14-05-2025
Reading ownership nightmare finally over after Dai Yongge sells club to Rob Couhig
Dai Yongge has sold Reading to Rob Couhig, ending the Chinese businessman's turbulent reign. Couhig, the 76-year-old former Wycombe owner, has acquired the League One club, their stadium and training ground.
The English Football League said they wished Reading and their supporters 'a successful future following a difficult period for all associated with the club'. A deal had been agreed for several weeks and has now been ratified by the EFL.
The US-based Couhig has been named chairman and his business partner Todd Trosclair has also joined the board. Couhig tried to buy Reading last year but the deal collapsed in September 2024.
Reading have been bought by Redwood Holdings Ltd, a subsidiary of Dogwood Football LLC, which is owned by Couhig and Trosclair. 'Redwood is ambitious and dedicated towards the club returning to its rightful place within the English football pyramid, while adhering to clear principles of honesty, transparency and financial sustainability,' a club statement said.
Reading have been docked 18 points across the past three seasons, a period in which the club have also been under a series of embargos for defaulted payments. Yongge cut funding for Reading Women, resulting in them withdrawing from the second tier last summer, and in March he was disqualified as an owner by the EFL and given a deadline to sell the club, owing to business activity in China.
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A statement from the supporters' campaign group Sell Before We Dai said: 'We are incredibly relieved and happy that Reading Football Club are finally under new ownership. It's a day which we thought, at times, may never happen.'
