On Friday, January 17, before Chelsea’s Premier League game against Brentford, fans are getting ready to hold a peaceful protest. The protest, which is set to start at 1 p.m. at Britannia Gate outside Stamford Bridge, is aimed directly at Behdad Eghbali, the club’s co-owner, and the sporting directorship.
The protest comes at a time when the West London club are going through a lot of trouble. Enzo Maresca left his job as head coach on New Year’s Day after what seemed to be a serious disagreement with Eghbali. The Italian became Chelsea’s fifth manager in just three years under the current ownership structure, as the team have been unstable since the Todd Boehly-led group took over in 2022.
A statement from fans, sent out today, said the protest is a time when fans are asking the people in charge of the club to come together, be clear, and take action. The statement criticizes what fans say is a poor strategy and excessive control by the ownership group, especially Eghbali and the sporting directors Paul Winstanley, Laurence Stewart, Joe Shields, and Sam Jewell:
🚨 Chelsea Fan Protest against Behdad Eghbali and the Sporting Directorship.
⚽️ Chelsea vs Brentford, 17th January
🏟️ Britannia Gate, Stamford Bridge
⏰ Protest starts at 1pm
One club. One voice. Change MUST occur.
Read the full statement below. #OurClub #OneVoice pic.twitter.com/ISSg68DdgJ
— Fullington Fulbright (@FFulbright) January 2, 2026
People have also been critical of Chelsea’s transfer strategy since the current owners took over. Since the consortium took over, the club have spent more than a billion pounds, mostly on players under the age of 25.
The people organizing the protest have made it clear that it will be peaceful and are asking supporters to join them in making their voices heard. The movement is called “One Club. One Voice,” which shows that fans want to work together to demand change at the board level.
The game against Brentford starts at 3 p.m., which gives protesters two hours to voice their opinions before the teams take the field.
Chelsea Get Ready to Play Man City: Match Preview
Chelsea will have a tough time at the Etihad Stadium on Sunday night when they play Manchester City without a permanent manager. Calum McFarlane, the coach of the Under-21s, will take over as head coach of the Blues after Maresca left on New Year’s Day.
The game starts at 5:30 p.m. UK time, and Chelsea are going to Manchester in the middle of their worst stretch of form this season. The west London club have only won one of their last seven Premier League games. They are currently fifth, three points behind fourth-place Liverpool.
Manchester City are in second place in the Premier League, but they are four points behind Arsenal, who are in first place. On New Year’s Day, Pep Guardiola’s team played Sunderland to a scoreless draw, which cost them points in their race to catch Arsenal at the top of the table.
City won the same game at home last season, 3-1, with Erling Haaland and Phil Foden both scoring in the second half. Chelsea haven’t won an away game against Manchester City in the Premier League since May 2021.