Chelsea Fan Advisory Board hits back at ‘attacks and campaigns’ from angry supporters

Chelsea’s Fan Advisory Board has 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 were warned of the threat of “irreversible toxicity” towards them after Chelsea’s Supporters’ Trust were left dissatisfied by 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 with Telegraph Sport, saying he is “fully focused on the task at hand and that’s to build Chelsea FC into a club our supporters can be proud of”.

In a 1,500-word letter from the Trust, Chelsea’s owners were also told the club is a laughing stock and Telegraph Sport revealed that Boehly, Eghbali and Feliciano had become the target of a Stamford Bridge sticker campaign, depicting them as clowns.

In response to the criticism, the club’s official Fan Advisory Board, of which Supporters’ Trust chairman Mark Meehan is a member, have released a statement.

In it, the FAB said they “don’t recognise the suggestion that fans are not being involved in the future of the club” and insisted they have been in dialogue with Boehly and Eghbali over ticketing. But they added that the details of their meetings must remain confidential.

The statement finished by saying: “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 ‘every little thing gonna be alright’.”

The FAB have requested that their statement was published in full and it said: “Following some stories in the press about supporter engagement and the atmosphere at Chelsea Football Club, the Fan Advisory Board thought it would be useful to let fans know about some of the work we have been doing to ensure the supporter voice is heard.

“Bluntly, we don’t recognise the suggestion that fans are not being involved in the future of the club. This goes directly against our experience. So we wanted to set the record straight.

“Chelsea’s FAB is a pioneering effort, created around a year ago, to ensure that the fan’s voice is listened to across the club. Our Chair Neil Beard was elected by members and ST holders in an open vote. The FAB represents a wide and diverse range of the Chelsea FC supporter base and constitutes an advisor selected through the Fans’ 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 via an open application process, one of whom is the Chairman of the Chelsea Supporters’ Trust and another represents the views of overseas supporters. In this way the FAB ensures it is very broadly in touch with supporter sentiment, to collect and present these views very directly to the club and its board members.

“Supporters are able to contact the FAB board members directly via the club website and the FAB hold regular in-person 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 main board meeting (on March 11th), Todd Boehly and Behdad Eghbali directly (and in-person) asked the FAB to help shape the club’s proposals in relation to ticketing and we have been working on exactly that. We have had multiple sessions with club executives to work through potential proposals and provided with data to help substantiate any potential changes.

“So whilst the precise content of these meetings must remain confidential, until any decisions and changes can be communicated with supporters, the idea that fans are not involved and not at a decision making level, could not be further from the truth.

“The club is aware that, while the FAB is constructive and understands the realities, we are also challenging. We make our views known forcefully. We achieve real change. We work and will continue to work on the relationship.

“We are helped by two other enhancements to fan engagement.

“First of all, the club is doing much more work to survey a significant cross-section of the fanbase’s opinion. And sharing this work with the FAB. So far what we have learned has been well aligned with the advice we have been offering.

“Second, significantly more resources have been allocated to fan liaison than at any point in the club’s history. Before the FAB was created there was one part-time employee devoted to supporter liaison. There is now a department which will number four full-time members of staff. Contrary to what has been suggested, these facts give a full and proper picture of what is going on.

“Finally, we would like to add this.

“Chelsea’s men’s team is part way through a season with much to play for. We will soon return to Wembley. We want to rise up the table, with the European places in touching distances. We have exciting young players with real green shoots of improvement in the men’s first team following significant investment. In addition, our Women’s team continues to thrive domestically and on the European stage in Emma Hayes’ final season.

“Football is a matter of opinion and expressing emotion is part of that. But we have to get behind our team and make our contribution to victory rather than seek chaos and division through attacks and campaigns.

“Every Chelsea fan (including the ownership group) is frustrated at setbacks or results that don’t go our way. But the team and the club more broadly needs its 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 ‘every little thing gonna be alright’.”