SUPPORTERS ISSUE £230k LEGAL SOS
SOUTH SHIELDS have received the backing of their supporters after receiving a whopping £230,000 legal bill following an unsuccessful attempt to overturn the Football Association’s decision to void the 2019-20 season.
After acting on behalf of over 150 clubs across Steps 3 to 7, the Mariners are now liable for a significant proportion of the FA’s legal costs and the tribunal fees, The
NLP understands.
That would mean that the actual cost to the club is greater than the £200,000 that has been reported elsewhere and is believed to be closer to the £230,000 mark.
Mariners chairman Geoff Thompson is unable to discuss the finer details of the issue due to confidentiality between the club and the other parties involved.
The Step 3 club have come in for some criticism on social media but they have received measurable support as well from the Mariners Park faithful.
Liabilites
A supporter-led GoFundMe page was launched earlier this week with the aim of raising £100,000 for the club and Thompson admitted that he had been humbled by the gesture.
He told The NLP: “We will have to honour our liabilities and, as a club, we will do so.
“But we have to say it’s incredible that the supporters have launched this GoFundMe page and it shows the bond that we have with them as a club.
“That bond will be further cemented because the supporters are going to become shareholders at the club soon.
“They will have representation on the board, and they will have a say in how the club is run on a dayto-day basis.
“That is a process that we would have already initiated had it not been for Covid-19, but we will certainly return to that in the autumn.
“It’s great to see that they understand what we are trying to achieve and setting up this funding page to help the club is humbling.
“As a club, we thank them for their continued support and for this fantastic gesture.”
Indeed, the legal bill capped a difficult week for the Mariners after they were forced to deny that a club representative had made “reprehensible” comments to a national radio station over the Black Lives Matter movement.
A caller claiming to be a Mariners coach called the LBC station to discuss the controversial ‘White Lives Matter – Burnley’ banner which was flown over the Etihad Stadium during Manchester City’s Premier League fixture with Burnley on Monday night.
Apology
He also claimed to have held a conversation with Mariners joint-manager Graham Fenton over the topic – but the former Blackburn Rovers and Aston Villa striker later issued a passionate statement on the club website refuting that any discussion had ever taken place.
He said: “I am absolutely disgusted that this unknown person to our great club claims to have had a call with myself regarding the Black Lives Matter movement.
“I can assure everyone that no such conversation with this person or any other person for that matter has taken place.
“I wholeheartedly support the Black Lives Matter movement and really hope this initiative ends the oppression and social injustices that have affected black lives for far too long.
“If anyone has any information on the identity of this person, I encourage you to get in touch with our club to let us know who he is so we can take the appropriate action.
“Black Lives really do matter!” South Shields have since received a full apology from LBC’s managing editor due to the inaccuracy of the call.