Statement over attempts to discredit

13/02/13: Club admits to dismay over negative campaign

The fact that Dunfermline Athletic Football Club has faced financial problems in recent months won't come as a surprise to any Pars fans, but the extent of the use of personal abuse, rumour and misinformation by some people who claim to have the Club's best interests at heart has dismayed and saddened those within the organisation who are trying to find solutions to these current problems.

A Club statement said:

"There is at present a concerted campaign going on to attempt to discredit the club's honest attempts to bring fans' groups together and to work directly with them to increase their participation in decision-making in the club. It has come at a time when the Club is about to launch a share issue which will not only create a new model of club management while also raising much-needed funds for future investment.

It appears to be a deliberate ploy to scupper the share issue, and in fact may be designed to bring the Club to its knees and into administration, and all of the dreadful consequences that such an outcome would bring. For the most part, those behind this negative campaign are faceless, people who are either unwilling to be named at all or who hide behind pseudonyms on websites. However, it is clear to the Club that these are not the random views of a few concerned fans, but instead is an orchestrated attempt to bring the Club to its knees. It is known that some national journalists have been fed stories, while some of the negative publicity came directly from a major PR company who were presumably commissioned to provide this.
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The Club's concern is that the motives of those waging this campaign are not altogether clear. The group The Pars Community (TPC) has emerged with an aggressive anti-club campaign, despite the Board showing willing to meet with their representatives at only a day's notice. This was followed by a series of negative press releases and other actions which sought to undermine the Club's own proposals. The Club had sought to have a further meeting with them, this week, however TPC requested this to take place next week. and nor have some of the questions surrounding the proposed 'fan ownership' model been answered.

Specifically we require TPC to address the following issues as a pre requisite of further dialogue:

1. The identities of some of The Pars Community backers have not been divulged, We are unable to engage in dialogue with you until we have full disclosure of all the parties involved.

2. In the "vision statement" of TPC they refer to the stadium being moved into a separate Social Enterprise Charity. The stadium is owned by a CHL subsidiary, East End Park Ltd and financed by a long term loan from Lloyds Bank. DAFC have received written confirmation from Lloyds that they have had no approaches from any 3rd party to discuss this matter (nor of course would they be able to have any such dialogue).

DAFC require TPC to confirm that no such meetings have been held and confirm publically that no approach has been made to Lloyds regarding the restructuring of the loan. DAFC require an understanding of how the TPC would fund the acquisition?

3. TPC are effectively "offering nothing for the business or its assets" - we obviously differ in this disregard. TPC do not however make any reference to the short term group loans provided to DAFC by CHL and East Park Ltd - what are TPC proposals in this regard?

These loans amount to £9m and would obviously not be simply forgiven by the CHL Group. The soft arrangements regarding non-interest payments, no formal payment plan and no rental would obviously cease to exist if CHL did not have equity control. What are TPC proposals in this regard?

In contrast to this, the Board of DAFC has met twice with representatives of all known fans groups, and in the course of those discussions has divulged considerable amounts of information about the club's operations, finances and hopes for the future. It has held meetings with Supporters Direct and has also attended a public meeting arranged by the Pars Alive Group attended by around 130 fans.  At that meeting Bob Purvis, the Chairman of the Pars' main sponsors the Purvis Group, received a rousing reception when he asked fans to back the current plans. The Club has been open and clear about its intended direction and how it sees the way forward out of these difficult times. And in doing all of this it is proposing one of the most radical structures in Scottish football with fans' involvement at all levels of decision-making.

On a daily basis the Club receives messages of support from ordinary fans and local businesses. However there is no doubt that the negative campaign, which is both inaccurate and at times has resorted to personal abuse of the most cowardly kind, is having an impact. Those who are considering investment may be having second thoughts, fans are being put off attending games, and the manager and players are fighting their own battles to remain positive in the face of this onslaught.

It has been the Board's view for some time that Dunfermline is not big enough to have rival factions. We accept that there are different views about how to manage the Football Club, but we would invite the detractors to join with us, to talk to us and to work with us to ensure that Dunfermline Athletic Football Club survives into the future and for generations to come."