Morecambe's proposed owners start legal action against owner
Morecambe’s only home pre-season game has been cancelled as their would-be buyers have started legal proceedings against the club owner.
They were due to meet Barrow AFC behind closed doors at the Mazuma Mobile Stadium on Tuesday, having drawn 1-1 at Marine last Saturday.
A brief club statement on Saturday revealed the cancellation without explaining the reason as to why.
However, the Shrimps Trust fans group says it understands that players have decided not to play until the ownership position is resolved.
It came with supporters still awaiting the promised update from the owner after his latest claim on Friday.
With national media interviewing Morecambe fans about the club’s predicament at the ground, Bond Group Investments’ Jason Whittingham issued another statement regarding the sale process.
He claimed sale agreements were due to be completed on Friday with a consortium led by Jonny Cato, ahead of a further announcement that day.
That was the fifth time in a fortnight that Whittingham had given assurances regarding a sale, but no further update was forthcoming.
Club staff still await the remainder of last month’s wages, school events at the ground have been cancelled and a National League embargo is in place.
Panjab Warriors had hoped to be in charge by now, having received EFL permission for a takeover in early June.
Following Whittingham’s Friday statement, they confirmed legal action had started against the owner.
A statement said: “Recently our solicitors served formal legal notices of claim to both Mr Jason Whittingham and Bond Group.
“The National League remains updated and engaged with PW. These actions have been taken following grounds to investigate: repeated breaches of what has been agreed; a clear breakdown in process, transparency and good faith.
“We have invited Bond Group to meet with us to resolve matters. While we expect some matters to be still contested, we await Mr Whittingham’s and the Bond Group’s full response once they have sought legal advice.
“We strongly recommend that Mr Cato or any party acting on his behalf to seek immediate independent legal advice and full disclosure before engaging further with Bond Group.
“Any attempt to acquire the club without proper diligence may carry significant legal and reputational risk.
“We remain fully committed to the long-term future of Morecambe FC, its staff, supporters and community.
“Our actions have always been guided by the desire to protect the club’s continuity and rebuild it on sound financial and operational footing.”