A Club In A Fresh Crisis: Morecambe FC Facing Player Unrest And Transfer Restrictions

There is one devastating side to football which we keep seeing repeated over and over again – poor ownership.

The sheer number of clubs we have now seen fall below their pars and burn out through mismanagement and financial woes is an eyesore for any football fan.

Morecambe are one of those sides, and while they thought they just had the relief of adopting new ownership, we continue to see the same unforgiving errors crop up and add fuel to the fire.

Not only have the Shrimps experienced two relegations in the past three seasons, endured transfer embargoes and failed to pay their staff, but their damaging owners Bond Group Investment Limited have messed around the assured sale of the club to willing buyers.

As they enter the National League for the next season, the club’s future remains in complete uncertainly.

Previous Financial Troubles

Since 2022, Morecambe have been amidst a complete mess on and off the field. In the September of that year, current owners Bond Group Investments put the club up for sale at the start of their second campaign in League One, with them also stepping down from the board.

#Morecambe fans @JoelShooter47 and @cassben1 react to the news the club is up for sale#uts #bbcefl #bbcfootball

— BBC Sport Lancashire (@BBCLancsSport) September 2, 2022

The business that is ran by Jason Whittingham had already experienced financial issues with Premiership rugby union outfit Worcester Warriors, as the owner had been demanded for an unpaid tax bill of £6 million and had struggled to pay his staff. This started to foreshadow the future of Morecambe.

Six months later, it was reported that Bond Group were failing to meet player wage deadlines, which slammed the club with a suspended 3-point deduction for the following campaign. This season turned out to be the club’s first season back in League Two following relegation, which beared even more monetary issues.

Despite the side comfortably staying up in their first year back in the fourth tier, Whittingham was fined £10,000 with the club hitting an annual loss of £1.2 million, as well as Morecambe receiving a transfer embargo because of an unpaid VAT bill. This led to the board grilling Whittingham to sell the club immediately, in order to avoid any more damage.

In the summer of 2024, Whittingham and Bond Group cleared their tax debt, which lifted the transfer embargo. They also narrowed down the club’s bidders to Panjab Warriors – a sporting business led by Kuljeet Singh Momi. The deal was said to be agreed, but pending EFL approval.

It is also worth noting that another transfer embargo was enforced upon Morecambe in early 2025, due to proof of a lack of funding for the season. But this was also soon erased as the club sought financial support.

Panjab Warriors Agree A Deal

At the beginning of June, Morecambe Football Club released a statement to announce that Panjab Warriors – the business that had been providing Morecambe financial support for a year prior – had been given the all clear by the EFL to proceed with their acquisition of the Lancashire club.

𝗠𝗼𝗿𝗲𝗰𝗮𝗺𝗯𝗲 𝗙𝗼𝗼𝘁𝗯𝗮𝗹𝗹 𝗖𝗹𝘂𝗯 𝘁𝗼 𝗪𝗲𝗹𝗰𝗼𝗺𝗲 𝗡𝗲𝘄 𝗢𝘄𝗻𝗲𝗿𝘀𝗵𝗶𝗽 𝗨𝗻𝗱𝗲𝗿 𝗣𝗮𝗻𝗷𝗮𝗯 𝗪𝗮𝗿𝗿𝗶𝗼𝗿𝘀.@Panjabwarriors is delighted to announce that it has received clearance from the English Football League (EFL) to proceed with the acquisition of… pic.twitter.com/wFJqs4OaWt

— Morecambe FC (@MorecambeFC) June 6, 2025

This gave newly relegated Morecambe some hope for the upcoming National League season, as they thought they could finally move on from their ownership struggles which led them to non-league for the first time since 2007.

Panjab Warriors’ statement was very promising for the club, as they emphasised their commitment to the fans, the community and their focus on driving the club forward. With the Shrimps having been listed for sale for over three years, this was finally a positive release.

What Has Unfolded Since?

In the past couple of days, some worrying news has come to light, which has flipped all optimism on its head.

The Board of Directors of Morecambe Football Club wish to make the following statement.#UTS 🦐

— Morecambe FC (@MorecambeFC) June 27, 2025

Morecambe released an alarming statement last Friday to report that despite agreeing the sale with Panjab Warriors for over a year, Bond Group are now considering retracting from the deal so that they can engage in discussions with alternative buyers.

Furthermore, Jason Whittingham and Bond Group also have only just notified the board of directors and Panjab Warriors that they are not even in a position to sell their shares, due to an “unspecified third party” who owns part of the club.

To make matters worse, this has all come on the same day that the owners have failed to fulfil June’s payroll, leaving the club at risk of facing more serious action. Now, there are reports that the club’s management team have been told that they are not allowed to sign anymore players at this moment in time.

National League new boys Morecambe FC have failed to pay their players on time this month and the club’s management team have been told they cannot sign any new players at present. #morecambe #UTS pic.twitter.com/pdp4LEXgbA

— Pete O'Rourke (@SportsPeteO) June 27, 2025

The current ownership just continues to play with fire at Morecambe FC, risking people’s hard-earned livelihood’s and threatening the club’s existence. As we have seen with clubs such as Bury FC, this sort of mismanagement could potentially lead to complete liquidation of the club, damaging the lives of many in the local community.

National League Campaign Approaching

Following the Shrimps dreaded relegation down to non-League football, they will be playing in the National League as of August. As many know, the National League is in no way an easy league to get out of. With only one automatic spot up for grabs and one playoff winner, it becomes almost impossible to escape.

The last time a newly relegated team earned automatic promotion straight back to the Football League was in 2016, when Cheltenham Town topped the fifth tier. Therefore, for a side like Morecambe who currently do not have the funds to pay their staff and might not be allowed to bring in anymore players, things are looking very bleak for next term.

There are so many sides trapped below their deserved EFL spot, due to shocking ownership – Rochdale, Southend and Scunthorpe to name a few. The latter actually fell as low as Step 2 football, playing in the National League North as recently as last season.

⚽️ FULL TIME

(IRON 0-2 OLDHAM)

The Iron's relegation has been confirmed and we'll be playing National League North football next season.

We thank you for your passionate, loyal support throughout what has been another really tough year for us all.

— Scunthor(P)e United FC (@SUFCOfficial) April 10, 2023

Of course, where they finish in the fifth tier is not Morecambe’s greatest concern right now; with risk of their club potentially facing expulsion from the professional leagues, that is certainly the worst-case scenario.

Do The EFL Need To Make Club Ownership Laws Stricter

As previously emphasised, the current scope of football ownership is not in an admirable place. There are too many selfish personalities who show no interest in the sport, but risk people’s sustenance to gain themselves some extra money.

Whilst in the summer of 2022, Morecambe FC were at the highest point in the footballing pyramid they had ever got to in their 115-year existence – finishing 19th in League One – their owners Bond Group Investments were owing tax debt of £6 million in their other sports team Worcester Warriors.

BREAKING: Sky Sports understand that no one at Worcester Warriors will be paid today amid the ongoing financial crisis at the club. pic.twitter.com/JovbqtqWEt

— Sky Sports News (@SkySportsNews) September 30, 2022

Whilst they claimed that both teams’ finances were separate, the EFL should have taken much more action to prevent any financial turmoil trickling down to Morecambe. Instead, they let Jason Whittingham and his company sell the club in their own time, which has resulted in a plethora of issues three years down the line.

A demand for Whittingham to sell up fast, or a deep dive into Bond Group’s finances, may have helped to avoid this devastating saga from escalating and helped to fixate the future of many livelihoods that could be tarnished as a result.