Reading's home match with Port Vale was abandoned when hundreds of supporters invaded the pitch after 16 minutes in protest against their owner Dai Yongge.
Fans made their feelings known by throwing tennis balls onto the field of play pre-match, and broke from the stands in the 16 th minute to mark the total points the Royals have had docked under Dai. The game was level at 0-0 when it was initially suspended.
Fan-led protest group Sell Before We Dai posted on X (formerly Twitter): "We shouldn't be doing this. We should be enjoying the game with friends and family. This is just the start Dai. We are coming for you. So do yourself a favour and sell."
The visiting Port Vale fans even joined in, themselves having endured boardroom crises, chanting: 'You greedy ba*****s, get out of their club.'
But what’s the bigger picture?
Reading have been in disarray over the past few years, with their struggles intensifying this season. Owner Dai Yongge bought 75% of the shares in the club in 2017 but under his watch their financial mismanagement has caused a succession of sanctions.
Over five years the Royals reported pre-tax losses that went £81m over the English Football League’s limit, and in 2021 they spent 234% of their revenue on player wages.
They have been charged with failing to pay players on time and in full and for non- payment of taxes, and were consigned to the third tier for the first time since 2001/02 at the end of 2022/23 after a six-point deduction for financial irregularities.
Further problems have built in recent months: Reading have had 16 points deducted so far over the last two years and Dai was charged with misconduct in December 2023. The club has also been served two HMRC winding-up petitions over unpaid taxes.
Now under a transfer embargo, the owner says he is open to 'credible offers of interest' in taking over the struggling Royals.
At the time of writing Reading sit 21st in League One, safe only on goal difference. This for a club that just over 10 years ago were in the Premier League, and are today managed by former Southampton boss Ruben Selles.
A recent report by The Athletic read: "Sponsors Select Car Leasing have twice had to step in this season to ensure the payroll for players was met and prevent a further points deduction. Players have been forced to eat microwave meals after a catering firm left the training ground due to money owed, office staff have been wearing coats at their desk due to the cold working conditions and redundancy letters were sent out across the club the week before Christmas."
The club posted a series of statements repeatedly encouraging supporters to end their protest via their official X account. The latest one before the abandonment read: "We appreciate the supporters’ frustrations. Please leave the field of play. Both sets of team staff and players wish to get today's game played to a conclusion. This is the last chance to get the game restarted [sic] the club can face serious sanctions if the pitch is not cleared."
The EFL says it will "now discuss the implications of this afternoon’s events with the clubs involved."
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