Sunderland owner agrees sale of club to international consortium
Sunday 29 April 2018 19:08, UK
Chris Coleman has been dismissed as the manager of Sunderland.
The 47-year-old left his role as Wales national team boss to succeed Simon Grayson at the Stadium of Light last November, but Coleman could not save the Black Cats from back-to-back relegations as they dropped into League One.
Minutes after the sacking, Sunderland owner Ellis Short revealed a deal had been agreed to sell the club to a group led by Eastleigh chairman Stewart Donald, subject only to English Football League approval.
A club statement read: "Sunderland AFC announces that manager Chris Coleman and his assistant Kit Symons have been released from their contracts.
"The club would like to place on record its sincere thanks to Chris and Kit for their tireless efforts in what has been a hugely disappointing season for everyone involved with the club."
Short said: "It is no secret that I have been trying to sell Sunderland, but I have waited until the right group came along that have experience, finances and plan to take this great club back the where it deserves to be.
"I was therefore determined to ensure that I leave Sunderland in the best possible hands and in the best possible state to turn the corner. To achieve this, higher offers from less qualified buyers were rejected, and I have paid off all debt owed by the club to leave it financially strong and debt free for the first time since years before I owned it."
Donald, who will now relinquish ownership of Eastleigh, said: "All of us involved in this bid believe that Sunderland represents an extraordinary opportunity. Our group have been involved in the building - or rebuilding - football clubs to reach their potential and we believe that over the last decade we have acquired the necessary skill sets to overcome the many challenges that will face us at this huge club."
Speaking after Friday's defeat at Fulham, Coleman told Sky Sports: "There needs to be big changes. We need to get rid of the uncertainty, we need to know who's going to own the club and what the plan is.
"As soon as we know that we can draw a line under everything and say 'right who's in, who's out, it's a new chapter and let's have a crack at it'. It's not about stability in League One, it's about bouncing back immediately. It's as simple as that. Before we can plan that we need to know what's going on above us."
