Morecambe fans will protest over ownership situation during their FA Cup third round tie away to Chelsea on Saturday afternoon with their place in the EFL at risk
When the clock hits 19 minutes at Stamford Bridge on Saturday afternoon, 3,000 Morecambe fans will turn their backs on the game.
Derek Adams’ League Two strugglers are the biggest of outsiders to upset Chelsea ’s billion-pound squad. But if their task appears daunting, it’s nothing compared to the off-field reality facing the club.
There have been unpaid wages, points deductions and transfer embargoes since owner Jason Whittingham put Morecambe up for sale in September 2022. They were in League One at the time. Now they are at risk of dropping into non-League.
That is why, led by fans’ group the 1920 Union, there will be protests throughout a day that should typically be met with child-like excitement.
Hundreds of black balloons will be released at kick off and the supporters have been speaking to Chelsea for permission to bring banners into the ground. The back-turning exercise will last two minutes to reflect the year their club was established.
And Tarnia Elsworth, head of the Shrimps Trust, admits: “The game is a shining light, any big FA Cup tie is. But everything is now overshadowed. We’re excited but the situation is always hanging over us.”
There is no prospect of an imminent resolution. In early 2023 the club said Sarbjot Johal, a 20-year-old businessman based in the Midlands, had agreed a deal with Whittingham. But Johal never provided proof of funds to the EFL and was then linked with a takeover of Wigan that went nowhere.
Another prospective buyer, with previous business links to Johal, has been tied up since July in the EFL owners’ and directors’ test. Due to legal reasons the league will not comment on the current status, while London businessman Kuljeet Singh Momi did not respond to a request to speak.
Elsworth says the Trust maintains a “fractured relationship” with Whittingham and “understands” the EFL “shares a frustration with us but they are bound by regulations.” A request from the Trust to speak with Singh has also been met with silence and there remain doubts over whether he has proven the financial capacity to complete a takeover.
A previous statement from Singh said he had “committed to provide essential funds in the form of equity to assist the manager to strengthen the playing squad” in the transfer window. Yet even that is unconfirmed.
Then there is the curious case of Tyson Fury. The heavyweight boxer has twice stated that he would be interested in buying his local club. But his influence has so far extended as far as a sponsorship deal – according to Elsworth worth just £3,000 across several years – that saw his Gypsy King logo appear on their kit.
“The Tyson Fury link is frustrating,” Elsworth adds. “When we get media coverage he is always brought into the picture but there’s never been an indication that he would buy or is even a fan of the football club.”
So while she and the rest of the travelling supporters today hope to avoid an early knockout blow – “We just hope we don’t come away with a 10-0 thrashing” – there is a need to stress their backing for Adams and the team remains total. “Once we see them trying their best we understand,” she adds. “As long as the effort is there we’re happy. The issue is solely with the owners.”
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