Oldham Athletic set to ban supporters after on-pitch protest amid Football League relegation

Oldham Athletic have released a statement regarding the on-pitch protest held by fans during their club’s 2-1 loss to Salford City on Saturday, which confirmed their relegation from League Two.

Home supporters at Boundary Park rushed onto the field with ten minutes left to play to demand that owner Abdallah Lemsagam leave the club. They unveiled a banner aimed at his box which read: ‘Get Out Of Our Club’.

Mr Lemsagam was not present at the game. The protest, which was described by the Athletic as ‘peaceful’, caused a long delay in the game and led to it initially being branded abandoned.

READ MORE:Paul Scholes shares ‘big disappointment’ over Oldham Athletic relegation from Football League

However, it was agreed that the match could be completed behind closed doors. The score remained 2-1, thus confirming Oldham’s 116-year stay in the Football League had ended.

The Latics become the first former Premier League club to drop to the fifth tier of English football after being founding members in 1992. On Tuesday, Oldham released a statement which said that an investigation regarding the pitch invasion is taking place.

It said: “Oldham Athletic is carrying out an investigation on the pitch invasion that occurred in the last home fixture against Salford City. The club will again liaise with Greater Manchester Police and efforts are being made to identify those who encroached onto the pitch which is a serious criminal offence.

“Several persons have already been identified and it is almost certain when appropriate club bans will be issued.”