The Football League has given a cautious welcome to the acquistion of Portsmouth by the club’s Supporters’ Trust. However, if and when the transfer of ownership does occur, the already announced ten point deduction for entering administration will then apply.
The Football League has given a cautious welcome to the acquistion of Portsmouth by the club’s Supporters’ Trust. However, if and when the transfer of ownership does occur, the already announced ten point deduction for entering administration will then apply.
Some Pompey supporters had hoped that it might be waived, but most accepted that, although harsh, it would go ahead. The club will also be subject to restrictions on future borrowing and playing budgets for the next four seasons. These restrictions are bound to place some limits on the ability of the club to be competitive.
The acquisition will also depend on a satisfactory outcome to the court case later this week on the ownership of Fratton Park. If control of the ground is not secured, the club is likely to be liquidated.
Some fans are concerned about whether enough of the pledges of financial support made to the Supporters’ Trust have been converted into actual cash. The club will also need to secure sufficiently large home attendances to break even, variously estimated at 11,500 or 13,000.