The Chelsea Supporters Trust (CST) has issued a stark warning to the club's co-owners, Todd Boehly and Behdad Eghbali, expressing "significant concerns" about the future of the club and a growing sense of discontent among fans. In a lengthy letter addressed to the owners, the CST stated that the current mood among supporters is at its lowest since the early 1980s and is dangerously close to reaching a point of "irreversible toxicity."
Despite the club's record spending on players since the new ownership took over in 2022, Chelsea currently sit 11th in the Premier League table. The CST's letter emphasized that the current feeling among fans "cannot be ignored," with a growing perception that the club has become a "laughing stock" both on and off the pitch.
The takeover by American investor Boehly and private equity firm Clearlake Capital was completed in May 2022, following the sanctioning of former owner Roman Abramovich due to his links to Russian president Vladimir Putin. Since then, the club has experienced significant turmoil, with multiple managerial changes and a disappointing 12th-place finish in the previous season.
The CST's letter highlighted the "serious concerns" and the "disconnection felt by supporters towards the majority of the team, the manager, the club ownership, and the board." The group warned that they believe the club is "close to, if not already experiencing, a significant shift in supporter opinion that could result in irreversible toxicity, almost irrespective of results on the pitch."
The letter cited a "fast-growing lack of trust" from much of the fanbase, particularly among matchgoing supporters, towards the board, which the CST attributes to "severely limited communication." Many supporters have expressed "significant concerns about the short and long-term future" of the club, with the CST calling on the ownership to provide a "coherent, detailed strategy update" on their medium and long-term plans.
The CST also raised concerns about potential price increases related to the club, such as tickets, coach travel, and food and drink. The group "strongly cautioned against" such increases, emphasizing the importance of maintaining accessibility for supporters.
In addition to the on-pitch struggles, the CST pointed to the lack of progress on the stadium redevelopment as another source of frustration for fans. The group urged the club to provide periodic updates on the project, given its "crucial importance" to many matchgoing supporters.
The letter concluded by calling on the club to "work hand-in-hand" with the CST to improve the relationship between supporters and the board. The group emphasized that "periodic statements would certainly not go amiss" and that supporters deserve greater transparency and communication from the ownership.
In a written response, Chelsea thanked the CST for its support and stated that they "endeavour to have substantial dialogue on a regular basis." However, Mark Meehan, the chair of the CST, criticized the club's chief executive, Chris Jurasek, for failing to address the specific concerns raised in the original letter, stating, "We are supporters, not customers."
As the discontent among Chelsea fans continues to grow, the pressure is on the club's ownership to address the concerns raised by the CST and provide a clear vision for the future of the club. Failure to do so could lead to further unrest and potentially damaging protests from a fanbase that feels increasingly disconnected from the decision-makers at the top of the club.
