Sunderland's win at Wigan Athletic this weekend reignited their play-off push after a dismal run of results on the pitch. It was no surprise to see the Black Cats automatic promotion push capitulating as ownership issues were brought to light.
Kyril Louis-Dreyfus' revelation that he owned only 41 per cent of shares in the club, with former owners Madrox - the trio of Stuart Donald, Juan Sartori and Charlie Methven - making up the remaining 59 per cent, sent fans into a frenzy. The Sunderland faithful knew that the notorious group were still involved in the club, but the size of their shares saw fans raise further questions about the ownership model.
We asked supporters for their thoughts on the current ownership and whether they thought Louis-Dreyfus should buy remaining Madrox shares. There were over 4,000 responses and when asked, a remarkable 89.6 per cent of supporters were under the impression the Frenchman owned more than 50 per cent of the club, only highlighting the need for transparency.
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Sunderland fans also do not believe that the current ownership model can lead to success on Wearside. 81.5 per cent of voters said the club would not achieve success, while the remaining 19.5 per cent voted yes.
The Black Cats did pick up silverware in Louis-Dreyfus' first year at the club, winning the EFL Trophy, but promotion remains the main objective this season.
Furthermore, 84.5 per cent of supporters voted against the current ownership model , 7.2 per cent said they weren't bothered, while 8.3 per cent voted in favour of it.
Sunderland CEO Steve Davison revealed that Louis-Dreyfus would look to buy out Donald and Methven's remaining shares in the club, after the pair both said they would sell.
83.4 per cent of voters would be happy to see the 25-year-old do that, but 16.6 per cent believe the damage has been done and would not be happy with the outcome.
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