Macc need a change of fortune now

THE off-field situation at Macclesfield Town has been a cause for concern for a lengthy period of time, but hopefully there is now light at the end of the tunnel.

Owner Amar Alkadhi has stated that he is ‘currently in advanced negotiations with various third parties, with a view to selling his stake in Macclesfield Town Football Club’.

If a takeover does go through that will be a welcome relief for concerned fans who have seen their club put through the mill recently.

It could have all been so different, though. When John Askey guided the Silkmen to a shock National League title success in 2017-18, it looked as though the club had the opportunity to go forward with optimism in the EFL.

Yet, for whatever reason, there didn’t appear to be a plan to do that. Macc legend Askey departed for Shrewsbury that summer and Mark Yates came in to replace him. When Yates failed to get results, former Tottenham and England defender Sol Campbell rode into town to secure the club’s EFL status.

Yet all the while Macclesfield have been dogged by financial woes, with multiple winding-up petitions, and players and staff being paid late, if at all.

The Silkmen crashed out of the FA Cup to Non-League Kingstonian last month after senior players refused to play over unpaid salaries. The cash-strapped players met EFL representatives earlier this week and made it clear they were not in the right frame of mind to play yesterday’s game against Crewe, which was subsequently suspended.

With mortgages to pay, families to feed and Christmas on the way, you can understand how the players feel. They have been put in a horrible situation.

Perhaps their decision not to play yesterday has acted as a wake-up call to Alkadhi. If there is a decent offer on the table, he should take it and allow someone else to run the club in the correct manner.

We’ve already lost Bury this season. It would be a football tragedy if another club plunged out of the Football League.