Like a giant hailstorm, the tennis balls bounced up off the turf inside the Select Car Leasing Stadium. A few to begin with and then dozens. More than 200 were thrown in total, bringing play to a standstill for two minutes. At a club used to losing points, here was one being made by Reading’s disaffected supporters.
The League One visit of Bolton Wanderers this month had been targeted as the day fans took a stand against Dai Yongge, the Chinese businessman who has owned Reading since May 2017.
Dai arrived with ambitions to lead Reading back to the Premier League, a level they fell from in 2012-13, but has instead left them hamstrung in the third tier following relegation in May, bound by financial constraints brought on by his folly. Reading’s total losses now stand at £191million ($232m) after five consecutive years where wages have eclipsed income. The club’s women’s team has been sacrificed, being downgraded to a part-time operation this summer.
Reading fans have thrown tennis balls on the pitch during todays game in protest against their ownership.
The travelling Bolton fans applaud their efforts. 👏 pic.twitter.com/7yYhtGau3n
— Football Away Days (@FBAwayDays) September 16, 2023
Finding the good in Dai’s six-year reign gets no easier for a club where fans…
