Finance guru: Kyril Louis-Dreyfus is ‘alienating’ Sunderland fans ahead of talks today
Kyril Louis-Dreyfus is “alienating” Sunderland fans with his refusal to disclose the club’s ownership structure.
That is the view of finance guru Doctor Dan Plumley, speaking exclusively to Football Insider about issues behind the scenes at the Stadium of Light.
Louis-Dreyfus bought a controlling stake in Sunderland in February last year but questions remain about who owns what equity in the club.
Three members of the previous regime – Steward Donald, Charlie Methven and Juan Sartori – all retain an unspecified number of shares.
Supporter trust Red and White Army revealed last week (9 February) that they will demand answers at a club meeting on Wednesday (16 February).
The lack of transparency over the exact breakdown of the ownership is concerning, insists Plumley.
“It’s strange because we don’t know why this is the case,” the Sheffield Hallam University expert told Football Insider‘s Adam Williams.
“Most clubs make their ownership public, to a degree. Who is the majority shareholder and who owns what is usually readily available.
“That is where you alienate the fans and risk ruining that relationship.
“It got off to a good start with Louis-Dreyfus, as it always does when a new owner comes in. But this is a transparency issue.
“Most fans want that honesty. There is no reason you can’t make public your ownership structure unless you’re uncomfortable with it yourself.
“When the information isn’t forthcoming, fans will start to get twitchy. It comes back to what happens on the pitch.
“A few bad results doesn’t help and brings everything to the surface again.”
Sunderland named Alex Neil as successor to Lee Johnson in the manager’s dugout last Friday (11 February).
His reign began with a 1-1 draw away at Wimbledon that leaves the Black Cats 4th in League One.
In other news, ex-Fifa official suggests Sunderland set for “additional fines” after “loss of control”.