Fans Start Crowdfunding Campaign to Save Leyton Orient
Tomorrow’s Sky Bet League 2 game between Leyton Orient and Grimsby is of huge importance, especially for the home team which is going through one of the toughest periods in their 136 year history.
The O’s, who are currently 8th in League 2, are facing uncertainty as it was revealed that the club has “significant debt” which could lead up to the club going into administration or even liquidation.
Current president Francesco Becchetti is believed to have an unpaid tax bill which is reported to be around £125-250k. To make matters even worse, the club’s bank account has been frozen after they were served a winding up petition by HM Revenue & Customs.
It is believed that Becchetti is currently looking for potential buyers of the club, however if a solution to the petition isn’t found by March 20th, the judge would most likely accept the petition and the club would be liquidated.
LOFT (Leyton Orient Fans’ Trust) are hoping the club goes into administration instead, which would mean a 12-point deduction this season, but it would also mean that all incoming offers for the club could be looked at and subsequently an arrangement could be worked out with creditors over unpaid debts.
In an attempt to save the club, Orient fans have set up GoFundMe campaign with a targetted £250k which would be of massive help in the event of liquidation of the club.
682 people have donated a total of £65,300 in the 7 days since the campaign has been started.
If you also wish to contribute, please click here.
The supporters group will also hold an open meeting for all O’s fans on March 13th, at the Walthamstow Assembly Hall at 7:30pm.