Southend United: MP asks National League to 'reconsider' sanctions

Southend United are under a transfer embargo as they await the completion of a takeover by a consortium

A Conservative MP has called on the National League to "reconsider the current sanctions" it has placed on Southend United.

The club are still under a transfer embargo while they await completion of a takeover by a consortium, led by Australian businessman Justin Rees.

In a letter shared on X, Southend West MP Anna Firth said "things simply cannot go on as they are".

The National League has been approached for comment.

On Saturday, Southend named only one substitute for their 2-1 home defeat against Bromley.

The Shrimpers have long been subject to a transfer embargo - which ordinarily prevents clubs from registering new players - because of unpaid debts to HMRC.

However, the High Court was told in October that the debt had been paid.

The Blues have also been hit with a 10-point deduction, are 16th in the table and two points above the relegation places.

MP Anna Firth wrote a letter to the National League calling for sanctions against Southend United to be lifted

In her letter to Mark Ives, the general manager of the National League, Ms Firth said: "The continued embargo on player registration needs to be reconsidered and reversed immediately."

She said: "Whilst I appreciate that there are criteria you need to see met by Southend United to ensure they are compliant with National League rules, the club is now being punished disproportionately and the continued method of punishment is deeply flawed.

"At the time of kick off on Saturday, Southend had two fit players not in the starting eleven, but the fact that one was not allowed to be named on the bench due to the terms of your embargo is baffling to myself and many other Southend United fans."

She said that she understood the league's need to "protect the integrity" of the competition, but added she could not "see the merit in deliberately handicapping further, a side already depleted by a points deduction and a transfer embargo".