A non-league club have been sensationally accused of flooding their own pitch in an attempt to get a game called off. King’s Lynn Town, who currently play in the sixth-tier National League North, were due to face South Shields on Valentine’s Day but saw the match postponed following a pitch inspection the previous day.

It followed a period of heavy rainfall in Norfolk, where King’s Lynn are based. However, controversy has erupted after it was alleged that the Linnets intentionally drenched their own pitch with the aim of making it unplayable. 

An investigation has been opened by the National League to determine whether King’s Lynn made any deliberate efforts to get the match postponed, according to The Times.

League bosses are said to have requested access to the full CCTV footage and asked the club to respond to the allegations. It’s not clear what punishment they would face if they are deemed to have flooded their own pitch on purpose.

A spokesperson for the National League is quoted as saying: “The National League are aware of the allegations and are conducting an investigation into it.” Tuesday’s game against Buxton is scheduled to go ahead as planned.

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They currently sit 19th in the National League North table, just two places above the relegation zone. They are managed by Ian Culverhouse, who previously served as Paul Lambert’s assistant at Norwich City and Aston Villa.

King’s Lynn are owned by a Singapore-based company run by Joseph Phua, a media entrepreneur who co-founded the dating app Paktor and the live streaming platform 17LIVE Group.

His company, Turn Sports Investments, bought the non-league outfit in November last year. Following the takeover, they explained that they intended to “stabilise the club in the short term” and then “relinquish its role once the right structures are in place”.

Phua, meanwhile, has written on his blog about travelling for 33 hours to watch King’s Lynn lose at home to Farsley Celtic.