‘We won’t stand by and watch our Club be destroyed!’ is the message from Coventry City fans angry at the plan for their Club to leave Coventry after 130 years and relocate to Northampton. Fans are particularly critical of Joy Seppala, City of London takeover panel member and head of the SISU hedge fund which has been running the Club, Football League Chairman Greg Clarke, and Northampton Town FC Chairman David Cardoza.
City fans will be publicising their message in Northampton at 10am Saturday 13 July by erecting banners and signs at the A4500 and A5076 traffic islands for the Sixfields Leisure Complex. Michael Orton, a Sky Blue Trust Board member, explained: “David Cardoza, Joy Seppala and the Football League are sounding the death knell for Coventry City. Fans are going to fight the move to Northampton every step of the way and do everything they can to stop this plan going ahead”.
Coventry fans have already staged one ‘flashmob’ event in Northampton, attracting national and international coverage. Saturday’s event is the next step in what is promising to be an on-going campaign to keep Coventry at their home ground, the Ricoh Arena, and for the planned relocation to Northampton to be abandoned.
Fans stress that protests in Northampton on Saturday and in the coming weeks will be completely peaceful. They are keeping Police in Coventry fully informed and are clear that any trouble will only harm their cause.
To emphasise this, Coventry supporters are asking all football fans to show their support. As Mr Orton put it: “the SISU hedge fund is treating our Club like a franchise to move around as they want with complete disregard for fans. It could happen to any other football club next so it would be brilliant if fans of other teams joined us at the Sixfields Leisure Complex 10am Saturday 13 July”.