Morecambe suspended from the National League

Morecambe were relegated to the National League at the end of last season

Morecambe have been suspended from the National League with immediate effect and will not play in the division during the first weeks of the new season.

The Lancashire club were given a deadline of midday on Monday by the league surrounding their compliance with its rules and were warned they would face "possible further sanctions".

The league's compliance and licensing committee met again to discuss the club's response and has now suspended Morecambe until it meets again on 20 August.

"It was decided further sanctions must be imposed, with the club's membership to be suspended with immediate effect," a National League statement said.

It added: "The club will also remain under embargo ahead of the new season."

"Morecambe Football Club will also be removed from the National League Cup for the forthcoming season.

"The committee will meet again on Wednesday, August 20 to determine if outstanding items have been satisfied, and to decide the club's ability to retain membership in the competition."

That means Morecambe's fixture away to Boston United on 9 August, their first home game against Brackley Town on 16 August, and the trip to Scunthorpe United on 19 August, will no longer take place.

Morecambe were relegated from League Two last season - their second relegation in the past three seasons - and have faced a beleaguered summer.

Owner Jason Whittingham put the club up for sale in 2022 but a deal has still not been done.

London-based sports investment company Panjab Warriors have been in talks to buy the Shrimps for over a year, and a deal appeared to have been accepted but has still not been completed.

He announced a new buyer, named as a consortium led by Jonny Cato, had been found earlier in July, but it remains unclear where that bid also stands.

Whittingham said on Sunday he had "not heard from" Panjab Warriors in the past week and talks with Cato were ongoing.

'We have to prepare for the worst while hoping for the best'

The National League has been abundantly patient over the last four weeks and as generous as they can be with the sanctions, but it has a league to protect the integrity of. We're grateful it's a suspension at this stage and not an expulsion. It buys us a bit of time to get the sale over the line.

This deal has been ongoing for three years. Just as we think it's done there's another chapter in the saga.

As things stand, we have to be very cautious and prepare for the worst while hoping for the best.

We've seen other clubs, like Bury and Macclesfield, have suspensions which have been extended into the first six games of the season. It may be that we get a further suspension but we have to prepare for expulsion on the 20 August if the club doesn't sell.

As a Trust, we always have back-up plans for phoenix clubs and what we'd do if Morecambe FC in its current form stopped trading. If we're expelled from the National League, that means no football for Morecambe this season and it would mean reforming under a different banner as quickly as possible ready for next season.

Morecambe is a small seaside town and the football club is the glue that holds us all together. Everyone talks about the club.

We're a deprived area of the country and the economic impact of not having visitors to the town once every fortnight to watch the football, and all of us not coming together in that way, is devastating.

Today is pay day for a lot of our friends and family who work at the club and for the second month, they've not been paid.