Chelsea Stadium Plans Blocked By Fans
Chelsea’s attempt to buy the freehold land on which Stamford Bridge sits has been blocked, failing to achieve the 75% of votes at a general meeting of Chelsea Pitch Owners (CPO).
61.6% were in favour of the sale, but with it failing to achieve the three-quarters in favour mark, the club will now consider its options, with chairman Bruce Buck saying the situation will be debated by owner Roman Abramovich and the board.
CPO was formed in 1993 to prevent property developers taking control of Stamford Bridge. Chelsea are seeking to buy back the land as the first step in a move that would likely see the club leave Stamford Bridge for a new 60,000-seat stadium.
‘Chelsea FC is naturally disappointed with the result. A large number of fans supported our proposals but it was always going to be difficult when we had to have a 75 per cent majority of voting shareholders accepting them,’ said a statement on the club website.
Buck himself added: ‘Obviously we are disappointed but we recognise and we respect totally that the shareholders of Chelsea Pitch Owners have spoken. We will meet with Mr Abramovich and the rest of the board and we will decide what action, if any, we will take going forward.
‘I don’t view this as an us and against you, we against they situation. We are all Chelsea fans and I can only hope that on Saturday we can get together and support this club and beat Arsenal.’
