Abdallah Lemsagam purchased Oldham in 2018 and says he has invested more than £5m in the club; Oldham are currently bottom of League Two; Lemsagam and his brother, Mohamed, received death threats and bullets; police investigation in its "early stages" after letters were reported
Wednesday 12 January 2022 13:32, UK
Controversial Oldham Athletic owner Abdallah Lemsagam has opened talks with interested parties to sell the struggling League Two club after receiving a death threat, including a bullet.
The handwritten letter, seen by Sky Sports News, was sent to Boundary Park and was signed by a group of fans calling themselves 'The Anonymous Group'.
His brother Mohamed Lemsagam, the Oldham sporting director, also received a personal letter threatening him and his family, along with a bullet.
Oldham reported the letters to the police on Tuesday afternoon and officers are due to visit the club on Wednesday.
Greater Manchester Police have confirmed they are aware of a "report of malicious communications at Oldham".
The statement added: "Our investigation is in its very early stages, and our enquiries are ongoing."
Abdallah Lemsagam, who is also the chairman, has told Sky Sports News "it's not about football anymore" and he has begun early talks with two interested parties.
Lemsagam says he has invested more than £5m since buying the club in 2018, but his first season at the helm resulted in relegation from League One.
Oldham - who were founding members of the Premier League - are now at risk of falling out of the Football League completely and lie bottom of the fourth tier.
In November, Keith Curle became the ninth manager to lose his job since Lemsagam purchased the club, and supporters have organised a number of large-scale protests against his ownership, including numerous pitch invasions, tennis balls being thrown onto the playing surface and the staging of a mock funeral.
In a statement on the club's website, Lemsagam admitted he had made mistakes and he will now speak to potential bidders.
"Since I purchased the club four years ago, I have invested money and time trying to clean the club of all of its historic issues," wrote Lemsagam. "There were very many.
"Although that work goes on behind the scenes, it is now almost complete with only the North Stand issue to resolve.
"I have invested in the litigation process and that may need a court to rule on it to get justice for the club and recover what rightfully belongs to it.
"On the playing side, things have not gone how I wanted in the last four years, to say the least. I made mistakes and I won't make excuses - we are where we are.
"In the short term, I am now focused on improving the squad to fight the relegation battle we are now in.
"In the medium term, I can see that my ownership has caused unrest within the club and the fans. I want the best for the club and I think the best for the club is that it is now passed on to new owners.
"My team is speaking to certain credible bidders and I am happy to speak to others.
"I would ask that every section of the fanbase gets behind the team. Whatever you think about me, it is in everyone's interests that our great club wins this battle."
