Within the last 48 hours Charlton Athletic Supporters Trust (CAS Trust) have not only raised a formal complaint to the FA calling on them to investigate Meire for comments alleged to have brought the game into disrepute (see Thread on CL of earlier today 27th May) but some CAST members writing under the auspices of CAST are also calling for an apology from Meire in relation to the insulting comment she made in Belgium last year.
Everyone will be familiar perhaps with her astonishing claim, which appears twice in popular Brussels newspaper L'Echo. that "I should not say this but I don't care about the history of the Club."
A letter reproduced on the same current CAST webpage which details the complaint to the FA challenges KM to apologise for that comment or face investigation relating to her award earlier this year of a prestigious academic prize from her old University in Belgium - an award based primarily on her outstanding achievements in the business world as CEO of Charlton.
Extracts from the CAST letter include:
Charlton Athletic FC is a treasured part of the fabric of the community in South-East London and has been so for over 100 years. Katrien Meire however saw fit to dismiss this with one contemptuous, calculated, single, unforgiving sentence. It is this fact, i.e. that Katrien Meire knew and understood that she was betraying academic and professional standards but continued anyway, that takes the statement beyond that of a mere faux pas and in our view fatally undermines the justifications for the Alumni award presented to her
and
If Mlle. Meire is willing to put out a full public statement as a single issue in a prominent position on the Official Website of Charlton Athletic FC in which she apologises to the CAS Trust and the Charlton fans for stating that she did not care about the history of the Club and accepts that she should not have said it then the matter can be resolved (this apology to appear no later than June 21st 2016 and to appear irrespective of whether she still holds the CEO post at the Club or not). Should she choose not to do so then we will feel we have no option but to pursue the matter further by making a formal complaint to the KU Leuven Executive Board (in which we are willing to provide and give evidence to the Board in person either in London or Leuven) and to publicise the matter in order that the merits or otherwise of Katrien Meire’s VRG-Alumni award 2016 presented to her by KU Leuven may be discussed more widely.
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Comments
But then she will have to explain herself to the KU Leuven Board who will not be best pleased that their prestigious (Legal Dept) annual award which is intended to gain kudos and to reflect well for both parties is being challenged in the case of KM presumably for the first time in its 20 year history.
On their website KM (as the 2016 winner) sits at the top of a list of illustrious former winners all of whom were/are held in the highest regard for their achievements. KM was parachuted untried into the CEO role by RD and has proved to be a disaster but one who arrogantly refuses to accept any responsibility for her actions or accountability for her comments. All the KU saw was one of their law graduates being elevated to a position of great responsibility but unfortunately they were oblivious to her performance in that role and her outrageous and disrespectful comments.
The word is now " misinterpretated "
Money has been the cause of all that is wrong in our game. If the TV money was to collapse then we would see a return to the days when local and supporter owners take back control of our clubs. Not going to happen I know.
For me I can see us following the Blackpool route but there is a club WITH a local and supporter owner.
Roland and Katie know their positions are untenable but they can't be seen as giving in to the unwashed rabble of se7.
Whenever they open their mouths they come out with mindboggling statements that are breathtakingly amusing.
I'm so past caring now it is all a joke(unfortunately at our expense).