• Football League

One Direction singer's Doncaster bid in doubt

ESPN staff
July 18, 2014
Louis Tomlinson has appeared for Doncaster Rovers' reserves © PA Photos
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One Direction singer Louis Tomlinson's proposed takeover of Doncaster Rovers is in doubt after the intervention of the Football League.

The Tomlinson Ryan Trust, made up of the pop star and former Doncaster owner John Ryan, was due to take over the club today but the Football League have refused to approve the changes, even though the Trust exchanged contracts last month.

In a statement, Doncaster revealed that the Trust had been unable to gather enough money on the Crowdfunder fundraising website, through which it had been hoping to raise £2 million from supporters to secure a takeover of the club.

It read: "We have today received the statement on behalf of the Tomlinson Ryan Trust confirming the Crowdfunder project has failed to reach the terms of the funding arrangements.

"We are aware that the statement confirms that the proposed deal to takeover the club is now in doubt, we are awaiting formal confirmation that the takeover deal will not complete as expected on Friday 18 July."

The Trust's Crowdfunder total currently stands at £757,796 from 514 backers, well short of the £2m target. Tomlinson had declared that he was going to charge £250 per selfie, in order to raise money for the club.

Clearly angered by the decision, Ryan told BBC Radio Sheffield: "The situation is that the crowd-funder didn't succeed and we are very sorry about that but the real problem is with the Football League.

"They have made it so difficult now that unless you have a bag full of cash you are going to get turned down."

© ESPN Sports Media Ltd
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