Archived News from January 2007
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HASLAM QUESTIONS CREDIBILITY OF SFFC, WHO RESPOND
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CHAD ARTICLE, with a response from SFFC underneath)
-------------- New supporters' protest group goes public CHAD, 17 Jan 2007 STAGS' supporters campaigning for the removal of chief executive Keith Haslam have formed a new independent protest group –– Stags Fans For Change (SFFC). The group has been formed to campaign actively against Mr Haslam and says it has been behind a number of protests at home and away games in recent months. It is now calling on him to put the club up for sale and publicly advertise it on the open market, saying what is for sale and at what price, and to 'actively and positively assist' any potential buyers by providing relevant and accurate detailed information for making a purchase. In a statement released late yesterday morning, a spokesman said: "SFFC has been and continues to campaign against Mr Haslam until he leaves Mansfield Town Football Club for good."Mr Haslam claims that he is willing to sell the club, but there is no evidence that he is actively seeking a buyer." Organisers are keen to stress that the group is not connected to either TEAM Mansfield or the Stags Supporters' Association, but say it already has a large membership that is growing on a daily basis. Said a spokesman: "It is our belief that Keith Haslam is damaging the welfare and future prospects of Mansfield Town Football Club — the club we all support and which many of us have followed up and down the country for many years. "Mr Haslam's tenure as chairman and CEO of Mansfield Town Football Club is a litany of false dawns, broken promises, wrongdoings and causes of embarrassment." The group is now calling on Stags' supporters to join in demonstrations and protests against the chief executive and says it will be conducting a survey of fans to pass on to Mr Haslam. It says petitions will be available to sign on Quarry Lane, in the Portland Retail Park and at other places close to Field Mill before the game with Walsall this Saturday. But Mr Haslam yesterday questioned the credibility of the group –– which claims to have around 50 members, but wants to act anonymously 'due to the nature of its actions'. "If people are not prepared to put their names to this then I don't think I could even pass comment on it –– acting anonymously smacks to me of an unlawful organisation," he said. "I have never heard of this group before, and I am not going to respond to the demands from a body that I know nothing about. "The club is on the market and that's it as far as I'm concerned." -------------- RESPONSE TO CHAD ARTICLE: An SFFC Spokesperson had the following to say in response to Mr Haslam's "unlawful" comment in The Chad: "The SFFC finds it quite ironic that Mr Haslam chooses to attempt to label the group as "unlawful" given his recent history of lost court cases and flagrant breaches of Company Law. It is not the SFFC that broke the law in taking £500,000 out of the club nor is it the SFFC's actions that were labelled "a sham" by a Judge - that was Mr Haslam. If anyone knows about breaking rules, regulations and laws it is the CEO of MTFC; not it's long-suffering paying supporters." |
Latest | January 2007