Chelsea’s potential new owner Nick Candy offers fans seat on the board if his bid successful
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Updated 13/03/2022 at 12:52 GMT
After the Chelsea owner Roman Abramovich was sanctioned last week, the UK government has offered a potential green light to sell the club. Front runner in the race to buy it, businessman Nick Candy, told Sky News that he would offer fans a seat on the board in the takeover. The club face Newcastle at Stamford Bridge on Sunday afternoon in the Premier League.
Nick Candy arrives at the High Court on March 2, 2017 in London, England.
Image credit: Getty Images
Chelsea’s potential new owner Nick Candy has promised to give Chelsea fans a seat on the board if his move to buy the club is successful.
The businessman and property developer is working to bring financiers on board with his bid to buy the club before the deadline at the end of the week.
Candy has also offered to provide short-term funding to help stabilise the club. His bid would need to comply with the stipulations of Chelsea’s temporary operating licence which was granted last week to keep the club operational.
The 49-year-old, a lifelong Chelsea fan, has said offering fans a place on the board reflects a belief that supporters should be central to one of the world’s most successful clubs.
A spokesperson for Nick Candy told Sky News on Sunday: "We welcome the news that the sale of the club will be conducted quickly.
"This is a reassuring development for fans after a week of great uncertainty.
"Mr Candy cares hugely about the future of the club and believes that the fans and the community are central to its continued success.
"Should his bid be successful, Mr Candy would advocate for a fan representative to join the board so supporters become part of the decision-making process.
"If the club requires money to operate in the short term, Mr Candy would be happy to help ensure it has the necessary financial resources, subject to government approval."
Candy, who announced his aspirations to take over the club last week, plans to visit Stamford Bridge as the European champions welcome Newcastle on Sunday afternoon.
On Friday sponsor Hyundai joined mobile company Three in suspending ties with the club.
The car manufacturer signed a partnership with Chelsea in 2018 but has now asked for its logo to be removed from players' shirts and hoardings around Stamford Bridge "as soon as feasibly possible".
The company said in a statement: "Hyundai has become one of the strongest partners in football over the years and the company supports the sport to be a force for good."
"Through our partnership with Chelsea, we are proud supporters of the players, the fans and grassroots football. However, in the current circumstances, we have taken the decision to suspend our marketing and communication activities with the club until further notice."
The Stamford Bridge club’s current owner Roman Abramovich was disqualified as director of the club on Saturday by the Premier League following the UK government’s move to sanction him on 10 March.
The Russian oligarch had his British assets frozen, including the club, as the government responded to Russia’s invasion of Ukraine.
Abramovich was looking to sell the club from when the potential for sanctioning was raised in Parliament on 2 March but the sale was put on hold when the sanctions were announced.
The government has since announced that it is open to considering granting the club a special licence to allow the sale to go ahead, under the condition that Abramovich receives none of the proceeds.
The special licence under which the club is operating allows it to fulfil fixture commitments, pay staff, including coaches and players, and spend up to £900,000 to host home fixtures - an increase from the £500,000 outlined when the sanctions were announced.
The club is still restricted to spending £20,000 per game to travel to away fixtures and is expected to ditch private jets and expensive hotels.
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