Morecambe close all footballing operations amid sale talks with Whittingham claiming to be in talks with consortium.
Prospective purchasers of Morecambe have declared that all first-team football operations have ceased at the club and pleaded with the owner to sell.
A deadline for Bond Group Investments’ Jason Whittingham to describe how Morecambe would pay its debts for the 2025–2026 season has passed, and the team was suspended from the National League on Monday. In a statement issued the day before, Whittingham had stated that he was negotiating a deal to purchase the majority of Morecambe’s shares “with the consortium led by Jonny Cato.” Additionally, he asserted that Bond Group had failed to get in touch with Panjab Warriors, the London-based investment firm that was approved by the EFL to buy Morecambe in June.
Since then, the Punjab Warriors have stated that they are prepared to move forward with a takeover right away. However, it was announced on Wednesday that all first-team operations had ceased, further illustrating the growing issue at Morecambe, who were demoted from the Football League after 18 years the previous season.
The Punjab Warriors, the Shrimps Trust, minority shareholders, and Lizzi Collinge, the MP for Morecambe and Lunesdale, released a joint statement saying, “As each day passes, the debts of the club are mounting, with wages now outstanding at over £316,000, and further significant debts that need to be paid to ensure survival of the club, which Panjab Warriors have already committed to pay within hours of completion with Bond Group.
“In further developments today, the first team have had to stop all football operations as the required insurance which was in place has now lapsed as payment has not been made. As a result of this escalating situation, more first-team players have left the club with further players set to leave by the end of this week.”