Stewart Donald resigns: why it's happened and what it actually means for a Sunderland AFC takeover

Stewart Donald has resigned as chairman of Sunderland AFC – leaving supporters with a host of unanswered questions.
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Pressure has been mounting on the Black Cats’ majority shareholder since the turn of the year and, while he is still actively seeking a buyer for the club, he has stepped back from the day-to-day running of Sunderland over recent months.

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But what does this latest move mean for the club moving forward, and is there any real significance to it? We take a look:

Stewart Donald has resigned as chairman of Sunderland - and here's what it really meansStewart Donald has resigned as chairman of Sunderland - and here's what it really means
Stewart Donald has resigned as chairman of Sunderland - and here's what it really means

What has actually happened today?

It’s important to recognise that this is far from Donald severing ties with the Black Cats. He remains the club’s majority shareholder – owning 74 per cent of shares in the club – and his resignation is purely him surrendering his place on the club’s board.

It’s a near identical situation to that of Charlie Methven late last year, who stepped back from the club’s board but retained his minority shareholding in the club.

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However, while there was no obligation to replace Methven as he was merely a director on the board, Donald's role of chairman will need filling – which we’ll discuss shortly.

Why has this happened?

Pressure has mounted on Donald in recent months after the coordinated #DonaldOut campaign at the turn of the year, which led the owner to publicly place Sunderland up for sale.

During that meeting, Donald is understood to have told supporters that he would be willing to resign as chairman if the fans felt that it was in the best interests of the club for him to do so.

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This move appears to be him following through on that promise, with Donald saying he felt the move gave the club the best chance of achieving success.

Indeed, when speaking to the club’s website after announcing his resignation, Donald said: "To give the club the best chance of achieving its goals, I have made the judgement that it is right for me to step back from the chairmanship.”

So what does this actually mean and how will this affect the day-to-day running of the club?

In reality, Donald’s resignation means very little.

He had been far less hands-on at the Stadium of Light since the turn of the year and the appointment of Jim Rodwell as chief executive saw his involvement in the day-to-day running of the club fade.

So in terms of how things run at Black Cat House and the Academy of Light, very little will change with this move.

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But crucially, Donald remains as owner. He still has obligations, not least financial, to fulfil and in the statement issued regarding his departure Donald alluded to this – saying his responsibility is now to ‘ensure that the club has the requisite financial backing to achieve its primary objective of promotion.’

Does this mean a takeover is close?

Donald’s resignation, coupled with the departures of Tony Coton and Richard Hill on Friday evening, led some supporters to believe that a takeover could be close – given a number of key staff were being moved on.

But this isn’t understood to be the case.

Donald has confirmed that he will continue to play an active role in takeover discussions as owner.

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"My intention remains to sell SAFC to a suitable new owner, and I remain personally committed to that goal,” he said.

Who will replace Stewart Donald as chairman?

The club have confirmed that they intend to appoint a new chairman next month after a meeting of the club’s board.

Who replaces Donald remains to be seen, although the likes of non-executive director Tom Sloanes will undoubtedly be names under consideration.

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