Macclesfield's suspended chairman has called for fans to back him as he looks to reclaim the club.

The Silkmen announced on Saturday, June 6, that Robert Smethurst had been temporarily relieved of his duties.

This follows the 48-year-old's arrest in Wilmslow in May on suspicion of controlling and coercive behaviour.

Shortly after the club released their statement, Mr Smethurst went live on Facebook, spending nearly 20 minutes speaking about the situation.

He said: "It's time for me to give my point of the version because there's nothing worse honestly when your back's against the wall and people are trying to screw you over and try and hurt you.

"I'm devastated. Absolutely heartbroken.

"When I started the football club, it was something I was really passionate about.

"I wasn't in a particularly good space, as you know I was going through recovery, and you know when I bought I didn't really know what I'd bought.

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"Then when I realised what I had bought it was one of the most amazing things I'd ever bought in my life.

"It was amazing to build that football club and to go through the football leagues was just incredible. My heart and soul I put every single day into it."

READ MORE: Macclesfield FC chairman Rob Smethurst temporarily relieved of duties amid 'unsettling' reports

Mr Smethurst explained that after purchasing the club in 2020, he realised he couldn't afford to run it on his own.

As such, he brought in investors who he now acknowledges were 'not the right investors'.

He said: "Some of those investors didn't have the same ambition as I wanted to.

"They didn't want to move up the pyramid system. They didn't want to put any money in."

Robert Smethurst says that purchasing the club 'saved his life' (Credit: Macclesfield FC)

Mr Smethurst continued, revealing that he has been struggling with alcohol addiction again.

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On top of this, he has been going through a divorce after admitting he fell in love with someone else.

Now, he says his wife and another investor have teamed up to 'destroy him'.

"They think I'm running the club badly or wrongly, which is absolutely untrue," he said.

"And it's quite heartbreaking really because it's amazing how people want to destroy you when your life is on the ground."

Mr Smethurst says he is in talks with a potential 'big investor' to come in and 'take out the whole board'.

His video finished with a rallying cry, asking Silkmen fans to show their support for him as he looks to take back control of the club.

He said: "I want you to support me and I want you to try and help me through this process.

"All I can say is that I love every single one of you and you can see how absolutely gutted I am.

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"The club is mine. I want it back.

"Macclesfield saved my life. You saved my life. Everybody that's watching here saved my life.

"And I've just got a couple of people that want to destroy my life. Make me feel the worst I can ever feel. They want to ruin me for everything that I've ever achieved.

"So this is time for you guys to hopefully stick by me and we can do this together because I want this f**king club back."