CODE RED

The Charlton Athletic Dossier

Today in England, it’s possible to buy a famous football club for £1, drain it of cash, and bring it to within days of administration.

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Introduction

Today you can buy an English league football club for £1, with minimal scrutiny by the relevant authorities; and then do whatever you wish with the assets and cash that you have bought. This kind of scenario has been seen at several clubs, e.g. at Bury and Wigan. Then it was tried at Charlton Athletic; a big mistake.

This website details all that we have learnt about the protagonists; we hope it will be used as a reference point by the relevant authorities and by journalists. For fans of other clubs, we hope it will be an early warning system; and we are ready to assist those who might encounter any of the people and tactics detailed here.

They chose the wrong club.

If they had done their homework, the protagonists might have noted the Charlton fans have an unrivalled reputation for protecting their club, going back over 30 years. Once it became clearer what was happening, discrete fan groups, working collaboratively, sought to expose the abuse of club finances and show who was responsible.

The research which underpins the information provided here is just one example of that work. Various protagonists found themselves confronted, not just at the stadium, but also in their places of work. They will continue to be pursued through various channels until they are held to account.

Charlton are safe now, but this could happen to your club tomorrow

At the last minute, new owner Thomas Sandgaard appeared, ready to demonstrate to the EFL his financial credibility and respect for the (endangered) structure English football, and determined not to let the perpetrators get their way. We were very lucky; other clubs are still in distress and more will become so. This website should be a call to action for change which will prevent stories like ours from happening again.