HUST Call On Southern League To Resolve Payment Issues

Whilst it is pleasing to finally hear a statement from the Southern League on the position of Hereford United, the statement leaves unanswered questions.

It is clear from social media that not all former club employees have been paid, including a string of 17 year old first year scholars, and that several that have been paid have not received the full amount they are due. For the Southern League to confirm the club’s acceptance and the lifting of the embargo when there are still clear issues to be resolved is somewhat baffling. We understand that the people in question have struggled to get an answer from the club regarding their payments, and we urge the Southern League to get directly involved to explain to those people why they have acted before apparently meeting their own terms.

We would like to openly apologise on behalf of genuine supporters of the club to the Southern League and it’s officials for any abusive messages that they may have received from Hereford United fans, but we would like to reiterate that the HUST boycott of the club is to proceed in a dignified and peaceful manner and HUST will not condone abuse towards any staff, officials, or fans that choose to attend matches while the boycott continues. We do note, however, the extreme frustration felt by fans who have been kept in the dark for long periods by both the club and the footballing authorities over the last two months.

We have attempted to speak to the Southern League as the largest single body of supporters of the club. Our attempts at communication have disappointingly been ignored. We would welcome direct dialogue with the Southern League to better understand the process that they have undertaken over the past month, and the reasoning behind their actions. We invite the Southern League to contact us at their convenience to arrange a meeting.

Whilst we are pleased to see that payments have been made to a large number of former staff, we do note that the boycott vote included provisions towards paying debts owed to the Council and the ongoing winding-up proceedings. This boycott currently remains in force and, with a CVA proposal seemingly set to include those debts, a cessation of the boycott is only likely to happen if the creditors agree to the terms offered and the court approves the proposal.

With our own AGM date due to coincide with the likely timing of that process, the question of the boycott continuing is likely to feature prominently at our AGM.