Sisu urged: Don’t play Russian roulette with club’s future

COVENTRY City owners Sisu have been urged not to “play Russian roulette” with the club’s future and end their long-running legal action over the sale of the Ricoh Arena.

Coventry City Council leader George Duggins made the call at a full meeting of the council on Tuesday, October 16.

The Labour leader was backed by his Conservative counterpart - with the club’s deal to play at the Ricoh Arena due to expire at the end of this season.

The plea comes just days after a Court of Appeal judge dismissed an appeal by Sisu-related companies which had been seeking a judicial review against the council over the sale of the Ricoh Arena in 2014.

Sisu - the owners of Coventry City Football Club - had argued the stadium was undervalued by around £30million when it was sold to Wasps Rugby Club.

The deal saw the rugby club granted a 250-year lease on the stadium, which lawyers for Sisu argued had greatly increased the firm’s value.

They said this meant they had been disadvantaged in buying the Ricoh on similar terms, and wanted judges to allow a judicial review examining the sale in detail to go ahead.

But on Friday, October 12, Lord Justice McCombe agreed with the judge who had previously dismissed the case in 2017.

In a written judgement, he said the Sky Blue’s case “was based essentially on a comparison between ‘apples and pears.’”

The Telegraph contacted Sisu via email after last week’s judgement and again yesterday. No response has been received.

During the meeting, leader of the council George Duggins also warned they risked “burning...a number of bridges” with valuable partners in the city.

Coventry City have reaffirmed their intention to stay at the Ricoh Arena, admitting the club’s future in the Football League is at risk if a deal is not struck before the end of the current campaign.

But a spokesman for Wasps Group said their position had not changed - they will not enter into negotiations on the Sky Blues playing at the stadium until court action has ended.

“I am sure that the people of Coventry want to see an end to this and I reiterate that this Council wants to see a football club that is successful,” Cllr Duggins said.

“I have never said that Sisu and their various organisations do not have a right to take legal action, but what I do say is that they need to be responsible for the consequences that flow from this continuing litigation.

“Consequences include the burning of a number of bridges with partners that you need to work with. One of our great strengths in Coventry is our partnership working as a city.

“I simply say to them, don’t play Russian roulette with the future of our great football club - do not continue with legal actions that are so damaging to your own reputation and the reputation of our great and loved football club.

“As a city we have some major challenges and exciting opportunities over the next four or five years, some of which can have lasting positive legacies for many years to come.

“I want everyone in the city to focus on these challenges and opportunities instead of futile sideshows. This must be the end.”

The long-running legal action between the council and Sisu has rumbled on since 2012, when the Sky Blues were taken to court by then-stadium operator ACL over an unpaid rent bill.

That resulted in the Sky Blues playing their home games at Northampton Town’s ground for the 201314 season.

The club’s owners said the rent was too high and should be renegotiated, and weeks later the council loaned £14m in public funds to ACL saying it was protecting an asset for the city.

Sisu questioned the legality of the council’s move, but it was upheld by a judicial review in 2014 and in December 2016, the Supreme Court said there were no grounds to appeal.

In February 2017, Sisu announced it would take the city council to court again in a bid to get a judicial review into the sale of the stadium to Wasps.

That action was kicked into the grass at the Court of Appeal last Friday (October 12).

The long-running legal row has received cross-party support in the council.

Cllr Gary Ridley, leader of the Conservative opposition at Coventry City Council, said: “The judges have spoken, they think it’s all over and I hope for everyone’s sake it is now.”