Coleman out as Short sells Sunderland

ELLIS SHORT was forced to sack Chris Coleman and clear Sunderland’s debts of around £140million before selling the club. On a dramatic day at the Stadium of Light, news of Coleman’s departure came just 15 minutes before confirmation of a takeover led by Stewart Donald, the chairman of National League club Eastleigh. However, sources have indicated to Sportsmail that the deal would not have gone through had the manager and the debt remained in place, leaving Short with no choice but to pay up Coleman’s (pictured) two-year contract and forgo £70m owed to him by the club as well as settling loans last recorded at £70m. The American billionaire has been so desperate to end his nine-year tenure that he agreed to take the financial hit, finally ridding himself of the burden of funding losses of around £500,000 per week. Donald, 43, and his group of foreign investors will now appoint their own manager. Coleman’s exit has been mourned by the players despite their relegation to League One. We understand the squad’s WhatsApp group reacted with shock and sadness to his sacking and they had hoped he would remain in charge next season. The 47-year-old was informed yesterday morning that his five months on Wearside were over. It marks a sad end to his brief tenure. He was able to win only five of 28 league matches but had won over both players and supporters with his honesty and clear enthusiasm. He stood down as manager of Wales in November to take over at Sunderland — news broken by Sportsmail — but failed to save the club from a second successive relegation. The future of chief executive Martin Bain is also now in doubt and it could well be that his last act was to facilitate the takeover, which remains subject to EFL approval. Short said: ‘It is no secret that I have been trying to sell Sunderland. ‘But I have waited until the right group came along that have experience, finances and a plan to take this great club back to where it deserves to be. ‘Overall, my chairmanship has not gone the way I would have wished. The many high points of a decade in the Premier League have been overshadowed by the low points of the last two terrible seasons. ‘I was therefore determined that I leave Sunderland in the best possible hands and in the best possible state to turn the corner. ‘To achieve this, higher offers from less qualified buyers were rejected, and I have paid off all debts owed by the club to leave it financially strong and debt free for the first time since years before I owned it.’