Charlton Athletic: Bonus row with employees said to be 'blow' to sale of League One club
- Published
Charlton fans have protested against Roland Duchatelet's ownership of the club for a number of years
A dispute over bonus payments has hindered the sale of Charlton Athletic, the League One club has said.
Employees of the club previously said they are owed money, as "discretionary" bonuses have been withheld.
A statement, external on Charlton's website says the club has "investigated" how the row was leaked.
It also said the issue has come as "a significant blow" to owner Roland Duchatelet's "reputation" and affected his ability "to sell the club".
The Belgian agreed a price for Charlton in February but the takeover is still ongoing, despite an Australian consortium being said to be close to completing a deal in June.
Charlton reiterated that "all contractual bonuses" are being paid, while incentivised bonuses would not be granted after the club lost £10m last season.
A section of supporters have protested against Duchatelet's ownership for much of his four and a half years at the helm, with the latest controversy prompting further action.
The club confirmed an "unsigned" letter from administrative staff about the issue was received on 22 August.
The letter was circulated on social media by a coalition group called Campaign Against Roland Duchatelet (CARD) on the same day, with the club saying that it contributed to "the truth" being "misrepresented".
"Their communication made it appear as if all employees were involved, that the bonuses were an obligation and that consequently the club was failing to fulfil its contractual obligations to its employees," the statement said.
"An employee or small group tried to use the external pressure from the media to get their discretionary bonus despite the huge reputational damage to the club."
'He consistently seeks to blame fans'
Rick Everitt, editor of fanzine Voice of the Valley which is part of CARD, said the latest "missive" was no surprise.
"Duchatelet has now issued three statements on consecutive Tuesdays trying to blame CARD for his own shortcomings," said Everitt.
"We are not responsible for his dispute with the staff or the fact that they have gone to the media with it. He consistently seeks to blame fans for the mess he creates and people should draw the obvious conclusion."
CARD members were among supporters who took their protests to the offices of the English Football League earlier this month, claiming its inaction is failing to push through changes in ownership.