Jeff Stelling resigns as Hartlepool president after 9 years with damning statement over takeover
Jeff Stelling, Raj Singh/ Image composite: Sky Sports/X Hartlepool United FC
Sky Sports legend Jeff Stelling has announced his resignation as honorary president of Hartlepool United, citing deep frustration with the club's stalled takeover process and what he called the mistreatment of prospective buyers.
The 70-year-old broadcaster and lifelong Pools supporter had held the honorary role for nearly a decade. But in a powerful statement shared on X (formerly Twitter), Stelling made it clear that recent developments involving club owner
Raj Singh
had pushed him to step away.
'Following Raj's latest statement, I have resigned as President of @Official_HUFC,' Stelling wrote.
'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 of 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.'
— JeffStelling (@JeffStelling)
'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.'
by Taboola
by Taboola
Sponsored Links
Sponsored Links
Promoted Links
Promoted Links
You May Like
Bangladesh: Unsold Sofas at Bargain Prices (View Current Prices)
Sofas | Search Ads
Search Now
Undo
'I will always love this club and wish all our fans the best.'
Ownership uncertainty puts club planning at risk
Hartlepool United, currently in England's fifth tier, were relegated from League Two in 2023. Since then, they have finished 12th and 11th in the National League, including this season's 11th-place finish with 60 points from 46 games.
Owner Raj Singh, who bought the club in 2018, put it up for sale in April 2023 and stepped down as chairman in March 2025 after receiving abuse from sections of the fanbase.
At the time, he said he would continue funding staff and player wages until the end of the 2024–25 campaign.
However, the club confirmed in a statement this week that planning for the upcoming season is already behind, and a proposed takeover remains unresolved.
'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 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.'
Deal deadlines missed, no funds deposited
The club revealed that a prospective buyer, whose offer was accepted by Singh in mid-March, has failed to meet deadlines to deposit funds.
'This party had their original proposal and offer accepted by Mr Singh in the second week of March but have since missed deadlines to deposit agreed funds,' Hartlepool stated.
'They identified a target exchange date in April, which was missed, and a second target date in May which is now unrealistic. Still at this stage, no party has deposited the required proof of funds to a level to operate the club next season.'
This situation has left Hartlepool's board, players, and fans in a state of uncertainty, with little clarity on the club's immediate or long-term future.
Singh speaks out: 'This was not planned'
Responding to growing criticism, including Stelling's resignation, Raj Singh issued a statement denying that the current impasse was deliberate or engineered.
'I feel I must make my position clear that this was not planned, as some people will now regrettably insinuate,' Singh said.
'I have not attended any games since I stepped down, and I was getting used to life after HUFC. If a new owner had been in the position to progress with funds in place, we would not be in this position — so it could not possibly have been planned on my part.'
Singh acknowledged that several individuals have asked him to return in some capacity to help keep the club afloat, but he said he would only do so if the fans approved.
'Categorically, at this time, there is no party in a position with funds to immediately take over the club,' Singh 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.'
Supporters to decide Singh's short-term role
With no confirmed buyer in place and no proof of operating funds from any party, Singh has proposed a rare measure, asking season ticket holders to vote on whether the club should accept further financial assistance from him, despite his prior resignation.
'Mr Singh has made no formal commitment to step in as chairman or principal funder,' the club explained.
'He highlighted that he could do so only if supporters want him to assist, and he was very mindful of prior supporter requests for him to step down. He has suggested this should be a decision for supporters and not the board.'
The board added that without 'external funding support and a more stable environment,' both on-field and off-field planning are at risk, a situation that could 'ultimately threaten the club's very existence.'
Get
IPL 2025
match
schedules
,
squads
,
points table
, and live scores for
CSK
,
MI
,
RCB
,
KKR
,
SRH
,
LSG
,
DC
,
GT
,
PBKS
, and
RR
. Check the latest
IPL Orange Cap
and
Purple Cap
standings.
Try Our AI Features
Explore what Daily8 AI can do for you:
Comments
No comments yet...
Related Articles
Time of India
an hour ago
- Time of India
Land sought for Rs 100 crore poultry farm project in Koila
Mangaluru: The proposed poultry farm project in Koila, Uppinangady, received positive support from the minister for animal husbandry and veterinary services, K Venkatesh, said Puttur MLA Ashok Kumar Rai. The vacant land, currently under the department's jurisdiction, will be leased for this significant agricultural venture. A company has come forward to make a huge investment, and their commitment to establishing a modern poultry facility in the region would offer over 1,000 jobs, said Rai. The MLA said he met the minister in Bengaluru on Thursday and submitted the request seeking sanction of land for the setting up of a poultry farm in Koila. "A company intends to start a poultry farm in Koila, and it requires 50 acres to set up the project. Hence, I have requested the minister to release land under the department in Koila to the company. The company plans to invest around Rs 100 crore in the venture, which is expected to create 1,000 local jobs. When I informed this, the minister agreed to provide the land," he said. The MLA also met Aijaz Hussain, chief engineer of Karnataka Rural Water Supply and Sanitation, on Friday to seek the extension of the multi-village drinking water scheme for Vitla in his constituency. by Taboola by Taboola Sponsored Links Sponsored Links Promoted Links Promoted Links You May Like Giao dịch vàng CFDs với mức chênh lệch giá thấp nhất IC Markets Đăng ký Undo "I have discussed the matter with the officer and requested him that the people of Vitla should not be deprived of the benefits of the multi-village drinking water scheme. The new multi-village drinking water project work has already begun. The project will provide drinking water for 24 hours a day in the villages of Puttur, Bantwal, and Sullia. However, the Vitla town panchayat has been excluded from the project. Hence, I have requested the officer to include Vitla town under the project's purview," Rai said.
Time of India
an hour ago
- Time of India
Taking on a blooming challenge
C HENNAI: At dawn, Chennai's Koyambedu Flower Market bursts with colour and fragrance. But by night, thousands of kilograms of wilted petals and garlands are discarded as waste. In terms of numbers, that's 100kg to 500kg of floral waste on average everyday, says S Mookandi secretary of Koyambedu Flower Merchants Association Chennai. A handful of individuals and communities in the city are hoping to change that. Wasted 360 Solutions, a Chennai-based waste management company, co-founded by Ann Anra, for instance, has started Project Malar as a way to provide livelihoods by repurposing floral waste. 'We want to build a movement where people look at wet and floral waste differently,' says Ann. An initiative in collaboration with not-for profit Holy Waste, Project Malar began as a way to provide livelihoods to people from marginalised communities. 'Then we started working with senior citizens in Chennai through the NGO Kalaiselvi Karunalaya Social Welfare. They collect floral waste from Koyambedu Flower Market, help segregate it, and we then dry and process usable flowers into incense sticks, compost and bioenzymes,' says Ann. by Taboola by Taboola Sponsored Links Sponsored Links Promoted Links Promoted Links You May Like Giao dịch vàng CFDs với mức chênh lệch giá thấp nhất IC Markets Đăng ký Undo For Pallavi Turlapati, an IT professional, what began as a hobby preserving flowers from her home garden has now grown into a practice of upcycling discarded wedding garlands and bouquets into hand crafted keepsakes such as bracelets, earrings, pendants, clocks and photo frames. Couples send her their wedding garlands to be preserved, and she dries them using silica gel to preserve their colours before embedding them in resin. 'Upcycling gives a new life and purpose to these flowers and the memories tied to them through art. Every week, I go to Besant Nagar and collect all sorts of fallen flowers strewn on the ground and turn them into art,' says Pallavi. Wasted 360 receives floral waste at their two drop sites in T Nagar and Tambaram through conservancy workers. 'Event organisers and wedding planners call us to pick up the floral waste from the venue for recycling,' she adds. Once sorted and screened, the usable flowers are either composted or transformed into eco-friendly products such as wax fragrance bars, soaps, air fresheners, bio-cleaners and skin toners. 'This initiative has created employment for women from resettlement colonies such as Kannagi Nagar, Semmencheri, and Perumbakkam,' she says. Temples, too, follow their own systems. 'The garlands offered to idols are considered sacred and special, so they are often sold to devotees. People usually pay the priests for them, and those visiting after purchasing a new vehicle are commonly given these garlands as blessings,' says a senior official from the Hindu religious and charitable endowments department.
Time of India
an hour ago
- Time of India
NGT slams UP govt over gaps in sewage, waste mgmt report
Agra: The National Green Tribunal (NGT) has pulled up the Uttar Pradesh (UP) govt, citing several shortcomings in its report on the status of sewage treatment plants (STPs) and solid and liquid waste management across various districts of the state, including Agra. A three-member bench comprising chairperson Justice Prakash Shrivastava, Justice Sudhir Agarwal and expert member A Senthil Vel, in its order released on Saturday, has directed the state to address the deficiencies and submit a revised report in a prescribed format ahead of the next hearing on July 28. According to the green tribunal's six-page order, the state govt's report, dated April 16 and submitted on May 24, "failed to identify critical gaps and did not comply with the Solid Waste Management (SWM) Rules, the Water (Prevention and Control of Pollution) Act, and relevant Supreme Court (SC) directives". "Against the disclosure of 95% waste processing capacity (19,014 tons per day), the actual segregated waste stands at only 74% (14,884 TPD). This discrepancy needs clarification," the order stated. It further noted that the report failed to explain the operation of waste processing plants lacking mandatory authorisation under the SWM Rules. The tribunal pointed out that while the report covered waste generation in 762 urban local bodies (ULBs), it did not specify the actual quantity of waste being processed. by Taboola by Taboola Sponsored Links Sponsored Links Promoted Links Promoted Links You May Like Giao dịch vàng CFDs với mức chênh lệch giá thấp nhất IC Markets Đăng ký It also questioned the claim of 100% remediation of legacy waste at 60 sites, stating that no supporting evidence had been provided. Legacy waste refers to solid waste that has been collected and left untreated for years in landfills or open grounds. "Figures indicate that 60 sites have been remediated and only 26 remain with legacy waste. However, since many ULBs still lack processing facilities, there must be specific disclosure of legacy waste in those areas," the order said. Additionally, the NGT noted the absence of details on the operational status of waste-to-energy plants. The NGT also raised concerns regarding discrepancies in the planning and distribution of STPs. It pointed out that while some cities like Agra, Bijnor, Anupshahar, Chitrakoot Karwi, Pilkhuva, Kannauj, and Bela Pratapgarh have STPs with excessive capacity relative to sewage generation, many others, including Bahraich, Banda, Deoria, Fatehpur, Gonda, Hathras, Sambhal and Bhadohi, do not have STPs at all. It also flagged anomalies such as the case of Garh Mukteshwar, which reports zero sewage generation but has two STPs. The court was hearing the matter in the context of a 2018 SC ruling in Paryavaran Suraksha Samiti & others vs. Union of India & others, which issued key directives for controlling river pollution and improving the treatment of industrial and domestic waste. The apex court had mandated municipalities to ensure functioning STPs and set deadlines for new STPs and common effluent treatment Plants (CETPs), while also allowing the UP govt to approach the NGT to seek modifications in the implementation timelines. The NGT was tasked with monitoring compliance.
