Reading FC anniversary a tragic reminder of plight

Reading FC anniversary a tragic reminder of plight

‘Football has an ownership problem’ read the banner held aloft in the centre circle at the Select Car Leasing Stadium 12 months ago. Nothing has changed.

The final act of on-field disruption during what had been a five-month campaign from Royals fans to rid Reading Football Club of Dai Yongge was supposed to bring the curtain down on an eight-year reign which had seen the club plummet from the brink of the Premier League to the cusp of League Two.

After years of points deductions, late wages and general financial mismanagement, protest group Sell Before We Dai was set up in September 2023. Tennis balls were thrown onto the pitch, thousands marched through the town and banners were driven around the capital in an attempt to raise awareness of the dire situation Reading found themselves in, through no fault of many connected to the club.

Proving to be the straw at broke the camel’s back, only 16 minutes of football was played when Port Vale came to Berkshire on January 13, 2024. Even that opening quarter-of-an-hour was heavily disrupted as fans threw tennis balls onto the pitch.

Supporters ran onto the field in their thousands with the aim of getting the match abandoned and hit the headlines.

After nearly an hour on the field of play, and facing some push back from sections of the crowd who were not entirely behind seeing a match postponed, the referee called time. This was a day that would be remembered for a long time.

It had its doubters, but one could certainly not accuse the demonstration of missing the target. Reading were on the back page of almost every newspaper, discussed on almost every radio station and covered around the world. For a weekend, all eyes were on this corner of the South-East.

It was supposed to be the beginning of the end for Dai Yongge as Ruben Selles’s side moved comfortably away from danger. It was supposed to pave the way for new owners, and Rob Couhig’s takeover attempt very nearly materialised following an aborted attempt to purchase the Bearwood training ground.

One year on, where the club continues to lurch month-to-month and are now facing a second successive January transfer window where player sales may be necessary just to keep the lights on. It was not supposed to be like this.

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