The decision to give Chelsea supporters a "golden share" or additional representation when it comes to future decision-making will likely be at the discretion of the new owner because the government is currently not planning to impose such conditions on a prospective buyer.
As revealed by football.london on Tuesday, the government's primary focus is on ensuring Roman Abramovich does not make any money from a sale and it is not envisaged that they will name a preferred bid when Raine Group contacts them to amend the terms of the club’s temporary operating licence to allow a deal to proceed. There is a cross-party desire at Westminster for the new owners to have the club’s long-term interests at heart but once there is sufficient evidence around cash not going to Abramovich there are unlikely to be any other demands.
That will be viewed as a significant blow to the Chelsea Supporters’ Trust, who have been campaigning for a greater say in matters. In a passionate letter addressed to potential buyers published earlier this week, the trust named six commitments that it would like to be met and is seeking face-to-face discussions with frontrunners once it is logistically possible.
