THE Deva Stadium soap opera continued at a pace last night when Chester City informed the Football Conference that they couldn’t fulfil their scheduled fixture against Forest Green Rovers at the New Lawn.
There have been a number of issues with the club this season, HM Revenue and Customs have issued a winding-up petition on the club for non-payment of taxes, players’ wages haven’t been forthcoming for three months, and a number of day-to-day invoices remain unpaid.
Yesterday’s events were again centred around the club’s inability to meet certain undertakings. It is understood that City’s owners had difficulty in coughing up a scheduled advance payment on time for the team coach that was due to take the squad to the game in Gloucestershire, another added problem was that a promised payment of outstanding monies to certain of the playing squad didn’t materialise.
The upshot was that the coach driver wasn’t prepared to travel down south until all of the bus company’s fee had been paid, and the senior players were reluctant to board the coach until they had received their promised monies.
At 5pm the decision was taken to inform the opposition and the Conference that City couldn’t fulfil the fixture.
This is the latest problem in a long line of issues that the club finds itself in, and it is understood that the Conference have understandably taken an extremely dim view of this and other events recently. It will almost certainly mean that sanctions are imposed on City, with the threat of expulsion from the league an option that is being considered.
Last night a Chester player, who doesn’t wish to be named, said: “The situation at the club is farcical, we are getting promises of money which never materialise, and we all feel completely let down by the current owners. This situation just can’t go on, why don’t they (the current owners) just walk away and give the club a chance, they are killing this little club.”
The current owner Stephen Vaughan Junior put City up for sale last month for £1, with the purchaser taking on all the so far unpublished debts.
The sale is being handled by Manchester-based legal firm Brabners, who last night wouldn’t speak about Chester City to the media.
