Pompey Fans Want To Meet Administrators
The Pompey Supporters Trust is urging Andrew Andronikou and UHY to meet with PST representatives before time runs out for Portsmouth Football Club.
The Pompey Supporters Trust say they've contacted Mr Andronikou and Mr Kubik several times in the last two months to request a meeting. They claim all meeting requests have been refused by joint administrators Mr Andronikou and Mr Kubik, on the grounds that the PST would need to provide £100 million in proof of funds before any meeting could take place.
The Trust is also alarmed that it has taken two months for Mr Andronikou to seek discussions with Portsmouth City Council. The Trust believe the fans and the City Council are potentially two of the most important stakeholders in and supporters of the football club, and both have a role to play in securing the future of PFC in these difficult times.
Calls from local MP Penny Mordaunt for UHY Hacker Young to meet with the PST have also been ignored by My Andronikou. She spoke in the House on the 21st December 2011 urging UHY to speak to the Trust of whom she said:
"The professionalism with which the trust has conducted itself has been hugely impressive. The core working party is composed of knowledgeable and skilled individuals with the financial and legal expertise to develop this proposition. However, they have been faced with a series of improbable but all too real barriers. They do not yet have access to the financial information any prospective buyer would be entitled to see. There appears to be a bias against them-a suspicion that they are not serious, and an assumption they do not have the funds and that they are not competent." Several weeks later the PST still suffer from that unfair bias.
Portsmouth Football Club faces a winding up order issued by HMRC in the high court on 20th February, and there is no indication from Mr Andronikou that there are any credible buyers willing or able to complete the purchase of PFC before the high court hearing begins
Trust Chair Ashley Brown said:
"We are increasingly frustrated with the actions of Mr Andronikou and Mr Kubik. Pompey fans are extremely worried about the future of our club. Fans groups need to have a dialogue with UHY and explore any role the fans can play in helping Pompey. We have one clear aim - to do whatever we can to secure the future of Portsmouth Football Club. The fans, like the council, are an important stakeholder - the support and revenue we provide plays an important role in the ongoing viability of the football club, and it is not acceptable to be frozen out and ignored by UHY in this time of crisis. To request proof of funds of £100 million before even speaking to the fans is ridiculous. We have tried repeatedly over the last few months to enter into some kind of discussion with UHY, and, with the high court hearing looming, it is time for UHY to open up a meaningful dialogue with the people who care most about the future of the club - the fans."
