Yeovil Town owner Martin Hellier has announced his intention to sell the club after facing online abuse from some fans. The decision comes as supporters have been banned from attending matches due to negative comments about the club on social media.
Hellier, who has been in charge of Huish Park for nearly two years, played a key role in funding the team’s promotion back to the National League last season. Despite this, the Somerset club reported a loss of £2.8m during that season, with the annual accounts indicating that the club is now solely reliant on the owner’s financial support, as reported by the BBC.
In a statement posted on social media, which has since been deleted, Hellier declared: “I fully intend to sell the club and leave as soon as a suitable buyer is found. It’s simply not worth losing money to be abused and have my children abused. In the meantime, I would ask that you stop the endless online harassment and abuse. You’ve done enough, it’s worked.”
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The decision to sell the club follows an incident in which a fan, Jonathan Hooper, received a two-year ban from Yeovil Town Football Club for criticizing Hellier and shared the letter he received online, sparking further backlash against Hellier.
This ban was imposed due to Hooper’s negative comments and remarks about Yeovil Town Football Club and the club’s chairman, creating an environment that is not conducive to the values and reputation of the club. As a result, Hooper is prohibited from attending any matches, events, or entering the club’s premises for a period of two years.
The Glovers, who ended their 16-season stay in the English Football League in 2019, are currently 13th in the National League after securing a 1-0 win on Saturday.