by The Chelsea Fans Advisory Board hit back at the “attacks and campaigns” against owners Todd Boehly, Behdad Eghbali and Jose Feliciano, and urged supporters to pull in the same direction.
Boehly, Eghbali and Feliciano have been warned of the threat of “irreversible toxicity” after the Chelsea Supporters’ Trust was unhappy with a number of concerns raised with chief executive Chris Jurasek.
Chelsea have not commented on the Trust’s statement and Jurasek declined an interview to address the concerns raised by Telegraph Sport, saying he is “fully focused on the task at hand and that is Chelsea FC a building a club that our supporters can be proud of”.
In a 1,500-word letter from the Trust, Chelsea’s owners were also told the club was a laughing stock and Telegraph Sport revealed Boehly, Eghbali and Feliciano had become the target of a Stamford Bridge sticker campaign, portraying them as villains.
In response to the criticism, the club’s official Supporters Advisory Board, chaired by Supporters’ Trust Mark Meehan, has issued a statement.
The FAB said in it that “they do not recognize the suggestion that fans are not involved in the future of the club” and insisted that they were in dialogue with Boehly and Eghbali regarding ticketing. But they said the details of their meeting must be kept confidential.
The statement concluded by saying: “The people who benefit from Chelsea fans turning on Chelsea are the fans of other clubs. If we’re pulling in the same direction then ‘everything will be fine’.”
The FAB asked for its statement to be published in full and said: “Following a number of stories in the press about supporter involvement and the atmosphere at Chelsea Football Club, the Fans’ Advisory Board thought it would be useful for fans to inform about some of the work we are doing to ensure that the voice of supporters is heard.
“Furthermore, we do not recognize the suggestion that fans are not involved in the future of the club. This goes directly against our experience. So we wanted to set the record straight.
“FAB Chelsea, created around a year ago, is a pioneering effort to ensure that the voice of the fans is heard across the club. ST members and holders elected in an open vote our Chairman Neil Beard. The FAB represents a wide and diverse range of Chelsea FC’s support base and consists of an advisor selected through the Fan Forum [Gary Beckwith]the other board advisor through diversity equality and Chelsea Pride [Tracy Brown, FAB Vice Chair]. In addition, four additional FAB members were selected through an open application process, one of whom is the Chairman of the Chelsea Supporters’ Trust and another who represents the views of overseas supporters. In this way the FAB ensures that it is in broad contact with the mindset of the supporters, collecting and presenting these views directly to the club and its board members.
“Supporters can contact FAB board members directly via the club’s website and the FAB hold regular drop-in sessions at the Tea Bar at Stamford Bridge, behind the Shed End. The next one is from 12:30pm ahead of the Burnley game on Saturday.
“At Chelsea Football Club’s last key board meeting (on March 11), Todd Boehly and Behdad Eghbali directly (and personally) asked the FAB to help shape the club’s ticketing proposals and we have been working on that until just. We had multiple sessions with club executives to work through potential proposals and provided data to help substantiate any potential changes.
“So, while the exact content of these meetings must be kept confidential, until any decisions and changes can be communicated to supporters, the idea that fans are not involved and not at a decision-making level cannot , to be further from the truth.
“The club knows that while the FAB is supportive and understands the realities, we also face a challenge. We express our views strongly. We achieve real change. We work and will continue to work on the relationship.
“We are helped by two other improvements in fan engagement.
“First of all, the club is doing a lot more work to survey a significant cross-section of fan opinion. Sharing this work with the FAB. So far what we have learned has aligned well with the advice we are offering.
“Secondly, far more resources have been allocated to fan relations than at any time in the club’s history. Prior to the creation of the FAB there was one part-time employee dedicated to liaison with supporters. There is now a department with four full-time members of staff. Contrary to what has been suggested, these facts give a full and correct picture of what is going on.
“Finally, we would like to add this.
“The Chelsea men’s team are part way through the season with a lot to play for. We will return to Wembley soon. We want to get up in the table, and the European places are far away. We have exciting young players who have improved greatly in the men’s first team following significant investment. In addition, the Women’s team continues to excel at home and on the European stage in Emma Hayes’ final season.
“Football is a matter of opinion and expressing feelings is part of that. But we must stand behind our team and do our part for victory instead of seeking chaos and division through attacks and campaigns.
“All Chelsea fans (including the ownership group) are frustrated by setbacks or results that don’t go our way. But the team and the club in general need their supporters. The only people who benefit from Chelsea fans turning on Chelsea are fans of other clubs. If we’re pulling in the same direction then ‘everything will be fine’.”
