Kieran Maguire: Sunderland fans ‘deserve more respect’ as Louis-Dreyfus mystery deepens
Sunderland supporters deserve to know exactly how much of their club is owned Kyril Louis-Dreyfus.
So says finance guru Kieran Maguire, speaking exclusively to Football Insider about boardroom developments at the Stadium of Light.
Louis-Dreyfus completed his takeover of Sunderland in February 2021 but did not disclose the full breakdown of his equity.
Previous co-owners Stewart Donald, Juan Sartori and Charlie Methven have all retained an unspecified stake in the club.
The trio were not popular on Wearside and fans at the club’s recent AGM were eager for clarity on the situation.
As quoted by the Sunderland Echo last Friday (3 December), Louis-Dreyfus confirmed he had a controlling stake but would not reveal the exact figure.
Maguire insists that the Sunderland faithful deserve to know the exact mechanics of the ownership structure.
He told Football Insider‘s Dylan Childs: “I think it’s further justification for the recommendations of Tracey Crouch’s independent report.
“The fans are the biggest investors in Sunderland because they are going to be loyal to the club until the day they die.
“Methven and Sartori aren’t going to be around for that long. They are looking for a financial return.
“The fans need a bit of respect in terms of knowing who owns their club. We have seen Leeds 10 or 15 years ago where nobody knew who owned the club.
“That Leeds iteration lurched from crisis to crisis and ultimately went into administration.
“Sunderland have been through some pretty harrowing times and the fans deserve more respect and to know which shareholder owns what.
“There needs to be more transparency, as Mevethen and Sartori promised originally.”
Sunderland beat Plymouth 2-1 yesterday (11 December) thanks to goals from Dan Neill and Nathan Broadhead.
Lee Johnson’s side are currently 3rd in League One after 21 matches.
In other news, Kevin Phillips salutes Johnson after “clever” Sunderland transfer reveal.