Charlton Athletic owner Roland Dutchatelet has completed the sale of the club to East Street Investment, subject to approval from the English Football League. In brings the Belgian’s controversial five-year stint at the South East London club to an end.
Roland Dutchatelet Completes Sale of Charlton Athletic
The Deal
Dutchatelet has been in the process of trying to sell the club since 2017. However, with no luck, he has remained on board at the Addicks, much to the displeasure of the fans.
This new ownership sees Tahnoon Nimer and Jonathan Heller, chairman and CEO of Abu Dhabi Business Development, join the club as directors, while Matt Southall becomes the club’s new chairman.
In a statement on the club’s website, Southall said: “We are privileged to take ownership of such an historic club and it is incredibly exciting to be part of the process of building a fresh future for the fans, loyal club staff and players of Charlton Athletic.
“While we may be the club owners, truly we are only the custodians. The true spirit of this football club rests with the fans, it is nothing without them. Their support throughout some difficult times both recently and in the past has been inspirational and we intend to build on that loyalty. Our priority will be immediate contact with fan groups in order that their views play a major role in the club going forward.”
The End of Roland Dutchatelet
Charlton fans have held numerous protests against Dutchatelet’s ownership of the club. One of the main issues surrounded incentivised bonuses for staff, which the Belgian said back in 2018 would not be paid after a bad financial year.
Problems had been rife before that though, which Charlton’s home match against Coventry City in 2016 being stopped as both sets of fans threw plastic pigs onto the pitch in a joint protest against their respective ownerships.
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