One Direction star Louis Tomlinson's bid to buy the Doncaster Rovers football club is in "serious doubt" due to a failure to raise enough money for the takeover.
Tomlinson, along with businessman John Ryan, was set to have the takeover ratified on Friday but their fundraising project is reportedly set to miss its £2 million target, meaning a failure to pass the Football League's fit and proper person's test.
This will come as unwelcome news for Tomlinson, best known as one-fifth of theOne Direction boyband, who had hoped to buy out his favourite football team following their relegation from the Championship League in May.
The deal, once ratified, would have allowed manager Paul Dickov to start signing players, when he has not made a single singing this summer.
The statement reads: “The Tomlinson Ryan Trust Crowdfunder project has failed to reach the target as set out under the terms of the funding arrangements.
“The result of which will be that all pledges will be cancelled and funds returned to the relevant parties.
“As a result of the funding not being available from Crowdfunder for the DRFC project, John Ryan is unable to meet the requirements of the Football League Fit and Proper test.
“The consequence of this is that the deal to takeover the club is now in serious doubt.”
Tomlinson and Ryan had hoped to raise enough money through their crowd-funding initiative to support the takeover and had exchanged contracts last month.
Ryan previously said that he thought the pair could "take the club to new heights".
Tomlinson, a lifelong Doncaster Rovers fan who even used to work at the team’s stadium as a waiter before finding fame on ‘The X Factor’, joined the Doncaster Reserves team last year on non-contract terms, managing to draw in 2000 fans with his first match as part of the team.
Tomlinson, along with businessman John Ryan, was set to have the takeover ratified on Friday but their fundraising project is reportedly set to miss its £2 million target, meaning a failure to pass the Football League's fit and proper person's test.
This will come as unwelcome news for Tomlinson, best known as one-fifth of theOne Direction boyband, who had hoped to buy out his favourite football team following their relegation from the Championship League in May.
The deal, once ratified, would have allowed manager Paul Dickov to start signing players, when he has not made a single singing this summer.
The statement reads: “The Tomlinson Ryan Trust Crowdfunder project has failed to reach the target as set out under the terms of the funding arrangements.
“The result of which will be that all pledges will be cancelled and funds returned to the relevant parties.
“As a result of the funding not being available from Crowdfunder for the DRFC project, John Ryan is unable to meet the requirements of the Football League Fit and Proper test.
“The consequence of this is that the deal to takeover the club is now in serious doubt.”
Tomlinson and Ryan had hoped to raise enough money through their crowd-funding initiative to support the takeover and had exchanged contracts last month.
Ryan previously said that he thought the pair could "take the club to new heights".
Tomlinson, a lifelong Doncaster Rovers fan who even used to work at the team’s stadium as a waiter before finding fame on ‘The X Factor’, joined the Doncaster Reserves team last year on non-contract terms, managing to draw in 2000 fans with his first match as part of the team.