Chelsea Fan Advisory Board bite back at Supporters' Trust criticism of owners

Chelsea's Fan Advisory Board have hit back at accusations from the Supporters' Trust accusing the club's owners of creating a major divide among fans.

The CST recently penned a letter to Chelsea's owners warning them of "irreversible toxicity" and accusing Todd Boehly and Clearlake Capital of failing to meet their pledge of involving fans in the future of the club.

In response to the letter, Chelsea chief executive Chris Jurasek pointed to the creation of the Fan Advisory Board (FAB) - a group set up by the current owners comprising of seven fans - for evidence of the owners' desire to involve supporters, and the FAB themselves have now spoken out to clarify the situation.

"Bluntly, we don't recognise the suggestion that fans are not being involved in the future of the Club," the FAB wrote. "This goes directly against our experience.

"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.

"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. 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.

"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."

The FAB, who regularly invite fans to drop-in sessions to voice their opinions on the management of the club, also rejected claims supporters had been forgotten in the decision to raise matchday prices.

"At Chelsea Football Club's last main Board meeting (on March 11th), (co-owners) 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," they continued.

"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.

"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.

"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'."

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