Belokon: I won't leave Blackpool

Belokon, who is set for a High Court battle with Owen and Karl Oyston next month after issuing a claim for ‘unfair prejudice’, has stated he is owed millions by the club following its Premier League season.

The action could see the Latvian, who has owned a 20 per cent stake in the club for the past decade, win a huge financial settlement and possibly cut his ties with the club.

But at the end of a week which saw the Belokon-owned Baltic International Bank fined 1.1m Euros by Latvia’s financial regulator for “engaging in a series of transactions that subjected the bank to a significant money laundering and reputational risk”, the 56-year-old has spoken to assure Pool supporters he has no intentions of pulling out.

Belokon said: “I don’t want to leave Blackpool. I’d like to stay in Blackpool. I love Blackpool. Maybe I want to prove that Blackpool can do it again. When we were going up, lots of other clubs were having hope.”

He was heavily involved at boardroom level during Pool’s rise from League One to the Premier League.

Along with Owen Oyston, Belokon funded the signing of Charlie Adam and contributed to Bloomfield Road’s South Stand. But he claims legal action is the only way to resolve his dispute with the Oystons.

Speaking to ITV News, he added: “I’m not saying they have done something illegal. When we submitted claims to the club we think there have been some strange transactions.

“For example, money which has been loaned away (to other Oyston businesses) with no interest and no security from the club.

“As a shareholder of the club, I don’t understand where this money is at the moment and what they are doing.”

And he had this message for the club’s supporters. “Football is a social business. It’s largely dependent on society and the mood of the fans. This is a very big responsibility toward society.

“I had some unforgettable feelings watching English football when I first got involved in Blackpool.

“I was really happy when the club got to the Premier League, with all the money, and I was looking at how the club could go forward. We had all this opportunity.”