Sunderland fans to meet club bosses with ownership structure questions on the agenda

Sunderland’s automatic promotion hopes have been severely dented in recent weeks with fans also unhappy with how the search to replace Lee Johnson was carried out.

Sunderland took almost two weeks to replace Johnson, with defeats to Cheltenham Town and Doncaster Rovers during that spell damaging automatic hopes.

Indeed the Black Cats now have a battle on to secure a play-off place in League One.

Against that backdrop, frustrated fans have in recent weeks again raised questions over the ownership structure at the club and who owns what shares.

Those questions will be on the agenda when representatives from the Red and White Army fan organisation meet club officials on February 16.

At a previous meeting, which involves a number of fan groups, it was explained that as the main shareholder Kyril Louis-Dreyfus can make some decisions unilaterally, while other decisions require shareholder agreement. Stewart Donald, Charlie Methven and Juan Sartori retain small stakes in the club.

However, the full breakdown of who owns what shares has yet to be made public despite the takeover going through earlier last year.

Posting on Twitter after the defeat at Cheltenham Town, RAWA confirmed: “We've a meeting with SAFC on 16th and already have lots of questions including off-field issues we've already raised but haven't been satisfactorily addressed.

"Who owns what shares? Why is the club so understaffed? And many more. That's before we start on the last couple of weeks.”

Back in November, Louis-Dreyfus was asked about the specific issue of ownership by fan group Red and White Army during their regular structured dialogue meetings.

Louis-Dreyfus said: "At present, I’m unable to share the details of the shareholder's agreement due to confidentiality clauses but will be in a position to do so in due course. I would like to reiterate that I hold a governance majority which was non-negotiable for my involvement.

"It places me in direct control of the club’s long-term strategy and day-to-day operations.

"Alongside the Executive Team and staff, I’m totally committed to working side-by-side with our supporters to deliver long-term success to the people of Sunderland and our wider community."

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