Chelsea Supporters Trust have hit out at Premier League CEO Richard Masters for “failing to deliver” against the league’s own ‘Fan Engagement Standard’ by scheduling a Christmas Eve fixture away at Wolves.
The club’s most prominent fan group have signalled they remain furious they will become the first club to play on the festive date since 1995, despite attempts to appease supporters.
Chelsea will put on free travel to the Midlands and the League have moved the fixture forward by an hour to 1pm GMT to ease travel concerns.
CST and Wolves 1877 Trust say they still want the match rearranged and have called out Masters, who promised in March to make sure supporters are “heard” and have “a say on key issues relating to their clubs."
The joint statement read: "The opposition to this fixture change was made clear 6 days before the final announcement, yet these concerns were consistently ignored by the Premier League.
"We are disappointed that our early request to reschedule the fixture was rejected. It is important to note Saturday, December 23 [20:00] is an available slot – but this was also refused.
"Last season, 15.2m supporters attended Premier League matches – a new competition record. Despite these exceptional attendance figures, the Premier League has once again demonstrated that it will put the requirements of the broadcasters ahead of matchgoing supporters by breaking its own 28-year-old precedent and scheduling Wolves v Chelsea on Christmas Eve.
"Our message is clear – stop treating matchgoing supporters with total disrespect. Decisions like these make a mockery of CEO Richard Masters's own words when he launched the league’s ‘Fan Engagement Standard, where he said: 'It is vital we ensure the voices of supporters are not only heard in the stands but also when it comes to having a say on key issues relating to their clubs.'
"Fixture changes like these are key issues for all of us, and we must have a genuine say in decisions about them. Meaningful consultation only happens during the decision-making process, the Premier League has failed to deliver against its own Fan Engagement Standard.
"Decisions like these also risk stadia becoming lifeless, soulless, and without passion.
"Our concerns that supporters were not at the forefront of the decision-making process were not allayed during our recent meeting. While the Premier League has acknowledged our views on this issue, we strongly urge officials to publicly address the very strong supporter concerns on scheduling and similar issues. A very clear behavioural shift is required.
"A better balance between supporters inside the ground and fans watching on TV is required. This is the responsibility of all 20 Premier League Clubs and the Premier League itself."
Chelsea and Wolves have received support from all the other fan groups in the Premier League and the Football Supporters' Association, who represent all fans in England and Wales.
