Reading fans force abandonment as protests continue against owner Dai Yongge

Credit 'Luke Adams'

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A desperate situation calls for desperate measures and on Saturday, Reading fans staged a pitch invasion to force the abandonment of their game with Port Vale as they continue to plead with owner Dai Yongge to sell up, or for the EFL to intervene and remove him from his post.

Fans poured onto the pitch midway through the first half of Saturday's League 1 fixture at the Select Car Leasing Stadium and refused to leave, leaving match officials with no choice but to call the game off after repeated calls to return to the stands were ignored.

'Sell Before We Dai', a pressure group set up in a bid to force a change of ownership at Reading FC, has said the step up in action and intention was necessary after previous protests fell on deaf ears – both in the club’s boardroom and at the EFL (English Football League).

They are calling for Dai Yongge to sell the club at the earliest opportunity while also actively seeking to protect the club's assets to secure the long-term future of the club. They fear their current owner could take the club into liquidation. The Royals are languishing in the League 1 relegation zone having already been handed a four-point penalty this season.

A statement from the pressure group on Saturday evening said: “Today is a dark day for Reading Football Club.

“The first fan-led match abandonment in our 152-year history should not be celebrated, but the spontaneous, unfiltered passion, as well as the will and determination of our fans, should be.

“Today has proven beyond any doubt that Reading fans will not be ignored and will fight to the bitter end for our club. Our ownership is duplicitous and destructive. Players are being sold without the manager’s knowledge; staff are being made redundant, potential investors are being put off by those meant to be facilitating the sale. We either have no communication or we are lied to.

“We understand that we will be punished by the EFL, but what we really need is help. Today was an outpouring of emotion from a fanbase not known for its hostility.

“We are scared for the future of our football club and the threat could not be more real. Our owner has already killed two clubs. We cannot be the third. We call on the EFL to continue with their aim to expel Dai Yongge as an owner and we call on our fans to stay organised and united. We want this to be our last abandoned match, but it is just the start of this elevated protest action.

“Finally, we want to extend our heartfelt thanks and apologies to the travelling Port Vale fans who showed us unwavering solidarity throughout today’s protest. We won’t forget it.”

The club haven’t put out a statement following the pitch invasion, but posted the following on X before the game was abandoned: “We appreciate 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.

“The club can face serious sanctions if the pitch is not cleared.”

While calling for Yongge to sell up, ‘Sell Before We Dai’ also want the EFL to step up their efforts to force negligent owners out of football, not just at Reading but across the country. This comes as the Culture Media and Sport Select Committee prepares to question EFL chair Rick Parry on the issue of football governance this week.

Nick Houlton, a Sell Before We Dai spokesperson, said: “We really need the EFL to take decisive action now, not just for us but for all football fans whose clubs are under threat due to negligent owners. The EFL has the power to approve owners. It is astonishing they are powerless to remove them.

“An independent regulator for football cannot come soon enough but there are things the EFL can do now to force Dai Yongge out of football for good.

“Saturday’s pitch invasion by fans was borne out of sheer desperation and fear. We can see the owner is purposefully digging his heels in over the sale of the club and we urgently need help from those in power to act now.”

The pressure group does not want to see a repeat of Saturday’s match abandonment but added that nothing is ‘off the table’ until something tangible is done to resolve the issues at play at Reading.

Houlton added: “We urge the government to reconsider making Reading a test case for the independent regulator. We need this for the future of our club, our fans, and the wider footballing community.”

The Advertiser has approached Reading FC for a comment on the pitch invasion and the current situation at the club.