Stewart Donald and Charlie Methven have issued statements in response to the recent revelations over Sunderland's ownership structure.
Months of questions and silence on the topic was finally addressed when the Black Cats confirmed Kyril Louis-Dreyfus owns just 41% of the club.
Donald retains a 31% stake, Juan Sartori holds 20% while Methven has 5%, meaning the Madrox trio continue to own 59% of Sunderland.
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The disclosure came a year after Black Cats supporters were told Dreyfus holds a 'controlling interest' in the club having been appointed chairman.
The exact shareholder split was a question which continued to dog the new administration, and the 25-year-old insists he holds 'executive control of the running of the football club'.
However, the continued association of the Madrox trio and the lack of clarity up until this point has angered the club's fanbase.
Donald has since released a statement insisting his 'only active involvement' has been to fulfill his funding commitment, while declaring he would be 'happy' to sell hs remaining shares under the same terms previously agreed.
A spokesman told the Athletic : “When Kyril Dreyfus arrived last year as SAFC’s major shareholder, Stewart was happy to hand over control of the running of the club to him and, together with Charlie Methven, voluntarily waived their right to be on the board.
“From that moment on — with Kyril Dreyfus and Juan Sartori being on the board — Stewart’s only active involvement has been covering his pro-rata funding commitment.
“In the period directly preceding Kyril Dreyfus’ arrival in February 2021, the combined effects of COVID and the Alvarez case (where the Court of Arbitration for Sport ruled Sunderland must pay former winger Ricky Alvarez £4.7 million in compensation last January) necessitated cash injections from the then-shareholders (Madrox) of £11.35 million into Sunderland AFC, as revealed in the accounts published last summer.
“Subsequently in Kyril Dreyfus’ first year in charge, the amount required has been £8.1 million to date, which is expected to rise to around £10 million by the summer (making total shareholder funding more than £21 million in less than three years).
“Throughout that time, in common with all shareholders, Stewart has contributed his share of financing pro rata to his shareholding.
“He has made it clear throughout that he is happy to sell the remainder of his shares internally to the other shareholders at the same level he has already accepted initially.”
Methven also added his own statement in response to questions from the Athletic, insisting he does not want an 'active role' in the running of the Black Cats.
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He said: “I have deliberately not taken up my seat on the board because, just like Stewart, I don’t want to have an active role in the running of the club.
“Like Stewart, I would be very happy to sell my shares. But, in the meantime, I will continue to provide my share of the financing of the club.”
