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The USL Championship announced Charlotte Independence majority owner Dan DiMicco is selling his stake in the team. DiMicco was criticized last summer by Independence players and supporters for anti-Black Lives Matter posts on Twitter.

The Charlotte Independence ownership group will look different in 2021.

Majority owner Dan DiMicco is selling his stake in the franchise, according to a statement from the USL Championship. DiMicco, the retired CEO of Nucor Corp. and trade advisor on former President Donald Trump’s first campaign joined the club as an investor in 2017.

DiMicco became majority owner in 2018, all while club founder and CEO Jim McPhilliamy remained president and managing partner. Tim Schuldt joined the team in August 2019 as chief revenue officer, but was promoted to president and chief operating officer last October. He reports to McPhilliamy.

The league’s statement names McPhilliamy as president, managing partner and leader of day-to-day operations. However, Schuldt is president and is responsible for day-to-day operations. The full league statement:

“The United Soccer League announced today that the Charlotte Independence are in the process of selling several ownership stakes in the team, including that of majority owner Dan DiMicco. The day-to-day management of the club – of which Mr. DiMicco and others are not directly involved – will continue to be overseen by President and Managing Partner Jim McPhilliamy. As such, the Club remains fully committed to all players, staff and community members as we move forward with the 2021 season and beyond. 

More information on the sales process will be made public as soon as it is available.”

A league spokesperson directed further inquiries to the club. The club could not be reached for comment.

Jack’s Militia president Ben Goshorn said relief best described how the news made him feel.

“I guess it is good that there is an acknowledgement in some ways, but it does feel like it is not a full [acknowledgement],” Goshorn said. “There could have been more that was done, because to just say that a new owner is coming is very PR friendly. It is a missed opportunity to say ‘this is why he is selling his stakes.’ It is good, but it feels like there could have been more that was done to, if nothing else, explain the situation.”

Fans took to social media, particularly Twitter, where the DiMicco debacle unfolded over the last year to express their thoughts – mostly in favor of the move. His anti-Black Lives Matter tweets last summer sparked condemnation from supporters and players and recent posts have been anti-Asian. Neither the club nor league condemned his posts, and no attempt was made to distance themselves from his statements. Jack’s Militia, the Independence supporters’ group, came out against DiMicco’s stance.

“It’s about damn time,” longtime Independence and Charlotte soccer supporter Richard Marion posted in a tweet.

Other fan reactions were also shared via Twitter.

Adam Martin: “Genuine thoughts: I’m sad it’s taken this long, but also happy that I might be able to support the club once again. I’m firmly in the support local soccer so having a USLC [Championship] team here that I refused to cheer for was disheartening. This is good news for our wonderful city.”

Chris Davis: “Disappointed it took this long, but I’m thrilled we’re being heard. As soon as he’s gone I’m buying season tickets. There’s just no room for racist propaganda in our club and I’m glad we are (eventually) getting it right.”

When DiMicco’s increased his investment in the club in 2018, McPhilliamy described it as an infusion, not a takeover, saying he and his family “sunk every dime in” they possibly could.

“He doesn’t invest to lose money,” McPhilliamy said in a 2018 interview with The Post.

Yet lose money DiMicco did. The club struggled prior to the pandemic, playing at multiple venues in Charlotte, Matthews and Rock Hill. DiMicco’s front and center financial role was what Mecklenburg County commissioners needed to refurbish the decaying Memorial Stadium, ultimately making the field wide enough for professional soccer. The Independence will play its first season in the stadium this spring as its primary tenant.

“One of the things I liked most about the second deal with the Independence was that during 2017, they had recruited additional ownership, which helped to put the financial piece on more solid ground,” former commissioner Jim Puckett said in 2018 when DiMicco joined. “I know the new owner needed to have a pretty solid understanding of where the team would play. He was interested if they could make a deal with Memorial. He was not interested really if they stayed at Matthews because they can’t generate a profit at Matthews.”

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