Chelsea fans stage protest against owners ahead of Southampton match

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Evening Standard

·25. Februar 2025

Chelsea fans stage protest against owners ahead of Southampton match

Around 200 supporters gathered outside Stamford Bridge

Protest: Chelsea fans voiced their frustration with the club’s owners

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Chelsea fans have staged a protest against the club’s owners outside Stamford Bridge ahead of Tuesday night’s Premier League clash with Southampton.

The Blues are in a dismal run of form, having taken just nine points from their last ten league matches to slip from second in the table to seventh, and now face a battle to secure Champions League football next term.

A group of supporters have chosen to voice their frustration over the stewardship of co-owners Todd Boehly and Clearlake Capital, who bought the club in May 2022.

Chelsea have spent more than £1billion on players in that time but are yet to win a major trophy and are left relying on the Conference League as their sole hope of ending that drought this term.

The protest began outside the stadium’s Bovril Gate around two hours before kick-off before moving along the Fulham Road to the Stamford Gate.

The group, which swelled to around 200 fans, sang “we want our Chelsea back” and chanted the name of former owner Roman Abramovich. One banner read: “Wanted for crimes against Chelsea - Clearlake [and] BlueCo”.

BlueCo is the investment vehicle formed in 2022 to facilitate the takeover.

One supporter waved fake money in front of a cartoon image of Boehly, which was accompanied by a sign reading: “Thanks Chelsea fans for making me richer”.

That was a reference to the revelation earlier this month that Boehly is a co-owner of Vivid Seats, an American website that sells tickets to sporting events, including Chelsea matches, often at a significant markup.