Reading fan group Sell Before We Dai have urged supporters NOT to protest on the pitch against Derby County this evening.
The last home match against Port Vale was abandoned when over 1,000 supporters invaded the pitch and refused to leave.
Gaining much-needed international attention, the EFL are still deciding on a suitable punishments to throw at the club for entering the field of play.
Every home match has seen tennis balls thrown on the pitch in the 16th minute, representing the number of points docked by the EFL for off-field issues.
“We’ve given Dai problems, now he’s on the run…
— Sell Before We Dai (@SellBeforeWeDai) January 22, 2024
…We got 99 protests, but the pitch ain’t one.”
Our statement on the next round of action to force Dai Yongge out of our club.#ReadingFC #SellBeforeWeDai pic.twitter.com/TAJ1urjVyc
The group, releasing a statement on Monday, said: "We should always be prepared to be bold with our actions. That was made clear on 13th January. Fed up of being lied to and seeing their club slowly die, fans felt they were left with no other option than to run on to the pitch and force the game to be abandoned.
"That action was a desperate attempt to bring the attention of our plight to the nation, and to pressure Dai Yongge to do the right thing and stop delaying the sale of the club.
"We do not know yet what the punishment will be from the EFL in response to the action that so many of us chose to take. We also need to come together as a football community and consider our next actions very carefully. There is clearly a huge appetite among fans to take the protest to London, such as outside Dai’s luxury mansion by Buckingham Palace. Sell Before We Dai has consulted with a large number of supporters from across the fanbase, and we plan to meet as a group this evening to agree on a plan for this.
"For both these reasons we urge fans not to try to get the match abandoned against Derby County tomorrow. We do not want to throw away all we’ve achieved over the past week. We received overwhelming backing from across the football community and media for our actions. We may lose that support if there is another pitch invasion in the short term.
"We also do not want to give anyone at Reading FC an excuse to put the blame on us for what is ultimately the fault of one man and his associates who have left us with a shell of a club.
"As we say, no action is off the table, at least in the long term. Fans have shown that they will do whatever it takes to force this regime out of our club. But right now is not the time to get the match abandoned again."
Protesting outside landmarks in London is now next on the agenda for the protest group, who have been donated over £10,000 in the latest round of crowdfunding.
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