By Andrew Warshaw
February 14 – The long-running attempt by fans to save Portsmouth Football Club has suffered yet another delay after a High Court hearing to determine the future of the iconic English club was adjourned for a fourth time.
Last week Portsmouth’s administrators PKF confirmed they were considering a rival bid fronted by well-known football trouble-shooter Keith Harris but the Football League responded by saying it wouldn’t accept any new bids because they would only cause uncertainty.
The League warned that the troubled club, who have been in administration for almost a year, would be thrown out of the League if the Portsmouth Supporters Trust – PKF’s preferred bidder – is not successful.
The PST’s bid hinges on being able to buy the club’s Fratton Park ground, which is controlled by former Portsmouth owner Balram Chainrai. PKF are seeking permission to sell the ground and were due back in court with Chainrai’s company Portpin today (Thursday).
But the hearing was adjourned yet again, until February 21, this time apparently because of a dispute involving the Professional Footballers’ Association.
One of the most drawn-out soap operas in English football, the issue was even raised in Parliament on Wednesday by local Portsmouth MP Penny Mordaunt.
Mordaunt appeared to take a dig at the PFA when she asked Prime Minister David Cameron: “Does the Prime Minister take a dim view of people who say one thing and do another, such as purporting to support fan ownership of football clubs while undermining the community buy-out of Pompey, as the Professional Footballers’ Association has done this week?”
The Pompey saga has generated fierce debate, including among readers of this website. PST spokesman Colin Farmery, who has constantly endeavoured to put a positive spin on proceedings, was forced to concede: “On the face of it another adjournment is a frustrating delay.
“We want to work with the PFA and find a way that this can be resolved amicably. The bottom line is we have been negotiating with PFA for some time now and to be fair they have been quite supportive of what we are trying to do.
“But they are a trade union and they have to do right by their members, and if there is another offer out there then they have look it.”
Portsmouth have about £61m in debt. Despite suggestions that the supporters grouping will not have the funds to sustain the club long-term, a PST statement said: “Our bid is ready to go as we have been saying for some time now. We have around £2.5m in escrow from fan pledges and our individual investors, a figure we are confident will grow substantially once our bid proceeds.”
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