fans group calling for sky blues chairman to resign
TRUST CLAIM TIM FISHER’S POSITION ‘UNTENABLE’
A COVENTRY City fans group has called on football club chairman Tim Fisher to resign or quit the parent companies pursuing legal action against landlords Wasps – to help break the deadlock on a new deal for the Sky Blues to stay at the Ricoh Arena.
City will be homeless at the end of this season with Wasps sticking to the stance they took in February that this season’s oneyear deal would be the last while the club’s parent company and its owners Sisu continued legal action against them.
Football club bosses are adamant that they are not involved in the legal action but the Sky Blue Trust says Mr Fisher’s roles as both club chairman and also a director of Otium and Sky Blues Sports and Leisure mean the club is “actively associated” with the legal battle.
Sky Blues Chief Executive Dave Boddy has warned the club’s future is “severely at risk” with the English Football League apparently telling the club it will not allow City to play outside of Coventry again.
The Sky Blue Trust statement calling on Mr Fisher to take action comes after his programme notes for the Boxing Day game against Charlton made reference to all the fan groups in the club’s Supporters Forum that signed up to a five-point statement.
It called for “ALL parties to put aside their differences” to negotiate a new deal for Coventry City to play at the Ricoh Arena “despite the on-going court case”.
Mr Fisher pointed out that the Sky Blue Trust was the only fan group that didn’t sign up to the pledge. The Trust had previously explained, via chairman Moz Baker, that it agreed with a lot of the points but described as a “complete contradiction” the call for parties to put aside differences while the court action continued.
The Trust also issued its own statement that largely mirrored the Forum pledge published by the club.
Mr Fisher has been asked for a comment. The Sky Blue Trust said: “Currently, those ‘on the ground’ at the club argue that the football club itself has had no input into the current court case, has not been actively consulted about it and is not involved in any way. This is simply not credible.
“The court case is brought in the name of Otium Entertainment Group (OEG) - Coventry City in legal form - and Sky Blue Sports and Leisure (SBSL). The sole director of OEG is Tim Fisher.
“The joint director of SBSL, alongside a SISU appointee, is Tim Fisher. Tim Fisher is also chairman of Coventry City FC.
“Thus, Tim Fisher is both chairman of a club arguing that it has no part in the legal proceedings and so should be allowed to continue playing at the Ricoh, and is leading the companies taking those legal proceedings.
“Either Tim Fisher is complicit or at least compliant in the actions of OEG/SBSL or the legal actions are against his wishes. If the former, he should resign immediately as Coventry City chairman. If the latter he should resign as Director of OEG and SBSL. Either way, his position is untenable. Ideally, given his role in this crisis, he should leave all three positions.”
“Let’s get one thing absolutely clear. The Sky Blue Trust and the vast majority of its members believe that the Ricoh Arena is both the natural, and only feasible, home for the club.
“The Trust therefore supports 100% the broader Sky Blue Community in its attempts to persuade Wasps to allow the club to continue to rent the ground both in the short term and, in appropriate circumstances, into the future.
“The Trust also accepts that Wasps are perfectly entitled to baulk at negotiating a new rental agreement with the tenants who are seeking that agreement, given that those tenants are simultaneously attempting to prove that the rugby club should both not own the ground in the first place, and also owes those tenants vast amounts in compensation. “However, the Trust believes that the damage to our club, to its extraordinarily loyal and patient fans, and to the wider city of Coventry itself is such that Wasps should extend goodwill, not to Sisu or its appointees but to the real Sky Blue Community. Wasps should allow City to continue to play at the Ricoh.
“Tim Fisher’s resignation(s) might just give much needed credibility to the notion that Coventry City, here on the ground in the City itself, want to play at the Ricoh and don’t want court cases. It might predispose Wasps a little more towards City’s plight.”
A spokesman for Coventry City Football Club said: “SISU (the Shareholder) drive the legal process and instructs lawyers. The club nor its chairman and senior management do not and can not make any decision on the court proceedings, or if this continues or if it stops etc.
“While Tim Fisher is a director of Sky Blues Sports and Leisure Ltd and Otium Entertainment Group and chairman of the club, there is a difference between roles and power of the director of a company vs that of a shareholder and the power they are able to exert - this is covered in the Companies Act 2006.”
Chief executive David Boddy has always insisted the club is not involved in the legal action.
A statement earlier this month said: “The football club has regular communication with the owners and we make strong representations on the current situation to them. Everyone is aware of the consequences of a no deal scenario.
“The football club took no part in deciding whether the club owners should pursue an appeal in the Supreme Court. It is the Club Owners who are taking this legal action and pursuing an appeal. This was publicly confirmed by Coventry City Council and Wasps last week.”
The Sky Blue Trust and the vast majority of its members believe that the Ricoh Arena is both the natural, and only feasible, home for the club.