Portsmouth anxiety over delay to sale

Administrator Andronikou says the club is now financially viable

The anticipated sale of Portsmouth back to the club's most recent owner Balram Chainrai remains on hold.

A takeover by the Hong Kong businessman was expected to be completed this week so the club could leave administration.

But administrator Andrew Andronikou told BBC Radio Solent the Football League still wanted further assurances.

"This hiatus is not helping the football club," he said. "In fact, from week to week we seem to be going one or two steps backwards."

He added: "We've certainly implemented sufficient cost rationalisation to make the club viable."

Once the ownership issue is resolved, the Football League will return Portsmouth's "golden share", paving the way for the club to exit administration.

A transfer embargo on player registrations will also then be lifted.

Portsmouth entered administration in February with estimated debt of £120 million.

In June this year, Pompey agreed a Company Voluntary Arrangement (CVA) to pay back 20p in the pound to the club's unsecured creditors over five years.