Jeff Stelling announces resignation with damning statement – 'Intolerable position'

Jeff Stelling has stepped down from his role as president in protest at the ongoing sale of the club. Hartlepool owner Raj Singh first listed the club for sale in April 2023, following their relegation from the English League, but resigned from his role as chairman two months ago.

The club previously stated that it would not be sold before the end of the 2024/25 season as Singh promised to fund player and staff wages until the campaign concluded. Yet with a new owners yet to be found, planning for the next season has now lagged behind.

The latest round of talks recently stalled, putting the future of Pools in limbo. , who would famously while taking the reins of on , became honorary president in 2015. He has now slammed the current situation, and Singh, by taking to X.

READ MORE:

READ MORE:

"Following Raj’s latest statement, I have resigned as President of @Official_HUFC," Stelling, 70, began. "I know this is only an honorary role but it is the best way I felt I could protest against the treatment of the party trying to take control the club.

"Supporters have been left in an intolerable position with a perceived threat to the future of the club should they not support the current owner. Let’s remember it was him who wanted to stop funding the club. Yet now he seems almost affronted that others want to take over.

"Not once have I been consulted about this even though I am a shareholder. I have not met the would be buyers but I do know they have been trying to buy this club for over a year - not the actions of time wasters. I will always love this club and wish all our fans the best."

said the club would be asking season ticket holders to vote on if they would like to take assistance from Singh going forward - a vote suggested by the owner himself. The club also revealed that a further revised deadline had been missed by a potential takeover party.

"The club is already running the risk of failing to prepare for next season which could become unrecoverable in a very short period of time," the statement read.

"The club's retained player list must be decided upon by Saturday and squad planning is well behind where it should be due to the current limbo position.

"Much of the good work that has been done over recent years to put the club on a stable footing hangs in the balance. In summary the board feel that the club can wait no longer and must act now."

Singh, who bought Hartlepool at the end of the 2017–18 season, has stated the current issues were not planned and he was hoping a takeover would have been completed by now. He also claims a number of people have asked him to step in to support the club until a buyer can be found, but has made it clear that is not imminent.

"Categorically at this time there is no party in a position with funds to immediately take over the club," he said. "That is not for a lack of trying and there has been a huge amount of work going on behind the scenes that people just don't see."

and receive your daily dose of Mirror Football content. We also treat our community members to special offers, promotions, and adverts from us and our partners. If you don't like our community, you can check out any time you like. If you're curious, you can read our