Thank you to all supporters who submitted questions this week. We have supplemented these with a couple of our own and have sent them to Director Marian Mihail as usual.
1. Last week you reported Tahnoon Nimer has pledged “some financial relief… by the end of the month”, and accepted it was “needed now”. Has this happened yet? If not, why not, and when is it going to happen?
2. Those Charlton fans that still have any hope the current ownership will fund the Club will struggle to keep believing if this does not happen by May 1st. If there are not sufficient funds to pay the salaries and other commitments by then, what are the financial (and extended) consequences for CAFC?
3. It is our understanding Shaun McHugh no longer has any dealings with CAFC. Is this correct? If so, who is the Finance Director of CAFC, and to whom does he or she answer?
4. What is the latest regarding the EFL’s Owners and Directors Test for Claudiu Florica and yourself?
5. Please explain to Charlton fans how Tahnoon Nimer came to meet Claudiu Florica and yourself and how you became involved in ESI/CAFC? What experience do you or Claudiu have either running a football club or as company directors?
6. There are two individuals whose names appear in various documentation around the takeover, Mr van Seventer and Mr Hirst. What was their role at the time and what role are they now playing in ESI/CAFC?
7. On March 11th 2020, Chris Farnell spoke to journalist Jim White on his TalkSPORT radio show. When asked if Tahnoon Nimer could reassure Charlton fans that he has the Club at heart Farnell responded, “I can guarantee that’s why he bought the Club”. This was over 6 weeks ago. Since then, Charlton fans have had ever-increasing cause for concern about the future of the Club they love. What actions on the part of the Club’s directorship and leadership team can you point to which evidence Chris Farnell’s guarantee that Tahnoon Nimer, and ESI in general, is acting in the interests of Charlton Athletic?
8. In the same interview, when asked about the proof of the source of funds to the EFL, Chris Farnell stated, “Those funds have been proven to the EFL.” This is seemingly not true; indeed, in your response to Q8 of last week’s fan questions, you confirmed that the issue was not resolved. Mr Farnell is an English lawyer, with all that that entails. Why did he make that statement?
9. You made clear in your responses to last week’s questions that Tahnoon Nimer does not intend to invest in the Club while Matthew Southall is involved in any capacity, and that Mr Southall’s status as a shareholder of ESI constitutes involvement in the Club from Mr Nimer’s perspective, notwithstanding that it gives him, as you said, “no authority over the club, staff and contractors”. Many fans see this as an excuse for not injecting funds into the Club, particularly given that Mr Southall would have no access to those funds, and are deeply concerned that, in the personal dispute between Mr Nimer and Mr Southall, the Club will be the true victim. Is Mr Nimer prepared to put his dispute with Mr Southall to one side in order to ensure the continued survival of the Club at these uncertain times?