Chelsea fans have written an open letter to Todd Boehly, the club's owner after another poor season on the pitch. The Blues are languishing in mid-table with no hope of qualifying for next season's Champions League and after enduring a similar campaign last year under the American's rule, the fans are starting to get fed up.
According to the Chelsea Supporters Trust (CST), the fans' main grievance isn't the performances on the pitch or the well-documented, poor recruitment but rather the lack of transparency and dialogue between the club's hierarchy and the supporters. In an open letter addressed to Boehly and co-owner, Behdad Eghbali, the CST wrote:
“The current feeling amongst Chelsea supporters in our opinion is at its lowest since the early 1980s.
While this may be expected with our current run of form and position in the league table, a
significant number of supporters that we speak to are quick to express concerns that the lack of any
public-facing vision from the new ownership has led to an overwhelming sense of helplessness,
frustration, and deep concern.
“Supporters are saying that there currently seems a fast-growing lack of trust from much of the fanbase, especially matchgoers towards the board, partially due to severely limited communication. Many supporters have significant concerns about the short and long-term future of our football club.”
Supporters talk of discontent at Brentford
In Chelsea's recent 2-2 draw at Brentford, the most vocal anti-Boehly chants yet were heard from the away end at the Gtech Community Stadium which is said to be the catalyst behind the open letter. The CST said:
“During our latest result at Brentford, the views of a quiet few became a vocal expression of a larger
number of Chelsea supporters present at the game. Several anti-ownership chants could be heard
even when we were winning and much of our recent dialogue with supporters reveals a widespread
and significant lack of belief in the decision-makers at the top of our club.
“The current mood amongst supporters is critically low and cannot be ignored. The feeling that the club has become a ‘laughing stock’, both on and off the pitch, is growing. The Chelsea Supporters’ Trust regretfully believes that we are 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.
Unless the situation improves, this seems likely to manifest itself in more targeted chanting, especially at televised games, and quite possibly more organised, overt, and impactful forms of protest by some sections of the fanbase.”
The Chelsea board respond to open letter
The Chelsea board have responded to the open letter via Chief Executive, Chris Jurasek. Jurasek reiterated that the club “endeavour to have regular and strong communication with all supporters” and that they “welcome the thoughts of our supporter groups on how to further enhance this connection”. He added:
“We deeply value the dedication, commitment and desire from all our supporters to continue to develop Chelsea FC into the most successful and admired Club in the world, both on and off the pitch. Part of achieving that goal will be done by working with our supporters.
“Without question, we want to ensure we engage with our supporters regularly to provide them with clear lines of communication and a significant level of transparency.”