Chelsea fans have warned the Government to move “swiftly” to make sure the club survives.
The Chelsea Supporters’ Trust are deeply concerned about a hold-up over a £1.6billion debt owed to current owner Roman Abramovich.
They have also cast doubt whether Sir Jim Ratcliffe could complete a takeover before the May 31 deadline after the British billionaire made a last ditch attempt to hijack LA Dodgers co-owner Todd Boehly’s attempt to buy the Premier League club.
Chelsea are hopeful an agreement can be reached for the Government to effectively hold the £1.6bn sum and the deal can still go through amid serious doubts after Culture secretary Nadine Dorries warned last week the club is “running out of time.”
The CST issued a statement which said: “It is essential that the sale of Chelsea FC is completed swiftly and transparently. We urge the current ownership, Raine and the UK Government to ensure this happens.
“Any delay to this process could risk the future of Chelsea FC – all parties must ensure the sustainability and future of the club is safeguarded. We are hopeful that an agreement with prospective owners will be struck soon, and we look forward to engaging on the implementation of our expectations immediately once an agreement has been confirmed.
“Regardless of the potential merits of the bid – on which we make no further comment – the CST outlined our concerns regarding Ineos’ ability to complete the purchase of Chelsea Football Club before the 31 May deadline. This is particularly so given, by their own admission, they are outside of the process and have been, according to reports, ‘rejected out of hand’ by Raine. We would welcome further discussion in the event that this situation changes.”
The CST have also insisted they want to see ALL of the funds from the proceed of the sale go towards charitable causes.
Ministers have been looking at diverting some of the cash from the Chelsea sale - with Abramovich currently under strict Government sanctions and unable to profit in any way - towards grassroots football.
The CST added: “We note the current Chelsea owners stated intention for proceeds to go victims of the war in Ukraine, and recent suggestions that some of the proceeds could go elsewhere, such as grassroots football. It is the CST board’s firm view that proceeds of sale, if any, should be allocated to victims of the war in Ukraine.”
