The east Londoners remain in danger, according to legal adviser to their fans’ trust.
The O’s have been struggling not just off the pitch but also on it. Sitting at the bottom of League Two they club reportedly had a £250k tax bill but at the end of the hearing the bill had been settled.
Despite this slight victory for the fans, the club does owe three other creditors; club photographer Simon O’Connor £6,000, central event management Ltd £18,000 and the London Borough of Waltham Forest, the club’s local council, £36,000.
Orient now have until June 12 to find the money. A lawyer representing Orient said that the club’s chairman, Francesco Becchetti, would inject a further £1 million into the club soon to clear the rest of the clubs debts.
The settlement of the tax bill means that Leyton Orient will survive – for now – and remain at the Matchroom Stadium to play the rest of the game until the end of the season.
The Story So Far
The Court case is the culmination of three years of ownership under Becchetti, an owner who has promised so much but delivered little. Having acquired the club from previous owner, Barry Hearn, the club were on the brink of the Championship, only to be defeated in the League One Play-Off.
Since then, Becchetti has sacked 10 managers, received a six-game stadium ban and seen Leyton Orient drop to the bottom of League Two.
Not a single member of Orient’s ownership turned up to what was most certainly the biggest day for the club in its 136-year history. Orient supporters in their suits had to wait for the outcome outside due to a lack of space in the hearing room.
Following the positive announcement, Orient fans are desperate the Italian sells the club he brought for £4million.
In this desperate time LOFT have raised a £110,000 ‘fighting fund’ to ensure the future of their football club. The fans are adamant that they have no intention of using the money to bail out Becchetti.
For now, this gives Manager Danny Webb some breathing space. Webb admitted last weekend he wasn’t sure how the outcome would turn out for his club but now knowing he can only do his part well until the end of the season, remaining in League Two is a key objective to his role.
The O’s are next back in action on Saturday when they take on Crawley Town as the battle for survival heats up.
