Charlton Athletic: Five directors of owners East Street Investments removed

Charlton are one point above the Championship relegation zone

Five directors of Charlton Athletic owners East Street Investments have been removed according to Companies House.

The move has been described as 'a stunt' by one of the directors, Chris Farnell, and comes as the club continue to wait for the English Football League to ratify yet another change of owner after Manchester-based businessman Paul Elliott said he had bought ESI last month.

ESI initially bought Charlton from Roland Duchatelet in January.

However, major shareholders Tahoon Nimer and Matt Southall, who were at the forefront of that deal, subsequently fell out, with Charlton caught in the middle of a bitter war of words.

Elliott emerged as the prospective new owner of ESI after Nimer refused to put in any more funds.

The latest twist has emerged in a letter seen by BBC Sport, dated 10 July and signed by Southall saying four directors - Chris Farnell, Claudiu Florica, Andrei Mihail and Marian Mihail - were being 'put on notice that you no longer have authority to hold yourself out to be a director of East Street Investments or purport to take any actions as director of the company'.

On Companies House, all four are listed as having had their directorship of ESI 'terminated' on 10 July. The same is also true of Nimer, although he is not mentioned in Southall's letter.

Farnell has dismissed the move, which has told the BBC has been done without authorisation and that Southall would be receiving a legal letter in response.

"This is another stunt by Mr Southall that we are having to deal with," said Farnell on Twitter.