Supporters have raised concerns over the ‘underlying direction of the club’ under owners BlueCo
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A Chelsea fan holds up a banner in protest against the club's ownership outside Stamford Bridge
A Chelsea fan holds up a banner in protest against the club's ownership outside Stamford Bridge (Getty)
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The Chelsea Supporters’ Trust (CST) has said there is a “lack of confidence” in the club’s owners, BlueCo, and feel there has been an “erosion of trust” in the direction of the team.
Fan protests against the ownership are planned before Saturday’s home match against Manchester United at Stamford Bridge, following a turbulent season on and off the pitch.
The Blues reported a pre-tax losses of £262.4m for the last financial year, a Premier League record, with around £1.5bn spent on transfer fees since the new ownership group took charge in 2022.
Although Chelsea won the Club World Cup last summer, the Blues parted ways with coach Enzo Maresca in December and have lost five out of their last six games in all competitions under Liam Rosenior.
However, the CST said: “These concerns are not driven by short-term results, and they will not be resolved by them. They relate to the underlying direction of the club, and they will persist regardless of fluctuations on the pitch.
“At the heart of supporter concern is a simple point: the current model has demanded a huge amount of faith from the fanbase, while giving too little clarity in return. Supporters have watched relentless upheaval. Players, managers, staff, and structures have changed at pace. This has been presented as part of a long-term plan.
“Yet four years on, there is still no sufficiently clear or convincing explanation of how that plan delivers sustained success while preserving a recognisable Chelsea identity. The vision remains unclear, its execution inconsistent, and its leadership insufficiently accountable.”
In a lengthy open letter published by the CST on Thursday, the group highlighted concerns with ticketing, supporter engagement and asked why fans should show faith “in a strategy that has involved extraordinary disruption and expenditure”.
There will be a joint protest with supporters of French club Strasbourg before the Manchester United match on Saturday. Chelsea and Strasbourg are both owned by BlueCo, with supporters of the French club staging protests against their part in a multi-club ownership model.
The CST added: “Chelsea supporters are not simply asking to win every year. They are asking to recognise the club they have always supported. At the moment, too many do not. This erosion of trust is not limited to football matters alone. It extends to how supporters experience the club.”