‘Todd Boehly facing fan revolt as controversial Chelsea payment revealed’
Chelsea co-owner Todd Boehly continues to face intense scrutiny from the club’s supporters after making some controversial decisions at Stamford Bridge.
The Premier League side have largely underperformed on the pitch over the past couple of years despite spending around £1.5billion on new signings since Boehly and Behdad Eghbali’s Clearlake Capital took over in May 2022.
The London giants’ current fourth-place position puts them on course for their best top-flight finish since the takeover was completed, while they look set to reach the semi-finals of the Conference League.
Chelsea have released their latest accounts for 2023-24, showing their overall revenue fell from £513million to £469million last season.
The club’s underlying losses dropped from £249million to £214million, but they are still facing profit and sustainability (PSR) issues.
Chelsea sold their women’s team to BlueCo last summer for around £200million, helping them turn their previous £90million loss for 2022-23 into a £128million profit for last season.
Chelsea owners set to face further fan protests
Boehly’s involvement in Vivid Seats has caused unrest among Chelsea supporters in recent weeks.
The club’s chairman is a director of the American site, which facilitates the resale of Premier League match tickets at up to £20,000.
In an open letter to Premier League chief executive Richard Masters the Chelsea Supporters’ Trust has asked the league to “act and investigate” Boehly’s involvement in the company.
It comes after the West Londoners condemned ticket holders who sold on their seats for a profit last year and threatened to remove season passes and memberships.
Chelsea’s latest accounts revealed Vivid Seats made a £93,000 payment to the club that was listed under “transactions with related parties”.
The accounts didn’t provide any information on what the payment relates to, but the situation with Boehly and the supporters is clearly threatening to boil over.
Chelsea fans protested against their owners ahead of the 4-0 victory over Southampton in February, and there is every chance they will take similar action again soon.
Although Stamford Bridge is located in London’s most expensive borough, the fans aren’t going to continue paying high ticket prices if the results on the pitch don’t give them full value for their money.
Photos emerged online showing Chelsea’s hospitality areas largely empty during their Conference League clash against Copenhagen last month, with the 35,280 overall attendance their lowest of the season.
The most expensive tickets behind the dugout for their upcoming games against Liverpool and Manchester United in May have been priced at £12,500, which isn’t going to get the fans onside.
| Position | Team | Played | Points | GD |
| 1 | Liverpool | 31 | 73 | +42 |
| 2 | Arsenal | 31 | 62 | +30 |
| 3 | Nottingham Forest | 31 | 57 | +14 |
| 4 | Chelsea | 31 | 53 | +17 |
| 5 | Newcastle United | 30 | 53 | +13 |
| 6 | Man City | 31 | 52 | +17 |
| 7 | Aston Villa | 31 | 51 | 0 |
Chelsea considering plans to leave Stamford Bridge
Chelsea are currently considering plans to leave Stamford Bridge or expand their existing stadium, with Earl’s Court viewed as a possible location for a new facility.
Boehly admitted the club’s owners could go their separate ways if they can’t agree on their future stadium plans.
However, improving the relationship with the Chelsea fans seems like it should be a more pressing matter for Boehly before he looks to get a spade in the ground.
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