Simon Jordan sympathises with Reading fans but says ‘you have no right’ to invade pitch in Dai Yongge protest

8 months ago 58
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talkSPORT pundit Simon Jordan sympthised with the plight of Reading fans, but disagreed with their methods of protest against owner Dai Yongge.

Reading's League One clash against Port Vale was abandoned on Saturday after fans invaded the pitch on 16 minutes.

Reading had their match against Port Vale abandoned

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Reading had their match against Port Vale abandonedCredit: X: @JacobsBen

The Royals have been in financial turmoil in recent times under Chinese owner Yongge and are facing a winding-up order.

There have been reports of players living on microwave meals and the club have already been deducted points for failing to pay players on time and in full.

Fans of the Berkshire club are frustrated and furious with the ownership and that boiled over on Saturday when fans ran onto the pitch to protest.

Former Crystal Palace owner, talkSPORT pundit, Jordan, speaking to Jim White on the White & Jordan Show, told fans to voice their concerns through the appropriate channels.

When asked by White when should the EFL intervene at Reading, Jordan replied: "That is not their responsibility.

"The EFL's responsibility is the sanction the football clubs under the rules that the 72 football clubs in the football league put together.

"They can't just unilaterally and decide autonomously that because one football clubs is having trouble with an owner who has clearly ran out of money that they can step in.

"I think the Reading fans have every right to protest, every right to take their issues as loud and vociferous as they.

Dai Yongge is a hugely unpopular man among Reading fans

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Dai Yongge is a hugely unpopular man among Reading fansCredit: Rex Features

Jordan gave his verdict on the Reading situation

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Jordan gave his verdict on the Reading situationCredit: talkSPORT

"I think they have no right to go onto a football field and no right to stop a football match from being played, least of all for the Port Vale fans that have travelled across the country to go watch them."

"I wonder how vociferous you guys were when this guy was spending like a drunken sailor for the first few years of his ownership.

Reading fans storm the pitch during match as they protest against club owner Dai Yongge

"There is a myth going around that needs to be debunked that he was stopped from owning a Premier League club because that isn't true.

"I wonder when John Madejski pops up and sells the business to a Russian, how much money John made out of that transaction and the Russian that was brought through the door. Everybody's hands are over this."

Reading have had trouble since Sir John Madejski sold the club to Russian tycoon Anton Zingarevich in 2012 before dropping into the Championship.

Eventually, Yongge acquired the club in April 2017 and signed players including Sone Aluko, David Edwards and Leandro Bacuna in his first summer in charge.

However, in recent years, the club's finances have plunged Reading into turmoil and they are at risk of falling into League Two.

In December, the EFL recommended that Yongge be banned from all footballing activities for 12 months but an independent commission chose not to enforce the ban.

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