Bradford Bulls’ chief executive Robbie Hunter-Paul has confirmed he remains at the helm of the Super League club after all three of its directors, who were poised to become its new owners, resigned on Christmas Eve.

The Telegraph & Argus reported on Wednesday how the club’s chairman Mark Moore and fellow directors Ian Watt and Andrew Calvert stepped down after a row over the change of ownership from Bradford restaurant boss Omar Khan could not be resolved.

The announcement came after crisis talks between Mr Khan, former club honorary chairman Gerry Sutcliffe MP and the Rugby Football League reached a stand-off.

Mr Khan has refused to transfer his stake in the club, claiming Mr Moore and former director and general manager Ryan Whitcut have not paid him an undisclosed sum for the sale of the business. But Mr Moore, Mr Watt and Mr Calvert – who later joined as investors – said they found “massive holes” in the club’s finances, including £400,000 outstanding to creditors and a £180,000 undisclosed loan.

Mr Khan has said he is still willing to honour their “contract” and will take legal action against Mr Moore and Mr Whitcut, who left the club in November after it emerged he would fail a ‘fit and proper persons’ test by the RFL. The make-up of the club’s hierarchy is now unclear, although it is understood Mr Khan will not be involved in the day-to-day running of the business.

Last night, Mr Hunter-Paul told the T&A he remains chief executive, although he would not answer any further questions about the situation at the club.

The resignation of Mr Moore, Mr Calvert and Mr Watt had not been registered with Companies House yesterday evening and no new director has been appointed.

However, the T&A understands a new director could be announced next week.

Meanwhile, the son of the late Trevor Foster, a central figure in a fight to save the Bulls’ predecessor Bradford Northern, appealed for all parties involved to “act more laterally and to save our great club from the abyss”.

He said: “It is so ironic that 50 years ago, over this very Christmas period my dad, the late Trevor Foster MBE, was pulling out all the stops in his efforts, with others, to resurrect Bradford Northern from the ashes to a famous return to the RL in 1964. He lived by his mantra ‘there is always hope’.”