Skip to main content

Chelsea in danger of shooting themselves in the foot

I have expressed some sympathy for Chelsea in previous posts, or at least for the fans.  I suppose the fans of other clubs feel entitled to some schadenfreude but I don't like the idea of a club with a long history disappearing or being forced to become a non-league club, the potential fate referred to by government sources.

However, the club are in danger of eroding what sympathy there is for them by making unacceptable demands such as suggesting that their FA cup match with Middlesbrough should be played behind closed doors, a request withdrawn after the damage had been done.

It is evident that their stance is annoying government ministers who admittedly have their own agenda in terms of making a high profile example of Roman Abramovich.

Ministers are reported to be increasingly irritated by Chelsea's complaints about the licence conditions imposed on them, warning that the club was on 'borrowed time' and would have collapsed altogether without the special licence.  One senior government source said that after years of benefitting from Abramovich's ownership, the club was now paying the price.

The government has said that it will not back down on its refusal to allow the club to sell more tickets, but will consider some changes to the licence if they qualify for the FA Cup semi-finals and the Champions League quarter finals.

A further challenge is that the EU have now imposed sanctions against Abramovich.  While the Champions League match against Lille will go ahead, it is unclear how future matches will be affected.

There is a certain amount of hypocrisy in current criticisms of some foreign owners with football asked to adhere to moral standards than the Government.   As far as Newcastle United and Saudi Arabia are concerned, it should be remembered that we sell arms to that country, allegedly used in the conflict in Yemen.  It is also all right for the prime minister to go there and ask for the oil taps to be turned on.

Labels:

Comments

  1. Unknown16 March 2022 at 04:33

    Who ever takes over from chelsea has to be fully checked as we don't want the same mess that we are in now to show its ugly head again 12 months down the line as people are questioning other owners of other clubs

    ReplyDelete

Post a Comment

Popular posts from this blog

Wolves get raw deal from FFP

  I used to see a lifelong Wolves fan for lunch once a month.   He was approaching ninety, but still went to games.   Sadly he passed away the other week. As football finance guru Kieran Maguire has noted, Wolves continue to be constrained by financial fair play rules.  Radio 4 this morning described them as this year's 'crisis club' and the pessimists have certainly been piling in. Martin Samuel wrote sympathetically in the Sunday Times yesterday, saying that the Premier League drives talent away with regulatory red tape: 'Why could Al-Hilal sign Neves? Because Wolves needed the money. And why did Wolves need the money? Because the club had to comply with an artificial construct known as financial fair play. So Wolves are going skint, yes? No. There is no suggestion that Wolves are in financial trouble, only that they are failing to meet the rigours of FFP. Wolves’ owners appear to have the money to run the club, and invest in the club, and in fact came up with a pow
Post a Comment
Read more

Gold standard ground boosts Tottenham's income

The gold standard in European football grounds is the Tottenham Hotspur stadium in north London, a £1bn construction project completed in 2019. Its impact on the club’s finances has become increasingly clear as the effects of the pandemic have faded. Previously, the average fan would spend less than £2 inside the ground on a typical match day, but now that figure is about £16, thanks to new facilities including the longest bar in Europe and an on-site microbrewery. Capacity has gone up from 36,000 at the club’s previous home of White Hart Lane to 62,000.  The new stadium — built on land adjacent to White Hart Lane — has opened the door to a broad range of other events that have helped to push commercial income up from €117mn in 2018 to €215mn in 2022. Last year, Tottenham hosted US singer Beyoncé for five nights on her global Renaissance tour, two NFL matches, as well as rugby games and heavyweight boxing bouts.  Money brought in from football has gone up too. Match day income is
Post a Comment
Read more

Charlton takeover approved

The long awaited takeover of Charlton Athletic by SE7 Partners from Thomas Sandgaard has been approved:  https://londonnewsonline.co.uk/se7-partners-obtain-efl-approval-for-charlton-athletic-takeover/ Charlton have had unhappy experiences with owners for over a decade, so how this works out will remain to be seen.  There is certainly potential there, but will it be realised? This interview with Charlie Methven gives detail not available elsewhere:  https://thecharltondossier.com/charlie-methven-on-the-record/
Post a Comment
Read more