Craig Hope issues major SAFC ownership claim that'll leave fans livid - opinion

A major claim has been made on the current ownership of Sunderland and what it means for them moving forward… 

The Daily Mail reporter Craig Hope has revealed that Kyril Louis-Dreyfus is not the sole person responsible for making major decisions at the Stadium of Light.

The trust fund billionaire recently admitted that Stewart Donald & co hold the majority share in the club and Hope has now confirmed that this split in the shares has a big impact on their finances.

He tweeted: “Madrox members having to sign off on financials of key club business (such as manager appointments) & contributing to funding on a pro-rata basis would, it appears, significantly limit SAFC spending power. The “new era” is far from what we thought it would be.”

Sunderland fans will surely be left livid with this update for multiple reasons.

Firstly, they will be fuming that the previous owners are still making calls after the takeover. Louis-Dreyfus’ arrival at the club may have brought a sense of optimism and hope for the supporters as they strive for a brighter future outside of League One, but it now appears as though it has not been the fresh start that they may have been expecting it to be.

Madrox still have a major role in the club and this could frustrate fans who thought they would not be involved in the day-to-day business. This may be compounded by the disappointing recent form of the team in League One, as they have lost three of their last four games.

They lost two of those matches with an interim manager in place as the club spent almost two weeks attempting to replace Lee Johnson, eventually settling on Alex Neil. With this revelation that Madrox still have to rubber-stamp decisions, fans may be livid that they could have been the