Group Apologizes to Haslam

In a statement sent to the Mansfield CHAD newspaper, the statement reads : "We, Colin Dobell and Jeff Barnes, on behalf of Team Mansfield Supporters Society Limited, make this statement in retraction of, and by way of apology, for comments made by ourselves towards Keith Haslam, Managing Director of Mansfield Town Football Club, without making any admission of liability with respect of the same.

"On 20th March 2006 we produced a statement that was released to, amongst others, the Chad Newspaper. That statement was published in full in that newspaper on 22ndMarch 2006. The Statement contained the following words:

"The Chairman's offer to Team Mansfield to bid for the club was exposed as a deceitful sham when he refused the simplest enquiry for further information by Team Mansfield's financial advisors.

"It did not come as a shock to realise that the Chairman had no real intent of entering into negotiations and yet again treated the fans with contempt by getting their hopes up and that at last he might be on his way."

"At no time prior to the decision taken by Team Mansfield to withdraw from the bidding process for the club was Mr Haslam uncooperative with ourselves.
"Financial information given to us by Keith Haslam in a meeting on 3 February 2006 was appropriate for us to appoint professional advisors to assess the viability of a bid for the club.

"Our financial advisors expected to receive more information about the finances of the club and would have wished to have carried out due diligence.
"We were wrong to suggest that Mr Haslam was in any way deceitful in his dealings with us.

"During the bidding process, no enquiry for further information by our financial advisors was made to Mr Haslam and therefore we retract and apologise in full for any adverse interpretation which may have been drawn from the comments outlined above.

"We accept that Mr Haslam's offer to sell his interest in the club, made to ourselves on 3rd February 2006 was genuine.

"We acknowledge that the words published in the Chad newspaper on 22 March 2006 made by Team Mansfield following our withdrawal from the bidding process were inaccurate. We retract those comments entirely.

"We wish to retract any suggestion that Mr Haslam behaved in a deceitful manner towards fans by making the said offer to Team Mansfield and regret any hurt caused to his feelings.

"Team Mansfield hope and trust that this apology will bring this matter to a close."