The News & Star is being blamed for a football club owner’s threat to withdraw Carlisle United from the football league and close it down.

Club owner Michael Knighton says bad publicity in the paper, along with a supporters’ campaign to force him out, prompted his decision.

But the News & Star has countered the accusation by saying it has simply been reporting what has been going on at the troubled club and reflecting local news and views.

It has launched a Stop Knighton campaign to save the club.

Nearly 16,000 people signed a News & Star petition calling for a change of ownership, while the supporters’ pressure group called on fans to boycott last Saturday’s match against Plymouth and join a protest march around Brunton Park stadium.

The fans claimed success as the gate only reached 2,500 – 1,000 of those travelling fans from the south-west.

It is understood the only thing that would change Knighton’s mind would be if he got an unreserved apology from supporters and the News & Star.

Assistant editor Nick Turner said: “It’s fair to say that our reporting of what’s been going on on the football pitch this season, as well as the strange things going off away from it, have not been very nice reading for the Knighton family.”

Managers have come and gone at the club since Knighton took over after famously failing to purchase Manchester United.

Players have been sold and the club’s league position plummeted – all after promises of Premier League status and club success. United finished eighth from last in the football league.

Nick said: “We have launched a campaign in response to his threat to take them out of the football league.

“Yesterday’s paper had a Stop Knighton poster for people and shops to put up in their windows to show support and we’re also launching a new petition which when complete will be taken to Parliament by our MP.

“We have also had a record number of people phoning our talk-back line about the threat.”

The paper is calling on the Football League authority to act as a broker between Knighton and potential buyers after a number of potential deals fell through. One embarrassing episode was when a waiter posing as a millionaire businessman duped the club officials into accepting his package before being found out.

The paper said in its comment column: “The News & Star has a proud tradition of campaigning to save Carlisle United – something we have had to do all too often in recent years.

“We are launching a campaign to save the club’s status not because of events on the field, but because of an owner who cares nothing for this city’s proud footballing traditions.

“Our Stop Knighton campaign will make sure the football authorities know exactly how much Carlisle United fans care about their club.”

Back to the campaigns index

Do you have a story about the regional press? Ring 0116 227 3122/3121, or
e-mail [email protected]