Guest CCFC1 Posted February 7, 2014 Share Posted February 7, 2014 Hi guys,Coventry City fan here in peace.In order to bring to light the problem with football governance in our country we are demanding an enquiry by the government into how it came to be that CCFC are playing their matches 35 miles outside the city.It would be greatly appreciated if you took 30 seconds to sign the petition. Even better if you could share it. If the petition reaches 100,000 signatures it will have to be considered by government.http://epetitions.direct.gov.uk/petitions/59884I am posting this after hearing of the crazy state of affairs at LUFC recently.From what I gather, the person fronting the takeover of their club has both previously been convicted of fraud AND once uprooted an Italian club from one side of the country to the other to play out matches in front of 200 spectators.What with my club also being owned by a private equity firm I’m not surprised to hear GFH are going ahead with this sale in their own interests and nobody else’s.I find it appalling that, given everything that has happened with not just my club but many others, the football authorities are considering allowing the takeover at LUFC to go through.Once again they are failing to prevent outside interests from making a mockery of our game and its heritage.In order for this petition to be effective us Sky Blues rely on the football community coming together in this time of need. Your help is much appreciated.(For those not aware of the background to the CCFC situation and wanting to know more, the extract below is as short hand as it gets and is taken from a recent Q&A with ArsenalOnline prior to our cup game at the Emirates).Many thanksMost people blame our owners, the Sisu hedge fund, and many people suspect their actions over the last two years are all about trying to get ownership of the Ricoh Arena on the cheap.The Coventry City saga makes Lord of the Rings look short, but here goes –• Until the mid 1990s we were well run and solvent• 1996 a new chairman decided to ‘have a punt’ on success• 2001 relegated from the Premiership with something like £60 million debt• 2005 after more crises moved from our Highfield Road ground to the Ricoh Arena as tenants with the Arena owned by ACL (Arena Coventry Limited), a joint venture between Coventry City Council and a local Charity• 2007 CCFC was taken over by Sisu, a hedge fund• 2010 with the global financial crisis hitting Sisu hard, Sisu’s owner Joy Seppala took direct control• 2012 Sisu declared the rent being paid to ACL was too high and stopped paying it• 2012 Relegated to League 1• 2013 Sisu declared they are going to build a new stadium in ‘the Coventry area’, but not in the City itself• 2013 club went into Administration• 2013 Sisu relocated the club to Northampton, approved by the Football League for a period of 3 to 5 years• Today – CCFC has been described as a basket-case. Currently:- The crisis continues to be played out in the courts and media, with the next phase being a Judicial Review Sisu has sought against the Council but that won’t happen for months- Sisu continue to say they will build a new stadium but have not purchased land, engaged in discussions with planning authorities nor submitted a planning application- Our owner is so secretive there is no publicly available photo of her so we don’t even know what she looks like- The vast majority of City fans are boycotting games at Northampton and attendances there are hitting record lows with an average of around 2,000 including visiting fans, but there’s been a massive increase in numbers going to away games- A generation of new football fans is being lost and the heart is being ripped out of our club- There is no indication of when, if ever, we will return to Coventry Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
southportdc Posted February 7, 2014 Share Posted February 7, 2014 Signed Although wouldn't have thought an excuse to get out of Coventry once a week is so bad. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
FlyingOwl Posted February 7, 2014 Share Posted February 7, 2014 Signed. Would hate if Wednesday had to play outside of Sheffield. Or outside of Hillsborough for that matter. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
ramone Posted February 7, 2014 Share Posted February 7, 2014 Signed and good luck Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Guest Distraught! Posted February 7, 2014 Share Posted February 7, 2014 Signed Although wouldn't have thought an excuse to get out of Coventry once a week is so bad. To Northampton tho' Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
eckington owl Posted February 7, 2014 Share Posted February 7, 2014 Done. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
overlandandsea Posted February 7, 2014 Share Posted February 7, 2014 signed. Coventry are a great club, good luck! Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
archieswfc Posted February 7, 2014 Share Posted February 7, 2014 A similar story to ours that. Bad owners gambling on success. Makes me grateful for MM. Will sign now. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
TheEnchanter Posted February 7, 2014 Share Posted February 7, 2014 One of the best followings this season was Coventrys to MK Dons. Didn't they take like 7,000. Signed. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
southportdc Posted February 7, 2014 Share Posted February 7, 2014 To Northampton tho' True that. Maybe we could temporarily relocate to Florida for a couple of matches each year. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Raygun Posted February 7, 2014 Share Posted February 7, 2014 Fantastic. Best of luck to you. Football governance in the UK is an issue that every fan could do with taking more of an interest in. Much more pressure needs to be put on the people who are supposedly looking after the best interests of the fans and the sport as a whole. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
trevdi9 Posted February 7, 2014 Share Posted February 7, 2014 signed , good luck mate about time something was done ,it's scandalous you can't play in your own city , Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
asteener1867 Posted February 7, 2014 Share Posted February 7, 2014 Signed all the best... Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
RiK Posted February 7, 2014 Share Posted February 7, 2014 Signed. I couldn't begin to imagine what it's like to have the heart ripped out of your club like this. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
TheEnchanter Posted February 7, 2014 Share Posted February 7, 2014 Bump. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Eaton_Swfc Posted February 7, 2014 Share Posted February 7, 2014 Signed, although it wont achieve owt. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
m77owl Posted February 7, 2014 Share Posted February 7, 2014 Signed Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Pompeyowl Posted February 7, 2014 Share Posted February 7, 2014 Signed. Although I'd love to see Leeds go under. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
PeteG_1984 Posted February 7, 2014 Share Posted February 7, 2014 Signed mate, best of luck Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Utah Owl Posted February 7, 2014 Share Posted February 7, 2014 (edited) Signed, good luck mate. MODS PLEASE PIN THIS IS IMPORTANT TO ALL OF US! Edited February 7, 2014 by Utah Owl Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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