Morecambe FC distance themselves from ‘takeover figure’ hit by UK Government sanctions

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Morecambe FC and their owners, Panjab Warriors, have distanced themselves from a former marketing and communications consultant after the UK government imposed sanctions on him over alleged links to terrorist organisations.

HM Treasury announced on Thursday it had sanctioned Gurpreet Singh Rehal under the Domestic Counter-Terrorism Regime.

In a statement, the department revealed they have frozen his UK assets and issued a director disqualification that prevents him from taking part in the management of UK companies.

The government alleges that Rehal carries out activities such as recruitment, financial support and weapons procurement for the Babbar Khalsa and Babbar Akali Lehar groups.

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Decisive action

Rehal has never appeared as a director or person of significant control at either Morecambe FC or Panjab Warriors, and the club’s website has never listed any role for him.

However, he was the ownership group’s public representative during the club’s takeover in August and continued to appear at football meetings and public events on their behalf as recently as this week.

On Friday, Morecambe FC and Panjab Warriors said in a joint statement that they no longer have any association with Rehal.

It read: “An individual who previously held a consultancy role in marketing and communications with our organisations is no longer affiliated with either Morecambe FC or Panjab Warriors.

“This consultancy position carried no strategic, financial, or operational authority, and he had no involvement in the ownership or club decision-making.

“Following recent serious concerns that have come to light, we took immediate and decisive action, and his association with both organisations has been fully removed.

“Both organisations operate under strict governance and compliance standards, and we have used this moment to further strengthen our internal processes, including enhanced due diligence checks for key personnel.

“We will continue to work closely with the relevant authorities and in full alignment with all regulatory requirements.

“We remain firmly committed to ensuring our clubs uphold the highest standards of integrity, transparency, and community values.

“As per long-standing policy, we will not comment further on individuals who are no longer engaged by the club.”

Pubicly active

The situation has drawn wider attention. The UK’s new Independent Football Regulator (IFR) told The Athletic – who first reported the story – it is urgently gathering information using its statutory powers.

At the time of the takeover, the IFR had not launched, and the EFL approved the deal without assessing Rehal because he did not appear as a director or shareholder.

Morecambe’s takeover in the summer rescued the club from severe financial uncertainty and allowed them to begin their National League campaign.

The Shrimps sit deep in the relegation scrap, with just four wins from their opening 22 games.

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READ MORE: FSA: Morecambe showed power of the fans!