Documentary Script

Interview

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What does Reading Football Club mean to you?

K

(topics)- Means a lot, season ticket, home games, supported my whole life

L

When Anton Zingarevich bought the club with it on the verge of promotion to the Premier League, what was your initial reaction?

K

(topics)- Thought prospect of a wealthy investor would benefit the club, 

L

When Anton Zingarevich left, where did it leave you as a Reading fan?

K

(topics)- left me ‘betrayed’, left in a mess

L

What did you think of Gourlay’s era as CEO? And how did that affect your connection with the club?

K

(topics)- mention play-off final defeat, stam last season, should have been relegated.

L

What was your reaction when Reading changed the stadium name?

K

(topics)- Madejski was a legacy, like it in that it is a local company ran by RFC supporters, don’t like the long-windedness of the name so it has to be called SCL 

L

Describe the atmosphere at Reading the past few years, has it changed from 2012?

K

(topics)- Past few years have been very toxic, January last season, kidderminster away toxic, coventry home pitch invasion.

L

As you have grown up supporting Reading, how has your relationship with the club changed over time?

Voiceover

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Football. (Clips play in-between) The beautiful game. (More clips in-between). But are you aware of what happens behind the scenes of your favourite clubs?

We talk about how unsuitable and corrupt owners can take lower league clubs to the brink of financial ruin.

This is “The Joy of Reading”

(Title Screen)

(Opening establishing shots)

(Cut to Interview Intro & first Q)  

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Reading Football Club, a club who for the past 10 years have been transformed from a team regularly challenging for Premier League Promotion, to a club in crisis.

(2012)

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Anton Zingarevich, a Russian Billionaire, bought a 51% stake in Reading during the second half of their 2011/12 campaign which saw them win promotion to the Premier League.

(Clips of promotion season)

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Legendary former club owner, Sir John Madejski, sold the club in hope that the Russian can fund Reading to allow them to challenge in the top division. 

(2013)

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But after a lacklustre January transfer window, Reading were soon relegated back to the Championship in April 2013.

(Reading relegated clip)

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However fans still believed that they stood a chance of promotion back due to the prospect of heavy investment into transfers and facilities. 

(2014)

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But the following season is where it all de-railed. Zingarevich was not to be seen at a Home game since August 2013 and led fans wondering as the completion of the takeover dramatically stalled.

It was soon revealed that the takeover had fallen through due to Zingarevich’s lack of funds to finance the club. It was also revealed that the money that Zingarevich had, was his father’s, Boris Zingarevich, The owner of Russian pulp and paper company ILIM.

Pronounced finance expert Chris Samuelson disclosed in a 2021 undercover interview with Al Jazeera, that he had cleared Anton for the purchase, but not Boris. Therefore leading the EFL, the Governing body of English Football, to not know about the money being Anton’s in the first place. 

Then in June 2014, Reading put out a statement saying that Zingarevich had left the board and 11 days after, the club as a whole. 

His two year period as owner led the club to record debts of £38 million, rising to a staggering £61 million by the end of the calendar year.

The Zingarevich era of Reading Football club officially ended in September 2014, leaving the club in crisis. 

(2015)

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Belief was not far away as soon after, Reading would make it into their first FA Cup semi-final in 85 years. They would lose 2-1 to eventual champions Arsenal in a game where it came down to one fatal mistake.

(play federici clip/pic)

(2016)

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Then in 2016, it was reported that former Chelsea CEO Ron Gourlay was involved in Reading’s board and helped to appoint manager Jaap Stam. 

In his first season, Stam led Reading to an unexpected 3rd and into the Play-off final where they would face Huddersfield. 

Reading would go on to lose the game on penalties 4-3.

(Play shootout clips and gunter pic)

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Missed penalties by Jordan Obita and team captain Liam Moore meant that Reading missed out on the £170 million prize money received by the winner. The money would have been able to pay off all the club's debts. 

Gourlay was officially appointed Reading CEO on the 10th July 2017, replacing Peter Kenyon. This led to many Reading fans questioning whether Gourlay had the ability to run a lower league club compared to his previous job at Chelsea. 

Gourlay would oversee everything at the club, including transfer activity and staff movement. 

With the team tipped to have a good season following play-off heartbreak, Gourlay made massive changes as he dismissed many long-lasting and loyal members of staff at the club including those such as Steven Reid and Brian Treveden, in which the latter revealed that he left due to frustrations with Gourlay.

(Play treveden interview on gourlay)

Gourlay also led player recruitment, something where many fans have said was his major downfall. He authorised the transfers of Sone Aluko, at the time the clubs record signing at £7 million, and ageing players such as David Meyler and Dave Edwards. All of them received by Reading fans as “Flops”

Along with the high price tags that the club couldn’t afford, Gourlay gave out long, expensive contracts to players who were not worthy of the wage. One example being rejecting a £10 million bid for captain Liam Moore, and giving him a reported £35,000 contract, the 2nd highest wage given to any Reading player in its history. 

(2018)

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Gourlay would leave the club on 19th November 2018 with immediate effect, Leaving the club in a free-fall down the league table following a 20th place finish in the 2017/18 league season, with a period of one win in 18 games.

(2019-2020)

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The next three seasons would see Reading finish 20th,14th and 7th but still reeling off the financial disaster which was Gourlay.

(2021)

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The biggest change of the 2021/22 season was the naming rights for the Madejski Stadium. Local company Select Car Leasing bought the naming rights to the stadium. This obviously divided the fanbase due to the removal of club legend Madejski from the stadium name, but made sense due to the clubs financial situation.

This season was the breaking point for many Reading fans. They were given a transfer embargo, meaning no fees can be involved with player movement. And In November, Reading were handed out a 6 point deduction due to losses of £57 million over a three year period. 

January 2022, saw Reading embarrassingly knocked out of the FA Cup by Non-league side Kidderminster Harriers and beaten 7-0 by leaders Fulham in a run that caused a pitch invasion in the match against Coventry City in response to the manager and the owner Dai Yongge.

However, that is the story of one club. Imagine how many more that corruption has infected the core of these clubs and how much is going on now?