00:00I've invested 29 years of my life in trying to enable the club to fulfil its huge potential.
00:07The words of now ex-director and former owner of Gillingham FC, as the club's board of directors
00:12have overwhelmingly voted to reject his involvement.
00:16Back in 1995, Paul Scali purchased the Medway Club for a grand total of £1, taking on debt
00:23estimated to have been up to £2m at the time. What followed was a golden era for the club,
00:28spending five years in the championship, making three trips to Wembley and rebuilding
00:33Priestfield Stadium.
00:35But in recent years, the relationship between Scali and the fans has started to drift.
00:39I think we need to draw a line under what's been in the past. There's been good, there's
00:43been bad, there's all sorts of controversy, there's a lot of things been stated about
00:48the former chairman, the owner. It's time that we did move on. We've got new owners
00:53in the club who are very positive.
00:55So after relinquishing ownership in 2022 to American business tycoon Brad Gallinson, Scali
01:01remained on the board, but following what the club has described as an investigation,
01:05a vote has now been passed to remove him entirely.
01:08However, writing on his website, Scali says he believes he or someone of his choosing
01:13is entitled to remain on the board of directors, something the club has rejected as a legal
01:17misconception. It's expected now that Scali, who still has a 30% minority stake, may look
01:23to challenge the decision.
01:25Obviously, we would think there would be at least one question about the board of directors
01:29issue that's been going on.
01:30At a fan forum, the issue was quickly raised, but Mr. Gallinson says his cards were forced
01:35to stay close to his chest.
01:36We are very frustrated with how little we can say about it. So number one is that Mr.
01:42Scali was removed as a director earlier today, both at the football club and GFC Holdings.
01:49So that was concluded.
01:54So whilst fans hope to see how this off-pitch drama plays out, the hope is that Gillingham
01:59can keep its eye on the ball on the pitch and move forward into a new era of stability
02:04and success.
02:05Bartholomew Hall for CAME TV.
Comments