Charlton's Duchatelet won't be at Wembley for play-off for safety reasons

The Belgian told talkSPORT’s Jim White he will not be at the national stadium for fear of his safety.

The Addicks visit the new Wembley for the first time on Sunday but the owner who claims he has been threatened by Charlton fans will not be present.

“Some people are still threatening me, so would you go?” he told White on Tuesday morning.

“It’s fantastic but I won’t be able to go.”

“It’s certainly too risky.

“These people have developed intense hate against me, so it’s more or less a witch-hunt, they can’t control themselves anymore.”

There has been a long running feud between supporters of the club and the owner who has been trying to sell the club for the last year.

Tensions increased to the point where Duchatelet’s Belgian home was allegedly vandalised by Charlton fans.

Sections of Charlton fans have been unhappy with the running of the club, citing unpaid staff bonuses, cuts and lack of investment as reasons for their dislike of the Belgian who’s been at the helm since 2014.

Charlton booked their place at Wembley on Friday after Lee Bowyer’s men overcame Doncaster Rovers via a thrilling penalty shoot-out in the second leg of the semi-final at The Valley.

“I’m sorry, I’m not coming,” he continued.

“What counts is that we all support the team, and they’re playing well but I won’t be able to come. “What counts is that we support the team.

“The main thing is let’s try and win, there’ll be many fans there trying to support the team and that’s what counts.”

READ:

READ: