HOTELIER Stephanie Booth has raised the possibility of walking away from leading one of the two community-based bids to take control of Wrexham FC – due to controversy over her past business dealings.

Messages have been placed on the internet suggesting Mrs Booth has been disqualified from being a company director. However she has responded by explaining her position.

Mrs Booth said she had previously been in a partnership with a franchise company.
The business was wound up by the Department of Trade and Industry, the main directors were given a ban and she gave an undertaking not to be a director of a franchise company for three years.

On the website Back The Booth she said: “I was a director of a franchising company controlled by others and I voluntarily agreed not to be a director of another franchising company. But I am a director of our companies and would never touch a joint franchise company ever again.

“If you think that this means I shouldn’t be involved in rescuing Wrexham FC, in which I will hold a minority share, and the fans agree with you then I will step aside and let the Wrexham Supporters Trust (WST) save the club. Simple, fans need to vote for who they think can make the club financially viable.

“I do not claim to be an angel or a saint and I guess that most of us have done things which in hindsight we wish we hadn’t but this is not about Stephanie Booth or the WST. It is about saving Wrexham FC. If you do not trust me to do it then vote for the other bid as is your right.”

Mrs Booth said that after seeing a number of posts on internet sites her husband David told her she did not need the grief involved with leading one of the bids seeking to gain control of Wrexham.

“I did know the rose petals may turn to stones at some stage, but I didn’t expect it quite so soon,” said Mrs Booth.

“If people want to have a go at me okay, but this isn’t about me it is about the future of Wrexham Football Club.

“There have been incidents when Wrexham’s co-owner Geoff Moss has been threatened, it may happen to me. I would certainly not endanger myself or any members of my family.”

The other community bid to take over at the Racecourse is coming from the Wrexham Supporters Trust. Yesterday a trust spokesman said that membership of the group had gone up by 250 in just a month and the board was delighted at the
strength of support it was receiving.