Dai Yongge, the owner of Reading, was banned under the EFL’s Owners’ and Directors’ Test and has been given until

April 4th to sell the team.

The English Football League-imposed date was revealed during a hearing held Friday at the London Commercial

Court. Yongge was attempting to obtain an injunction against Rob Couhig, the former owner of Wycombe, who he

said was impeding his efforts to sell the Royals.

The obligatory injunction request was denied by Judge Mr. Justice Jacobs.

“Following its disclosure in open court earlier today, the League can confirm that Mr Yongge has been recently

disqualified under the EFL’s Owners’ and Directors’ Test,” the Football League stated in a statement.

“The disqualification requires Mr Yongge to divest his interests in the club, and in the event that he fails to do so

within the agreed timeframe, the League will consider all options available within its regulations to bring the matter

to a conclusion.

“The League continues to work closely with Reading FC to progress a sale of the club at the earliest opportunity, in

order to end the current uncertainty surrounding its future for its staff, supporters and wider community.”

Yongge contended in court on Friday that he cannot sell as long as Couhig, who has attempted to purchase the club,

and his securities are in place.

Late last month, the Royals declared that they had entered into an exclusive phase with an unidentified entity

regarding a possible takeover.

They said that the transaction would be “for the benefit of all concerned” and that they were hopeful it could be

finalised soon.

Since Yongge agreed to a letter of intent to sell the club last March, other takeover attempts, including Couhig’s, have

failed.

After going 10 games without a loss, Reading is currently in eighth place in League One, two points outside of a play-

off spot.

The Royals said in an external statement after Friday’s session that they would cooperate with Couhig and the EFL to

find a solution.

“The club acknowledges the judge’s clear indication that the parties should find a solution to the current impasse

regarding the sale of the club by way of its owners providing alternative security or a payment into escrow,” the

statement continued.

“The club is eager to cooperate with Mr. Couhig to address this aspect of his claim in order to for a sale to proceed.

“Mr Dai remains committed to working with the EFL to sell the club and secure its long-term future.”

After today’s court hearing, do Reading supporters feel more or less confident?

The majority will experience increased anxiety and uncertainty. We had more questions than answers after the

hearing.

The situation in Reading has gotten worse. The club sale might have been quite simple to envision if the judge had

granted the injunction.

The club would have been able to move on from years of uncertainty, and we would have been closer to Dai Yongge leaving the stage.

Rather, it appears that the standoff continues because Rob Couhig’s securities are still in place and Yongge is

refusing to sell to him or anybody else while they are..

The EFL delivered the hearing’s most concerning message.

Some sectors have been calling for Yongge to be disqualified from ownership for months, and they have finally done

so.

Reading must be sold by April 4th, failing which they will be informed that they are not permitted to play any games

as long as Yongge is in charge.

Finishing in the top six and then being denied the opportunity to participate would be an unprecedented degree of

absurdity in this long-running tale, as Reading has never had any success in play-off campaigns.

We might be nearing the finish of the game, and it feels like something significant is going to happen.

Although there are conflicting feelings because we cannot predict the future, it is very encouraging that the judge has

cleared the way for a sale and stated that the side dispute with Rob Couhig can be settled independently of the sale.

At this point, the team has no excuses for not closing a deal.

There is now clarity, but the issue is that we are frequently left in the dark and forced to put the puzzle pieces

together on our own because we are unsure of what to think.

Many concerns remain over the final date and the EFL’s next course of action, but we all hope that we can find a new owner because we’ve had enough.

Could this, please, be the start of Dai Yongge’s demise at Reading?

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