Supporters Direct, who promote the value of supporter community ownership at sports clubs, and aim to create the conditions in which supporters can secure greater influence and ownership at their clubs and were initially set up by some of their founding fathers who were involved in the Northampton Town Trust including Brian Lomax and Gareth Willsher, now employed by Northampton Town FC, which kept the Cobblers in existence, have issued a statement regarding the Coventry City situation.
The statement reads:
Like everyone else who cares about the integrity of our national game and the health of our football clubs, we have become increasingly concerned at the events at Coventry City.
At the moment, the future of the Football Club appears to be subject to a game of “chicken” initiated by a poorly performing City of London hedge fund – SISU Capital – trying to recover its losses from a ill-judged investment, and the owners of a currently empty stadium.
The Club itself remains in administration, with no final moves to exit the process, and yet the prospective owners are apparently already intent on playing fast and loose with a community’s football club. It is not just the supporters of Coventry City who are now watching closely what unfolds – including the decisions that will be made by The Football League in their position as a regulator.
Fans across the country are watching, not least those from Wimbledon, Brighton and Hove Albion, Charlton, and any number of other clubs who have been moved or removed from their communities with little or no justification."