Coventry City lämnar Ricoh Arena
Nu är det bekräftat av FL ( Fotball League ) att Coventry City kommer att spela sina seriematcher på Sixfield Stadium, Northampton kommande säsong. Hur fansen har reagerat på detta kan vi nog alla sammanfatta med ett enda ord "förtvivlan".
Anledningen till att våra ägare (SISU) har valt att göra detta drastiska drag beror helt enkelt på att man vägrar betala hyran för att få spela på Ricoh Arena. Man anser att den är alldeles för hög samt att man vill ha tillgång till matförsäljnings samt dryckförsäljnings inkomsterna. Detta är dock något ACL (Arena Coventry Limited) som äger arena vägrat gått med på. Tvisten har pågått sedan i hösten 2012 och någon lösning har inte kommit upp på tapeten. Många trodde att SISU:s hot att man aldrig mer kommer att spela på Ricoh Arena utan att man istället vill dela arena med någon annan klubb tills man byggt en ny arena i utkanten av Coventry, bara var ett spel för gallerian för att få ACL att gå med på deras krav gällande hyran samt att få tillgång till andra inkomster som Ricoh Arena genererar. Jag själv trodde detta också. Men så var inte fallet utan hotet var sanning och nu är det bekräftat av både Coventry City samt Northampton FC att man kommer att dela arena under 3 år tills Coventry City byggt klart arenan vars plats fortfarande är oklart. Alltså dessa 3 år kan säkert bli både 4,5,6 år innan arenan står klar.
Personligen tycker jag det är så tragiskt att en maktkamp mellan ett par herrar i kostym kan leda till detta. Varken ACL eller Coventry City tänker på fansen utan bara på sin egen plånbok.
" We should have never left Highfield Road ", RIP Coventry City
Är kommer uttalandet från Tim Fisher som är ordförande för Coventry City:
We are very pleased that the Football League has found our plans acceptable. Nobody wanted this day to come but we feel we have no choice but to take this course of action and that the only credible future for the Club now lies in owning its own stadium. Building a stadium that is ours in the Coventry area and which will generate revenues we can put on the field of play is necessary to ensure the club can succeed under the FIFA Fair Play Rules.
“If there had been an economic option which would have allowed us to stay at the Ricoh we would have pursued it. There was no proposal on the table in time for us to make realistic plans for the coming season. We could not wait any longer.”
“Over the last month or so – through a series of forums – we have made it clear this move is not a game of brinkmanship or a negotiating strategy - it is the only credible option. If our plans did not show a clear path for returning to the Coventry City area they would not have been approved by the League.
“The Club and its owners acknowledge the support of the League, Northampton Town FC and the Northampton Borough Council for working constructively to provide a port in what is hoped will be a temporary storm. We are currently working on detailed ticketing and travel plans to take into account the inconvenience caused to supporters by this move and will provide further information very shortly.
“If the City Council and ACL had truly wanted to support the Club, it would have taken up the offer made by SISU to pay off its debt and extend the lease. Instead it used £14 million of public money to stop the deal happening. The suggestion that the Club could play “free” whilst “it is administration” was, as the administrators pointed out, not one which they or indeed the Club could accept or which had any value.
“The proposed new stadium makes commercial and economic sense, providing new prospects to the City, incorporating commercial opportunities that support the revenues and development of the Club and secures its future. The project has momentum and the negotiations with the site's vendors are progressing very well.
“We have much to do before the new season, including working with the League to approve the restructuring of the corporate ownership of the club and the swift resolution of the administration of CCFC Ltd which will see the transfer embargo lifted. We hope that the fans will support the Club’s players and staff through what, we accept, will be a difficult transitional period, towards independence and a stable long term home venue.”
