Say No CPO victory a win for football fans as a whole
SAY NO CPO, the campaign group who yesterday contributed towards Roman Abramovich’s failure to seize the freehold of Stamford Bridge, believe their victory represented a landmark success for football fans as a whole.
Despite the odds being stacked in their favour, Chelsea’s resolution attracted only 61.6 per cent of the vote, leaving them 13.4 per cent short of their target.
And Tim Rolls, a member of Say No CPO, believes yesterday’s turn of events demonstrates just why fans should not allow clubs to ride roughshod over them.
He told City A.M: “I didn’t think we’d win this. We only had three weeks or so to mobilise our support and I’m so pleased for the people who were involved in making it work.
“I think it was a real shock to the board the way its turned out. They clearly thought they could rush this proposal through.
“I’d say it was a victory for football fans as a whole. It shows we want to be and deserve to be involved in dialogue with regards to the direction our club is headed.
“I wouldn’t expect that this would lead to Roman Abramovich opening the lines of communication with us, but certainly the board will have to sit up and take notice of us and attempt to involve us in future proposals.”