This article is part of Football League World’s ‘Terrace Talk’ series, which provides personal opinions from our FLW Fan Pundits regarding the latest breaking news, teams, players, managers, potential signings and more…
Barnsley had been under EFL investigation since they were charged with multiple breaches of regulations last year, but it now seems as though the club can finally move on and focus on making improvements on and off the pitch.
When Paul Conway and Chien Lee headed a consortium that took ownership of Barnsley in 2017, the focus was around the development of the club’s academy, improvement of the playing squad, and a levelling up of the fan experience at Oakwell.
Now, both Conway and Lee have been fined by the EFL following an investigation into their failure to disclose the full details of their proposed ownership structure.
Current board member Julie Anne Quay stated in 2022 that she had to “protect the club” by replacing Conway as the nominee for the group of New York-based investors that were on Barnsley’s board.
Conway and Lee left the club in 2022, after their time on the board saw Barnsley relegated from the Championship to League One twice, either side of a Premier League promotion push.
Barnsley initiated the investigation and co-operated throughout. They have accepted the charges and avoided a points deduction, meaning the club can now focus on attempting to return to the Championship next season, with chairman and majority shareholder Neerav Parekh leading the way.
Barnsley ownership praised despite recent Chien Lee & Paul Conway revelations
Football League World’s Barnsley fan pundit, Andy Symcox, has issued his verdict on the current state of the club’s ownership, and believes that there are reasons to be optimistic for the future under Parekh and co.
“They’ve certainly worked in the best interests of the club itself, in my opinion, by being the ones that brought the information (of Conway and Lee) to the attention of the EFL, resulting in the charges and investigation,” Symcox said when speaking to FLW.
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