Just days after their relegation, FORAS, the supporters' trust which owns Cork City, will meet later meet today to decide whether to sell the club to a company owned by Preston North End owner Trevor Hemmings.
City's bottom-place finish was confirmed at the weekend, just three years after winning the league and cup double.
The Rebels cut their budget dramatically this season and have suffered on the pitch, with just two wins so far in this campaign.
Hemmings was instrumental in Cork securing a League of Ireland Premier Division licence earlier this year and ensuring their survival when Preston agreed to pay over €500,000 to cancel the sell-on clauses for their former Rebel stars Alan Browne and Sean Maguire.
The deal also included a first refusal option if FORAS decided to hand over control, which would be for the symbolic price of €1.
While that money secured their future, relegation and the uncertain climate in Covid-19 has given Cork fans lots to ponder as owners of the club.
The supporter-owned model was something of pride having previously endured tumultuous times under private ownership.
Over 600 members will have one vote each today and a simple majority is required. Postal voting has also taken place.
An email from FORAS to members last month said that the board would make a statement supporting the motion to sell to Grovemoor Ltd.
The Friends of the Rebel Army Society re-established Cork City as a supporter-owned entity in the First Division after the Premier Division version of the club went into liquidation in 2010 and acquired the name shortly after.
The reborn club won the FAI Cup in 2016 and even greater success in 2017 but have since encountered financial trouble.
The meeting will begin at 7pm with the result expected later this evening.
In the sporting sphere, Hemmings is perhaps best known as an owner of three Grand National winners.
As well as winning the National with Hedgehunter in 2005, Ballabriggs in 2011 and Many Clouds in 2015, Hemmings has lifted many other major jumps races.
However, the 85-year-old scaled down the size of his string in a major way last month after 36 years in the sport, citing the impact of Covid-19 on his personal life and business interests.
Hemmings, who made his fortune in property, sold 56 of his horses at the Goffs UK September Sale in Doncaster in September, with his former runners netting him £1,136,200 in the dispersal sale.
