Charlton Athletic have parted ways with five of their directors, reports the BBC.

The club has been embroiled in a farcical boardroom debate since the New Year. It started as optimism throughout, when East Street Investments received a majority stake of the club, and brought to an end the contested reign of Roland Duchatelet.

Matt Southall was made chairman, with Tahnoon Nimer the man funding the whole project. But the two became involved in a vile feud which has since seen Southall hounded out of the club.

Nimer then decided to cut all funding from ESI to Charlton, before the Manchester businessman, Paul Elliot, was announced as the new owner of ESI, and hence the owner and chairman of Charlton Athletic.

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In-between the madness there's been outside names linked with taking over the club, most notably and arguably the most controversially was Laurence Bassini - ex-Watford chairman - and then a fleeting headline for Massimo Cellino - once involved at Leeds United.

The news coming out of ESI now is just another twist in the tail. According to ESI (as quoted by the BBC), the company have rendered all of Chris Farnell, Claudiu Florica, Andrei Mihail and Marian Mihail as 'no longer in position to take any actions as directors of Charlton Athletic'.

Nimer is said to be the fifth director, though he wasn't included in their official statement.

The verdict

Fans and the footballing world can only feel sorry for Charlton. They did tremendously well to make it into the Championship last season, and ESI looked to be the break that they were waiting for, and deserved of.

But they're another club to fall fate to the 'con chairman'. Hopefully there's little to read into this story, but the fans and the players as well, will once again have their minds distracted by the farcical ongoings in the backroom and beyond.