Frustrated Chelsea fans are bringing their protest to Wembley in an FA Cup Final first.
Supporters group Not A Project CFC are organizing a peaceful march down Wembley Way ahead of the showpiece final with Manchester City on Saturday. It will be a first because surely no set of fans has ever demonstrated against their club’s ownership even after reaching the FA Cup final.
But that illustrates the level of disillusionment and unhappiness towards the club’s BlueCo ownership, Behdad Eghbali and Todd Boehly. They anticipate thousands will join them, and they also plan to turn their backs in the 22nd minute of next week’s Premier League game against Tottenham Hotspur, which signifies when the current owners took over in 2022, as per The Mirror.
-
Guillermo Ochoa shares touching statement ahead of record sixth FIFA World Cup
-
Arsenal issue Ben White knee injury update as Champions League Final looms
A peaceful march is scheduled to take place before the FA Cup Final down Wembley Way -Credit:Alex Davidson – The FA/The FA via Getty Images
Lifelong Chelsea fan David Cook, 34, who is one of the main organizers of the group, said: “It’s such an iconic walk up Wembley Way and it will be something of a first. Last time we organised something completely different to march with Strasbourg fans before the Manchester United game, and we wanted to do something different again.
“I know it will look strange to some supporters. You reach the FA Cup final and it’s a sign of success. But this is about how the club is being run. This is our club, we are passionate and we support our team. We want it back. Visually it will have a huge impact. We hope to make a big impact and an impact big enough to have an impact so potential BlueCo investors can see what’s going on.”
Chelsea fans have made their frustration at the ownership clear during recent games, turning on Eghbali and Boehly over their belief that the club is being operated as a financial venture rather than a soccer team. Blues supporters were accustomed to extraordinary success under Roman Abramovich, who also invested heavily in the local community and academy, earning widespread admiration from the fanbase.
Following victories in the FIFA Club World Cup and the UEFA Europa Conference League, along with securing Champions League qualification, this season is drifting toward mid-table obscurity, with the Blues facing City on Saturday as heavy underdogs.
Cook added: “We have lost faith in the ownership. From managerial appointments, treating academy graduates badly and trading them as assets while selling bits of the club to themselves, this is all wrong.
To listen to the latest episode of ‘All Out Soccer’ – CLICK HERE
“It’s a project for them. That’s the protest. We have always produced and promoted our own young players. Now we sell them. You need stability. We had two big managers. Mauricio Pochettino did quite well and then Enzo Maresca did very well. But they reached a point where they questioned the ownership – and they were gone. Suddenly Liam Rosenior comes in. Who will take it now?
“My worry is that when Chelsea won the Club World Cup, is that the owners and sporting directors saw it as vindication. In the past, we would have seen it as a stepping stone. This club has been used to winning Premier League titles and European Cups.
“Now it’s all about the business plan and turning over players. Of all the players signed last summer, maybe the only quality player signed was Joao Pedro. If we are to go forward as a club then we need BlueCo to sell.”
The group is gathering at Wembley Park Tube station from 1.30pm local time on Saturday.
Chelsea co-owner Eghbali acknowledged mistakes recently but insisted they are determined to take the club forward. He said: “I think we’ve done a few things right, a lot of things right. We’ve got to be better on a few things, to add more ready-made players at this part of the project, to take (it ) to the next level, to be consistent over time. We recognise we need balance. You tweak a model, you improve, you learn from mistakes.”
