ROYALS PLIGHT
Reading face being thrown out of EFL in 44 days as hated owner Dai Yongge is handed deadline to sell club
Dai's company has been in a court battle
READING face being expelled from the EFL if Dai Yongge does not sell in the next 44 days.
The Royals owner, 56, is said to have failed the EFL's owners and directors test.
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Dai's company, Renhe Sports management, has been in a court battle with former prospective Reading buyer Rob Couhig's Redwood Holding Ltd.
Couhig, who previously owned Wycombe Wanderers, had agreed a £30million deal to buy the Royals.
But the deal subsequently collapsed.
Couhig, 75, is claiming more than £12m in lost potential profits after alleging that Reading's current owners broke exclusivity rules.
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As the case unfolded, the court was told that, due to debts in China, Dai had failed the EFL's owners and directors test.
It was also claimed that as of April 4, league bosses will look to disqualify the Chinese businessman.
From this point, Dai would have 30 days to sell up or Reading would face being disqualified from the EFL.
Last month Reading announced that they had entered a "period of exclusivity with a potential purchaser".
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SunSport later revealed that the prospective buyer was Robert Platek, who already owns Italian club Spezia and Portuguese outfit Casa Pia.
It was claimed at the time that reading were hopeful of "a quick completion" to the deal.
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But nothing further has yet been announced.
Dai bought a 75 per cent stake in Reading in 2017, shortly after Jaap Stam's side had lost the Championship playoff final.
During his ownership the Royals have been slapped with several points deductions, while in 2023 they were relegated to League One.
Amid fan protests, Dai put the club up for sale in 2023.
But more than 500 days later, and despite several bids including Couhig's, no purchase has yet materialised.
Former Royals boss Ruben Selles left for Hull City in December.
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Under their former striker Noel Hunt, Reading have defied off pitch issues to sit eighth in League One.
The Royals are two points off the playoff spots with nine matches remaining.
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