple winding-up petitions have been issued by HMRC, and staff have been forced to endure redundancies and late wage payments on multiple occasions.
With no end in sight, Reading FC risks becoming the latest example of a historic, community-centred club destroyed by fickle owners who cannot be held to account. This has to change, now.
An inquiry into how Reading deteriorated in this way will not only identify those responsible, but also provide valuable insights into poor governance for the new Independent Football Regulator. Other fans should not have to go through the same turmoil.
We are calling for the Culture, Media and Sport Select Committee and the Business and Trade Select Committee to launch an inquiry into the ownership and governance affairs of Reading Football Club since 29 May 2012 on grounds of public interest, with a particular focus on the governance of Reading Football Club since May 2017.
Ms. Yang has been working in Parliament to apply pressure to the current ownership, securing a debate on sustainable football club ownership which will take place at the start of March; she also met Sports Minister Stephanie Peacock and pressed her to ensure that the Football Governance Bill and the Independent Football Regulator will have the powers needed to force irresponsible owners to sell when necessary.
Ms. Yang spoke recently about having held meetings with multiple prospective bidders and remains optimistic that a resolution can be brought about to ensure the sustainable future of Reading Football Club.
