Swindon Town had ten days until it went into administration when Clem Morfuni took over, claimed the owner in response to TrustSTFC.

The supporter's trust wrote a statement last week claiming that they had not seen enough improvement from the club since their Open Letter in May.

In a letter responding to this statement, Morfuni gave a picture of the situation the club were in when he took over.

Morfuni said: "I want to take this opportunity to respond to the Trust's recent statement and provide clarity on the issues raised.

"When I acquired the Club in July 2021, we were just 10 days away from administration and the new season starting.

"What we inherited: 1. six players and no manager. 2. The club had £10 in the bank and the staff had not been paid.  3. The kit had not been ordered or paid for, therefore there was no kit for the players to play in. 4. There was no coach travel to take the players to the games. 5. No sponsors for the kit.

Read More: TrustSTFC 'frustrated' with state of Swindon Town ownership

"6. There was a £1.5 million HMRC debt which we had to pay, which is now cleared. 7. The Club had not paid the rent to Swindon Borough Council for 15 months, there was £300k of unpaid rent. The council had taken the Club to court to retrieve the monies. This has been cleared.

"8. We inherited £4.5 million worth of creditors, these have been paid. 9. The Club had a £2.95 million debenture due to the previous exorbitant spending on the playing budget, which has been cleared. 10. There was an outstanding COVID EFL loan of over £500k, which had to be paid off.

"11. There were outstanding legal issues, some of which continue to this day, which needed to be paid. We cannot discuss the details of these for legal reasons and confidentiality."

Morfuni added that he believed there had been plenty of developments at the club since he took over and insisted that if people wanted him to depart then they should provide a credible alternative.

These improvements included raising the budget to its second-highest point since the days of Paolo Di Canio in 2013, buying The Nigel Eady County Ground in a 50-50 joint venture with the supporter's trust, and beginning work on its development with a deposit paid for Statue Park and also architects appointed to carry out the work on the ground.

He said: "As for the Trust’s call for alternative ownership and investment opportunities, I have always stated that I am fully committed to owning and running the football club. 

"In our meeting with Neil Hutchings and James Phipps, I stated that I wasn't interested in selling the Club. However, if the Trust wants me to leave, I stated they should provide proof of funds and a formal letter of interest and I reiterated that the football club is not for sale and I remain dedicated and committed to building a Club that fans can be proud of."

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