Bristol Rovers can no longer be considered a family club as the civil war between the board and supporters’ club rumbles on, according a fans’ group.
Bristol Rovers President’s Club published a statement on Friday morning, addressing the ongoing row over the resignation of Ken Masters.
Masters, Bristol Rovers Supporters’ Club’s (BRSC) elected representative on Rovers’ board, quit on Wednesday citing a lack of “confidence or trust” in the way the club was being run by president Wael Al-Qadi and CEO Martyn Starnes.
He had been banned from the boardroom and directors box at the Mem for several months, and had not been involved in a board meeting for more than a year.
Masters was met with little sympathy from many supporters, who were critical of his lack of communication across a 14-year stint in the role, though he was given the full backing of BRSC who labelled the club’s behaviour a “disgrace”.
And the President’s Club, which organises fundraising projects and events for fans, has followed suit by taking a swipe at the board in a statement from chairman John Harding.
“News that supporters club director Ken Masters resigned his position this week because he was, in effect, ostracised by the club’s owner came on the back of news that the club was some £25m in debt,” he said.
“Over the course of the last 12 months Bristol Rovers President’s Club and Bristol Rovers Supporters’ Club have worked closely on a number of projects and Ken’s input has been most valid and very welcome.
“And now that link, between boardroom and support groups, has disappeared with no logic or explanation. The club can no longer claim to have a reputation for being a family one and we view Ken’s departure with dismay.
“It is sad to have to take sides on what appears to be a chasm developing between supporters and owner and we fear for the very future of our club. However, we fully support Ken and Bristol Rovers Supporters Club moving forward and hope for a satisfactory conclusion to these troubled times.
“While we all hope and pray that the coronavirus will be beaten sooner rather than later and that we all come through unscathed, it may seem trivial to worry about sport and football in particular, but we felt we could not let two significant issues in our club’s recent history pass without comment.”
Rovers insists the club wants to continue working with the supporters club and a new elected director to the board, but in a statement from the supporters club on Thursday chairman Jim Chappell said he would not put anyone forward due to financial concerns.
He claimed, due to the club’s huge “deficit”, a supporters’ director could be financially liable if the club collapsed – though laws on limited companies mean that eventuality would be very unlikely.
The supporters’ club issued a follow-up statement on Friday, clarifying that a director could only be liable if a liquidator deemed them responsible for a business’ failure.
