The director of Hollywood star Ryan Reynolds’s newly-promoted Wrexham football club could face a grilling from MPs after a Premier League disqualification scandal was exposed, MailOnline can reveal.
Wrexham director Shaun Harvey, who featured in the popular Netflix documentary Welcome to Wrexham, may well be enjoying a deserved rest after helping the club to its third successive promotion in as many years.
However, a ghost from his past has come to haunt him.
Eight years ago, when The Red Dragons were still playing non-league football, Harvey was the CEO of the English Football League (EFL), which governs the second, third and fourth tiers of English football.
That year, Reading played Huddersfield at Wembley in the Championship play-off final for promotion to the Premier League.
Incredibly, Chinese billionaire Dai Yongge was confirmed as the Berkshire side’s new owner on the exact same day.
Wrexham co-owners Rob McElhenney (left) and Ryan Reynolds (right) celebrate promotion from League One with director Shaun Harvey. A win against Charlton last week secured their second place finish
Harvey and the rest of the EFL’s board of directors had approved Dai’s purchase of the club.
However, unbeknownst to the world outside of the governing body, the Premier League had warned the EFL not to let Dai buy Reading because of the bad faith he showed when trying to purchase Hull City.
It had even said that if Reading won promotion, Dai would be disqualified and forced to sell.
But Harvey and the board still approved the sale because Dai had the money and, the EFL said, there was an ‘absence of any disqualifying condition’.
Ultimately, that decision has led to Britain’s fifth oldest club being deducted 18 points, relegated to League One and teeter on the brink of extinction.
It has also turbo-charged the creation of an Independent Football Regulator (IFR), the parliamentary bill for which will have its third reading in the next few months.
But now the Hollywood-backed Wrexham director faces a tricky future.
Although the EFL refused to say if any football bosses caught in the scandal will face action, Harvey could still be brought in front of Parliament.
Billionaire Dai Yongge (pictured) is better known in the UK as the owner of the fifth oldest club in the Football League – Reading FC
When Shaun Harvey (pictured at Wembley) was CEO of the EFL, the governing body approved Dai Yonnge’s purchase of Reading in 2017
That is because one of the strongest supporters for the IFR, Labour MP Yuan Yang, is also pushing for an inquiry into Reading’s history since Dai took over.
Responding to a question about whether former EFL bosses like Shaun Harvey might face parliamentary scrutiny, the MP for Earley and Woodley, in Berkshire, said she was ‘sure’ action could be considered.
Yang told MailOnline: ‘I have called for an inquiry in Parliament into the whole history under Dai Yongge.
‘I’m speaking to a DCMS committee about what we can do. I’m sure they will be able to consider actions. I would like there to be a proper inquiry into what’s gone on.’
She added: ‘We need a much stronger independent football regulator that comes in above both the EFL and Premier League.
‘Fans have a lot of frustrations and they make that heard at games. I understand that, but the EFL doesn’t have the right tools to get Dai Yongge out of the club.
‘I’m confident there will be a regulator set up. It needs to have proper teeth. The potential is there.’
Yet while that may be good news for football fans across the country who want their clubs to be better protected, Reading supporters are incandescent.
Wrexham sealed their third consecutive promotion with a win against Charlton on April 26. Next season they will play in the Championship, just one division below the Premier League
Although the EFL refused to say if any football bosses caught in the scandal will face action, Harvey could still be brought in front of Parliament
Harvey has been with the north Wales club for four years, since 2021 when Wrexham were in the National League, the fifth tier of English football
That’s because for the last eight years, the EFL has defended its decision to allow Dai Yongge to buy Reading in the first place.
Sources close to the EFL previously told MailOnline that football ownership has a gamble culture in which some owners spend large sums of money to try to win promotion. Speaking about the crisis at Reading, they said the situation wasn’t good for anyone.
They added that while it might not be a perfect world, the EFL had to take some kind of action – in Reading’s case, 18 points of deductions.
In the eight years since Dai Yongge bought Reading, the EFL has never admitted the Premier League advised it not to approve him as an owner or that he would be disqualified if the club were promoted to the top flight.
Instead, EFL deductions relegated the club from the Championship and transfer embargoes ensured the club hasn’t spent a penny on new signings in years.
Speaking to MailOnline this week, the EFL repeated its position that in 2017, there was an ‘absence of any disqualifying condition’ and Dai ‘was not subject to a sports governing body disqualification, including the Premier League’.
Of course, the EFL did know he would be disqualified by the Premier League, a fact revealed by The Times this week.
Although that is not something the EFL has ever admitted, it did not dispute this fact when MailOnline approached it this week.
One of the strongest supporters for the IFR, Labour MP Yuan Yang (pictured), is also pushing for an inquiry into Reading’s history since Dai took over
Reading fans have accused the EFL of concealing the truth in a campaign of secrecy that has last almost a decade.
Greg Double, from the Supporters’ Trust At Reading (STAR), told MailOnline: ‘It just hit a nerve. The shrouded, hidden truth.
‘What about all the punishments? 18 points of deductions?’
But while the current leadership of the EFL remains deeply unpopular, with chants of ‘f*** the EFL’ heard regularly in stadiums across the country, Double’s anger largely lies with current Wrexham director and former EFL chief Shaun Harvey.
Double said: ‘I’m fed up of the romantic tale of Wrexham’s ownership when they have someone who is complicit with Reading’s downfall.
‘He enabled one of the worst ownerships ever.
‘Perhaps Shaun Harvey has learned his lesson from Reading. Ryan Reynolds has connected the club of Wrexham with the town. They have done everything right. The opposite of that is Dai Yongge.
‘But Shaun Harvey is the person I would most like an apology from. I would love to know why he ignored the Premier League’s advice. Did you think it was a good idea?
Hollywood stars Ryan Reynolds and Rob McElhenney have attached themselves to Wrexham and funded it through digital streams to generate huge marketing revenues
Pictured: Ryan Reynolds and his wife Blake Lively cheers on Wrexham at Wembley in 2022
‘I would like him to be asked some questions at the least, either in Parliament or in a corporate setting.
‘I want that era of the EFL to answer those questions. What riles me is them never saying sorry.
‘Can we have the truth of what happened to Reading so it doesn’t happen again?
‘Dai Yongge could have bought the club in the morning and then two hours later been forced to sell the club. That is bonkers. It boggles my mind.’
It’s not just fans worried about the future of their club who have reservations about the EFL.
German businessman Daniel Loitz tried to buy Reading from Dai Yongge in 2024.
He told MailOnline he believes the EFL’s regulations have a ‘significant weakness’ and its ‘oversight processes require urgent scrutiny, including the roles of individuals in current positions’.
He added: ‘However, it must be acknowledged that these individuals operate within a framework of rules that do not adequately address gaps in company law.
Reading fans have protested against their owner Dai Yongge and called for change to stop other clubs facing the same fate
This week, Caz Parker, from anti-Dai Yongge campaign group Sell Before We Dai, said: ‘Shaun Harvey has serious questions to answer and all Reading fans would like to hear him speak’
‘We firmly believe that football clubs, as community assets with over a century of history and deep emotional significance, deserve better protection.
‘While I have been a guest in this country for over a decade, I recognise the pride and value that football holds as a cornerstone of English society — a social glue that must not be lost.
‘Investment in football should be welcomed, but it must be accompanied by robust regulations with real teeth to prevent situations like the one involving Dai Yongge.
‘The EFL and the wider football governance system must evolve to safeguard these invaluable community assets for future generations.’
Back in Reading, Double said the revelations that the EFL were warned about Dai Yongge before he bought the club ‘undermines their previous stances’.
He added: ‘You told us, ”What more could we do?”
‘It’s a spirit of the game [scenario]. On a technicality, there was nothing stopping Dai Yongge taking over. It’s just ludicrous.
‘The EFL has been helping us out in the last couple of years but they are a lot more to blame than they think they are.
Greg Double, from the Supporters’ Trust At Reading (STAR), told MailOnline: ‘I’m fed up of the romantic tale of Wrexham’s ownership when they have someone who is complicit with Reading’s downfall’
‘The argument, “We did everything we could at the time” is starting to look a bit flat now.
‘The EFL’s get out of jail free card was that he had money. If the Premier League knew he was going to do something like this, it’s a much bigger issue.
‘They need to say, “We messed up, we are sorry and this is how we are fixing it.”
‘Stop being so defensive and start being acceptive. I wouldn’t mind an apology or some acceptance they didn’t have their finest hour.
‘If you’re talking about disqualifying [Reading] then that’s a horrible look. I think they know that and that’s why we have been granted two extensions.
‘The more complicit the EFL are, the more relaxed they need to be with Reading. They were part of the problem so they need to be part of the solution.’
Caz Parker, from anti-Dai Yongge campaign group Sell Before We Dai, added: ‘Shaun Harvey has serious questions to answer and all Reading fans would like to hear him speak.
‘He is living the good life and we are wondering if we are going to exist next week. He should come out and say why he allowed this.
‘The EFL have a lot of answer for. They have culpability and a post mortem needs to happen and hopefully lessons can be learned.
‘It’s very clear Dai Yongge should never have been able to take control of the club.
Dai Yongge’s eight years as owner have seen the team managed by eight managers, including former Manchester United defender Jaap Stam (right, with Dai)
‘What were they thinking, knowing what was around the corner had we won the penalty shootout [in the 2017 Championship play-off final]?
‘We have been put through hell for eight years. We have had multiple deductions. We have paid our dues.
‘[The EFL] have got to make up for the previous [EFL] management. They need to make sure they make up for this error with no more sanctions.
‘They need to give us all the support they can. If we need extensions, then they need to give them.
‘The current EFL are trying to help. They are picking up the pieces of a shocking decision.
‘The EFL don’t have the power to force the owner of a limited company to sell their shares.
‘We hope the Football Regulator will change that. We need to have a change in UK company law so the EFL has the power to remove bad owners.
‘It comes down to having special exemptions for sports clubs and community assets.
‘If they do that, then the IFR can be light touch. People can moan about ticket prices and wealth distribution but fundamentally, people don’t want their clubs to die.’
An EFL spokesman said: ‘Mr Dai was not subject to a sports governing body disqualification, including the Premier League, at the time of the acquisition in 2017.
‘The reason the purchase at Hull City did not proceed was related to the involvement of a separate individual.
Pictured: The Select Car Leasing Stadium, formerly called the Madejski Stadium after revered owner Sir John Madejski
‘This individual was not involved in the subsequent purchase of Reading, and in the absence of any disqualifying condition, alongside ample evidence of source and sufficiency of funding, the EFL was obligated to confirm that Mr Dai met the requirements of the Regulations.
‘This was a collective decision taken by the Board of Directors, on the basis of extensive external legal advice.’
The Premier League declined to comment. Neither Shaun Harvey nor Wrexham AFC responded to requests for comment.
In Reading, fans will today find out if despite the off-field saga blighting their club, the remarkable form of their team will land them in the top six come the end of the season.
Seventh-place Reading play 12th-place Barnsley in the final match of the season today at their home of the Select Car Leasing Stadium.
All they need to do is better sixth-placed Leyton Orient’s result, who will play 10th-place Huddersfield away.
For fans like Greg Double, this is the excitement he would prefer to talk about, rather than the finances of the football pyramid.
He said: ‘I’m annoyed how articulate I am about football finances now. I wouldn’t wish this on Swindon or Oxford fans [Reading’s arch-rivals].
‘We need to know what went wrong in the past so it doesn’t happen again.’
What does all this mean for clubs governed by the EFL? CHRIS MATTHEWS reveals the potential fallout of Premier League disqualification scandal
BY CHRIS MATTHEWS
There are few positives to this news but at least in the short term, Reading are unlikely to be affected.
Former Wycombe Wanderers owner Rob Couhig is said to be close to buying the club and that could save Reading for the moment.
The real issue this news creates is that fans can now see the EFL is either untrustworthy or inept.
These are the guys who have the fate of the 92 Football League clubs in their hands.
For full transparency, I’m a Reading season ticket holder and my desire for an independent football regulator (IFR) to protect clubs from dying is well known.
Clubs are dying and this could help. It’s about protecting valuable community assets from the clutches of undesirable billionaires.
Tragically, Reading is the latest in a long line of clubs who the EFL has approved the owners for and then hit with points deductions until they are on the brink of death.
A lot of people don’t think that’s very fair and it probably won’t surprise yo that most Reading fans do not particularly like the EFL. Go to any match home or away and you’re more than likely to hear thousands of fans chanting ‘f*** the EFL’.
Wrexham director Shaun Harvey, who featured in the popular Netflix documentary Welcome to Wrexham, may well be enjoying a deserved rest after helping the club to its third successive promotion in as many years. However, a ghost from his past has come to haunt him
Picture: The EFL’s current chairman Rick Parry (pictured) has been in charge since 2019, two years after the Yongge purchase was approved
In fact, so hated are the EFL across the country that I’ve been to matches where opposing fans have joined in with that chant in a show of unity against the organisation’s bumbling bosses.
However, let’s not kid ourselves. The EFL is not going away and so we need it to be strong enough to take on club-killing owners and be run by intelligent people with common sense.
That’s something the EFL currently seems to be lacking. When it comes to the approval of Dai Yongge as Reading’s owner in 2017, the EFL has always said they couldn’t have stopped him because he had the money and there were no sporting bodies who had disqualified him as an owner.
For the last eight years, many fans begrudgingly accepted this. Yes the EFL should have looked deeper at Dai but if he had the money and no disqualifications hanging over him, was it really the EFL’s fault?
Of course, it was their job to know. They approved him, have never apologised and instead deducted a total of 18 points from Reading, which relegated the club to League One.
However, an article from The Times this week revealed a key fact.
In 2017 the EFL, run at the time by Shaun Harvey (now of high-flying Wrexham), were warned not to approve Dai Yongge.
The Premier League told them Dai acted in bad faith when trying to buy Hull City and that if Reading were promoted to the top flight, the Chinese billionaire would be disqualified.
The EFL did not dispute any part of the Times article when I approached them this week.
Reading’s plight was brought to national attention when fans forced the abandonment of a match against Port Vale on January 13, 2024. Supporters rushed on in the 16th minute, signifying the number of points that had then been deducted from Reading under Dai Yongge at the time. Since then, the EFL has deducted a further two points
Isn’t it strange that despite the Premier League’s advice, on the eve of the Championship play-off final that could have seen Reading promoted to the top flight, the EFL approved him as the owner.
Then in the next eight years they failed to mention they were warned about him and continued to say they were obligated to let him buy the club because of ‘the absence of any disqualifying condition’ and because he had proof of funds.
Sure, there wasn’t a disqualification against him at the time, but if Reading had been promoted a few hours after Dai bought the club, the EFL knew he would be disqualified by the Premier League.
And so despite their efforts, I highly doubt a technicality of language will save the EFL.
Fans I spoke to this week told me they just wanted the EFL to accept it was to blame. They said the EFL needed to stop denying it, apologise and move on.
Sadly, I can’t see that happening. Whether it’s because the EFL doesn’t respect the fans enough or thinks they could face lawsuits for admitting that kept the truth hidden is something only chairman Rick Parry and the rest of the EFL crew will know.
Personally, I think their silence – both now and for the past eight years – is an absolute outrage.
But questions still need answering. Has Rick Parry been aware of this advice for all of his time in charge? If not, why? And if he did, whose idea was it to hide the truth?
Despite Reading’s off-field issues, the team has performed exceptionally this season and are currently seventh, just below the play-offs
Former Reading striker Sam Smith joined Wrexham in January 2025 (pictured celebrating promotion in April with Ryan Reynolds’s wife Blake Lively)
The EFL this week refused to tell me whether Parry would resign or any action would be taken against ex-CEO Shaun Harvey and other former football chiefs.
It seems that in the middle of this scandal about the EFL staying silent for eight years, the EFL is once again choosing silence.
Perhaps they, as some fans have suggested, think the timing of The Times’s piece is not a coincidence. The IFR bill is set for its third reading in Parliament and this news certainly paints the Premier League in a good light – that if they were in charge they would have disqualified Dai Yongge.
It’s a shame they also kept this hidden for eight years though. It’s not exactly great behaviour from them either.
Ultimately, fans want their clubs and their owners to be transparent and to communicate with them.
That’s also what fans want the EFL to do, a point football chiefs just can’t seem to understand.
It’s a shame because there are good, hard-working people at the EFL but they’re being let down by their bosses.
Many football fans doubt Shaun Harvey, Wrexham’s star director, will ever be held accountable for his part in almost killing Reading – although a parliamentary inquiry could well change that.
What’s infuriating is that the EFL could put this to bed right now. They could publicly admit what we all now know, apologise and commit to transparency in the future.
But I wouldn’t hold your breath. Football has an ownership problem but it also has a governance problem and like many fans, I’m part of a growing school of thought that unless there are significant changes within the EFL, no club is safe while they remain in charge.
