The lawyer is Chris Farnell of IPS Law, based in Hale. Some Charlton stormed his office last week and Jones was there at the same time!
The sun article is here
www.thesun.co.uk/sport/football/12366459/charlton-efl-expulsion-threat-bury-elliott-farnell/But as always, it is not necessarily to be taken as fact. One of the journos there is thought to possibly be a mouthpiece for some of the protagonists involved.
The situation is so complex you need a degree in corporate law to understand most of it, but in a nutshell the club is in dire straits, despite still being solvent.
The whole club was owned by Belgian Roland Duchatelet from 2014. He sold it to a new company called East Street Investments for £1 in Jan 2020. ESI then agreed to pay him £50m within 6 months for The Valley and training ground. This figure is thought to be over inflated and an attempt by Duchatelet to recoup losses he made employing inexperienced people who made bad decisions during his reign (eg 29 Yr old CEO Katrien Meire who finally left a few years ago, only to go to Sheffield Wednesday and be involved in their FFP irregularity!).
The majority shareholder of ESI is an unknown Syrian called Tahnoon Nimer (spelt in a variety of ways) who was thought to be related to the Abu Dhabi Al Nayhan family (same lot as Man City). However, it would appear he has insufficient money and is unable to attract any investors. His whereabouts are currently unknown. He was requested by the EFL to attend a meeting last week, but a message came back that he was in hospital! Duchatelet still owns The Valley and training ground.
The other main shareholder is a guy called Matt Southall who was also installed as the chairman in January. He has links to Bolton Wanderers and Bassini. He fell out with Nimer in Feb/Mar, who accused him of stealing money from the club.
It turns out that although the club was sold by Duchatelet, it seems the EFL did not ratify it due to lack of proof of funds. It has therefore been under a transfer embargo since January. Bowyer had to play a load of kids for a large part of the season and it was a miracle they were not cut well adrift by the end, even though they ultimately went down (not helped by Lyle Taylor refusing to play, post lock down).
Nimer somehow got the police to remove Southall from the club, even though he is a 35% shareholder. Nimer I think then decided to sell ESI to a new group of people, seemingly to get shut of it.
The end game of this new group are the current real concern. The 2 public main players are Chris Farnell and Paul Elliot (a property business man from the North West that nobody has ever heard of, but was evidently responsible for closing a school in Derbyshire for the land and assets). A quick Google search will show you Farnell has been involved in a string of distressed clubs (eg. Leeds, Salisbury, Bury).
It is thought ESIv2 want to buy the club to then do another flip sale of it, with the figure of £6m being suggested as the fee. The EFL notably failed Farnell and Elliot last week for the Owners and Directors test (I think only about 2 people have ever failed it before them)! However, it is suggested that ESIv2 and co are happy with the delays it takes with the EFL, as they are banking on a buyer being desperate enough to pay the money before time runs out to be entered into the league next season.
It is thought Jones (pictured at Gigg Lane towards the end of the Bury debacle, and questions over his tenure at Hartlepool) was being brought in to sell off key players, perhaps for ESIv2 to make money if they do take the club into the new season and play the development squad. However, Bowyer blocked Jones coming in, as his contract (given to him by ESI v1),says he has final say on all transfers!
It remains a bit unclear who owns the club, but seemingly ESI v1 still do, as the sale to ESI v2 seemed to be based on passing the EFL test. However, fears remain that new "stooges" are being put in place for ESI v2. Farnell remains around the place, possibly as club lawyer. But this is unclear. A fan has reported him to the SRA for investigation, questioning whether he has been acting for multiple parties - buyers and sellers, ESI1 and ESI2.
Some of the above may not be completely correct, as its so bloody complicated, but it gives you an idea.
When I left Stockport in '96 and moved down south I gradually jacked in going to football, especially seeing the way County were ruined. Then having two sons made me go again and Charlton were the nearest (decent) club. Wish I'd got them into something else now. The game is just a load of shite now compared to what I grew up with.
If you do Twitter and feel inclined, please pass on the #SaveCAFC hash tag.