Football League World
·22 October 2024
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·22 October 2024
The company that owns Reading FC has been hit with a winding-up petition.
A winding-up petition has been lodged against the holding company of Reading FC relating to fees from Rob Couhig’s attempted takeover of the club that fell through last month.
The Royals are enduring a torrid time off the pitch, with fans regularly protesting against owner Dai Yongge as they push for him to sell the club.
Despite the owner claiming he is willing to sell, so far nothing has been finalised, even with several parties having held talks over the past 12 months or so.
It’s no secret that Couhig made a bid to buy the League One side, with the former Wycombe Wanderers owner having been granted a period of exclusivity to get everything sorted.
However, despite optimism that Couhig would buy Reading, it fell through late on, which was a real blow for the supporters and all connected to the club.
And, in a fresh development, the Reading Chronicle has revealed that a winding-up petition has been lodged against Renhe Sports Management Co Limited, who are the holding company through which Yongge owns the club.
They add that this is in relation to ‘fees connected to Mr. Couhig’s failed takeover attempt’.
Crucially, it’s said that the winding-up order ‘does not materially impact the club or its operations at present and there are no threats of EFL action’.
So, this is not going to bring fresh problems for the club in terms of further issues such as points deductions, but it’s clearly something they need to resolve quickly.
This is just another issue for Reading, and it continues what has been a terrible time for the club as they look for new owners to come in.
The way Yongge has run the Royals is simply not acceptable, and fans are right to ask questions as to how he has been able to leave the club in such a position.
Moving forward, the only solution is a full sale of the club, but the number of times potential deals have fallen through late on is hugely frustrating and puts doubt on his willingness to sell.
So, the fans will be hoping for some good news in the future, and there is some encouragement from the number of interested parties in the club, and an unnamed bidder has been given a period of exclusivity, although you would understand why supporters aren’t getting carried away.
The convincing win over Crawley last time out means there is a comfortable gap to the relegation zone, and Reading are just two points away from the play-offs, even though they sit 13th.
So, they can look up the table, and the supporters will be delighted with how the boss has got the team performing.