Chelsea owner Todd Boehly has made ‘horrendous’ new move – Stefan Borson
Chelsea co-owner Todd Boehly has faced intense scrutiny since spearheading BlueCo’s takeover of the club in 2022.
The London giants have largely underperformed on the pitch over the past couple of years despite spending heavily on new signings, raising questions about the Stamford Bridge chief’s ability to deliver success.
The Times reported on 4 February Boehly is a director of American site Vivid Seats, which facilitates the resale of Premier League match tickets at up to £20,000.
Finance expert Stefan Borson exclusively told Football Insider that looks “horrendous” for the Chelsea chairman from a PR perspective.
He insisted the west London club would want to be capturing all the ticket money themselves to boost their matchday revenue.
Chelsea condemned ticket holders who sold on their seats for a profit last year and threatened to remove season passes and memberships.
Todd Boehly to take action after Chelsea ticket controversy
Borson expects Boehly to do something about the Vivid Seats situation following the latest media coverage.
He told Football Insider: “I don’t know how involved he is in that company.
“I suspect he’s just a shareholder and he’s got hundreds of investments. The optics are horrendous from a PR and a press perspective.
“But in terms of actually what it means, is he funnelling tickets off to his little company? I very much doubt it. I suspect it’s quite a storm in a tea cup, but optically it just looks horrible.
“You wonder where the story has come from and why it’s come out now because it’s not a new development. This company has been selling tickets for ages.
“You have to question who the hell is buying tickets for Chelsea for £20,000. I don’t know why you would do that. It’s not that hard to get a ticket for quite a lot less. The product is okay, but it’s hardly once in a lifetime stuff, which is a £20,000 ticket.
“You have to remember the desire of the clubs is to capture all of that money. The clubs do not want ticket touts in the mix because all that happens is all of that profit is lost to the ticket tout. They want to keep that themselves.
“In an ideal world, every single ticket would be sold by the club, including resales and returns. Todd Boehly doesn’t own the club outright, so the club themselves wouldn’t want any scenario where that was the case.
“As I say, I think it’s a bit of a storm in a tea cup, but it just looks horrible. I am sure he will do something about it.”
Chelsea owners fear takeover hit after new blow
Boehly led the £4.25billion purchase of Chelsea in May 2022, bringing to an end Roman Abramovich’s 19-year reign at Stamford Bridge.
The American was believed to be locked in a takeover battle with Clearlake Capital’s Behdad Eghbali earlier this season, but no agreement was reached and the pair both remain at the club.
Football Insider revealed on 8 November Chelsea’s valuation has dropped over the past couple of years due to their lack of progress on the pitch.
Enzo Maresca’s side currently sit fourth in the Premier League table, two points ahead of fifth-place Manchester City after 24 games.
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