Why life’s rosy again for Katrien Meire
After a torrid time as CEO at Charlton, Katrien Meire tells Pippa Field she loves life at Sheffield Wednesday
Several thoughts crossed the mind of Katrien Meire, the Sheffield Wednesday chief executive, during her train journey to London for today’s FA Cup match with Chelsea – among them the £600,000 minimum the club expect to generate from their Cup run so far and the five tequila shots she has riding on a positive outcome at Stamford Bridge.
One thing that did not enter her consciousness, however, was being pushed on to the train tracks by her own fans.
It has been 13 months since Meire announced she was leaving Charlton Athletic – one month less since she took up the same post at Sheffield Wednesday. “I love working in a city where you can feel football is a big part of it,” she says. “One of the first things I saw with the fans was how loyal they are and how much they want to support the club.
“I’ve been given a chance by them. From the moment I started, I felt a very different vibe. I’ve a lot of former colleagues who also used to work at Charlton and they say Charlton fans have a different type of identity and expect different things from the club management.”
Even now, such comments will only add fuel to the flames of hatred harboured by many Charlton supporters, who blame Meire – and controversial Belgian owner Roland Duchatelet – for the decline of their club. While at the Valley, she presided over eight managerial changes and relegation to League One.
The 34-year-old’s departure – almost four years after being employed by Duchatelet despite having no football background – was greeted with cheers from many Charlton fans. Meire, a lawyer, complained of “extreme abuse” against her and described her anguish at her parents in Belgium being subjected to visits from angry Charlton fans.
With Wednesday preparing to take on the FA Cup holders this afternoon, Meire is keen to move on. But wounds take time to heal.
“I read sometimes that the Charlton fans knew where I took the train to work and that they would push me under the train if they saw me,” she recalls. “Whenever I waited for my train, I always looked around me. You never know, there only needs to be one crazy person. At Wednesday, if someone crosses the line we immediately ban them. At Charlton, if we were even thinking of doing that, they became martyrs. That’s probably why I left. Nobody should be abused.” As for Wednesday, Meire has also had her work cut out. The club were placed under transfer embargo last year after breaching Financial Fair Play rules – a threat that looms again, says owner Dejphon Chansiri who, despite pumping millions into the club, said last month he was selling the club. Manager Jos Luhukay was sacked in December while new manager Steve Bruce starts work on Friday. “Feb 1 can’t come soon enough,” she jokes.
As for the score prediction for her wager today, Meire says only that she is backing her team. “Football is an innocent way of enjoying life, it can help people through difficult times,” she adds. “Some just want to yell as they can’t yell at home. That’s fine – as long as it’s in a respectful manner.”