Expelled club consider legal challenge

Bury were threatening to take their battle to avoid going bust to court last night after the English Football League refused to reverse its decision to throw them out of the professional game.

A meeting was being staged by players, staff, supporters and MPS to decide whether to seek a High Court injunction to stay the club’s expulsion from the EFL and force it to approve an extra-time takeover.

They met amid news that the circumstances behind Bury’s demise were being investigated following calls for an inquiry. But their focus was on the EFL’S snubbing of a written appeal to reinstate them after a claimed £7million bid by a consortium, a letter which warned an injunction could be sought otherwise.

One of its co-signatories, Bury North MP James Frith, announced before the meeting that he and his supporters would “up the ante”.

The club followed with a statement, which read: “The new bidder has proven significant funds to the EFL. As a club, we are still pursuing other options.”

The takeover bid led by Londonbased Brazilian Gustavo Ferreira, a partner in a gold mining company, was put before the EFL after Friday’s original deadline for owner Steve Dale to sell up or provide proof of funds.

That deadline was extended until Tuesday solely due to another bidder, C&N Sporting Risk, striking a deal with Dale that collapsed hours before the second cut-off.

Meanwhile, The Daily Telegraph has learnt that the Company Voluntary Agreement set up to cut Bury’s crippling debts was last night being looked into by the Insolvency Practitioners Association, which said in a statement: “The IPA takes concerns arising from insolvency procedures extremely seriously.”