A football club has defended its decision to refund a £5,000 donation from Andrew Tate's brother, Tristan.
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FC United of Wrexham received fundsClub refunded money after facing "awful predicament"Tate brothers are controversial figuresWHAT HAPPENED?
FC United of Wrexham, who were formed in 2020, have been raising money using a GoFundMe page, with the goal to improve resources for its football and futsal teams. The club have asked for "all the support [it] can get to continue" in a message on the fundraising platform, but they have refunded a large donation from Tristan Tate – as per .
WHAT FC UNITED OF WREXHAM SAID
Tristan said he was "extremely disappointed" in a video posted on X, claiming the club only refunded the money following a "public outcry". He added: "I chip in with £5,000 and I haven't thought about it since."
FC United of Wrexham released their own message on the social media platform insisting it was "not morally right" for them to accept the donation. A spokesman said local organisations were "condemning the club" as people called for the money to be sent back, while the club stressed they "asked for retweets, not donations".
"We felt we were in an awful predicament, but as the community is our bread and butter, we had to listen," the spokesman for FC United of Wrexham continued in a statement. "As a club we are regrettably sorry to all people offended and we just want to move on from this event and continue developing futsal in Wrexham. We are sorry to all those affected and offended, sorry to Tristan for wasting his time and clearly upsetting him on his podcast."
THE BIGGER PICTURE
Tristan and his brother Andrew live in Romania, where they are currently facing rape and human trafficking charges. They were detained in December 2022 and spent three months in jail before being placed under house arrest, but won an appeal to be released in August 2023. Tristan and Andrew, who have both gained huge followings on social media in recent years, are now free to travel anywhere in Romania, but not abroad.
WHAT NEXT?
Last year, FC United of Wrexham received a £1,600 donation from Ryan Reynolds, who is a co-owner of the League Two club Wrexham alongside Rob McElhenney, to go towards a new kit. In the long term, FC United of Wrexham are aiming to reach the second tier of Welsh football and the UEFA Futsal Champions League.