Thursday 28 Mar 2024
By
main news image

KUALA LUMPUR (May 11): Cardiff City Football Club’s (Cardiff City FC) board of directors said it is aware of an open letter from the Cardiff City Supporters’ Trust to Cardiff City FC owner Tan Sri Vincent Tan Chee Yioun and the board deems the open letter "unhelpful, inaccurate and disruptive” because the Cardiff City Supporters’ Trust was de-registered as a mutual organisation in the UK in 2016.

"The organisation known as Cardiff City Supporters’ Trust was de-registered as a mutual organisation/trust from (by) the Financial Conduct Authority in 2016 and does not meet the Football Supporters Associations (FSA’s) basic minimum requirements. For these important reasons, Cardiff City FC does not recognise the trust as an official entity,” Cardiff City FC said in a statement on Monday (May 9).

Cardiff City FC said the football club and its board of directors however recognise the Cardiff City Supporters’ Club as its primary supporter body, alongside the Disabled Supporters’ Association and Cardiff City Travel Group.

"It is these supporter bodies, representing Cardiff City supporters as a collective, with whom the club’s board and its executives have constructive and healthy regular communication for the betterment of the supporter experience and indeed the long-term wellbeing of our football club.

"It is unfortunate that a small collective of individuals chose the hours prior to kick-off against Derby County on Saturday morning (May 7) to pursue a personal and self-serving agenda against the club (Cardiff City FC) they claim to support,” Cardiff City FC said.

News on the Cardiff City Supporters’ Trust’s open letter to Berjaya Corp Bhd founder Tan has been widely reported in the UK.

BBC reported on Tuesday (May 10) that the Cardiff City Supporters' Trust wrote to Tan calling for a "vision with a clear and realistic strategy" and a fans' representative on the board.

"Cardiff City Supporters’ Trust sent the letter to Tan to inform him of what it calls the 'progressive breakdown in communication between the directors at the club and the Supporters' Trust'. It praised the appointment of Steve Morison as first-team manager and the return of former club captain Darren Purse as Cardiff (City FC’s) under-23 coach.

"But the trust says its relationship with Cardiff (City FC) has broken down and makes a number of recommendations including the appointment of a new chief executive empowered to make all the necessary decisions through the club board.

"Cardiff City Supporters’ Trust also wants a fans' representative director on the (Cardiff City FC’s) board for a 'supporters' voice to be heard directly at (Cardiff City FC’s) board level, [and] to ensure the supporters are informed, where possible, of the club's direction of travel,” BBC reported.

Edited ByChong Jin Hun
      Print
      Text Size
      Share