The staff and manager of League Two side Northampton Town have publicly pleaded with owner David Cardoza (pictured) to sell the club after going unpaid for weeks and seeing $12 million meant to go towards a new stand disappear.
“How many more years are we going to look at that stand being empty and not earning any money?” Wilder asked. “We need to get that stand built so we can earn money out there, so people can come and spend money and watch us play football, so people can come and support us and back us financially. I can’t stand looking at that stand, and I imagine all the staff and supporters are the same.”
You can tell the staff is frustrated as well. Wilder at one point says, “And I trust that things will be looked after…” and the club staffer interviewing him stops him mid-sentence to say “Well trust…that’s a big word.”
Finally, the staff posted a strongly-worded statement on the official website and Facebook page pleading for immediate change.
“As things drag on, each day gets more and more difficult both professionally and personally,” the statement said. “Professionally, attempting to run the club on a day to day basis with a frozen bank account presents extreme challenges that get worse with each passing hour as we attempt to maintain ‘business as normal’ as best we can.”
“Personally, each day the delays in completing the takeover mean another day where we have to find a way to feed our families and pay our bills, while still not knowing when this whole nightmare will be concluded. We now demand this matter is concluded within hours, not days. As staff we will continue to monitor the situation regularly and we are keeping our options open,”