ON Monday evening Cliftonville fans heard the news that Canadian consortium group Toronto Investment Group (TIG) had officially confirmed their withdrawal from the takeover process at the Solitude club.
Last April, Cliftonville members had voted in an overwhelming majority in favour of accepting the Canadian consortium's proposal. Since the initial general meeting, there has been multiple issues and the potential move had been stunted by a number of delays after negotiations between both TIG and the North Belfast Club's board members came to a crossroads.
Cliftonville fans had hoped that the TIG takeover would take the Reds into the new dawn as the North Belfast outfit remain one of the few clubs in the Irish Premiership who are not full-time. The TIG firm had provided hope that it would secure the Reds move into the full-time model which could allow for major improvements to Solitude in the coming years.
On Monday evening, TIG released a statement confirming they were withdrawing their proposal "with heavy hearts" but "with immediate effect".
"This is a very difficult decision we feel compelled to have to take directly resulting from circumstances beyond our control," the statement read.
"We would like to wish Cliftonville Football Club every success in the future. We continue to believe, that with the right approach, trust and people in place, a welcomed investment opportunity would permit limitless potential for Cliftonville over the coming years," it added.
The announcement comes at a period in which the on-field results have been bleak for the North Belfast side, having only registered a single victory in their last six games since the St Stephen's Day defeat to rivals Crusaders.
Belfast Media spoke with season ticket holder, Patrick O'Farrell, about the situation at Cliftonville.
"It really is so frustrating and disheartening," he said. "I'm just disappointed in how long and drawn out the process was for it to end like it has. Obviously we don't know the full details of the situation when it comes to the financial aspect of that deal."
The Cliftonville die-hard aired his views on how Reds fans are "fed up" with the situation and believes that it could affect the on-field performances.
"You obviously never know what goes on in the mind of a player, but for so long the club has been struggling to keep their best players without the investment. It does not matter whether it was TIG or someone else, the facts are that it's unsustainable to go on without being full-time.
"I can understand the board wanting their assurances, as the last thing we want is no Cliftonville full-stop because of a bad owner. Trust is so important in these situations. But, yeah, really annoying that we are now back to square one."
Michael Devenny, a North Belfast local and Cliftonville fan shared his thoughts on the TIG issue, but believes the club can focus internally now that it brings the issue to an end.
"The news of the TIG pulling out is a negative one and it will be seen as that by many Reds fans. However, I feel it brings the end to a difficult period for the club and one that has played out publicly in the media.
"We need to focus now on resolving the internal issues before any further discussions about the investment taking place. Everyone knows that long-term investment is necessary for long-term sustainability and success, but we need to address the internal problems first and foremost."
The Reds have also suffered a huge blow with the sale of star man Odhran Casey to Dublin club Shelbourne – a record fee between two Irish clubs. The worry now for Cliftonville fans is the lack of replacements coming in the door, especially with the fixtures due to ramp up.
Cliftonville return to action on Saturday, with Glenavon coming to Solitude for a 3pm kick-off in the Irish Premiership.
