CHELSEA have written an open letter admitting they ‘deeply regret’ the European Super League farce and promise to ‘engage with fans far better’ in future.
Chelsea had joined English rivals Manchester United, Man City, Tottenham, Arsenal and Liverpool in announcing plans to join the rebel breakaway league.
But after mass protests from supporters across the country, the idea was scrapped within days.
Chelsea and City were the first to pull out, with other clubs soon following, after angry fans protested outside Stamford Bridge on Wednesday.
Now, for the first time, the Blues have addressed their supporters in an open letter on the club website.
It read: “As concerns were raised following the announcement, the club took a step back to listen and speak to supporters.
“Following those conversations and taking into account the extremely strong views against the proposal, we reassessed our initial decision and decided we did not want to be part of this league.
“We also recognise the sentiment that had been expressed about whether the ESL relied strongly enough on sporting merit.
“This is something we had strong concerns about from the start and were confident would have been addressed during a further consultation process with various stakeholders, along with other concepts in the proposal about which we had reservations.
“We firmly believe that we must protect a structure which allows all clubs, players and supporters to dream of, and achieve, success.
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“We recognise we should have addressed these issues in advance of joining the group.
“The owner and board understand that involving the club in such a proposal was a decision we should not have taken.
“It is a decision we deeply regret.”
After Chelsea and City’s withdrawal, the other four English clubs announced their intention to cut ties with the ESL in a separate statement.
Fans from Liverpool, Spurs and Arsenal have all called for their respected owners to leave.
Other European clubs also withdrew, though Real Madrid, Barcelona, Juventus and AC Milan appear committed to the plan.
Chelsea have now vowed to communicate with their fanbase better after the worldwide shambles.
They said: “The club always tries to be open and transparent with its supporters, and we remain committed to this in the future and will take actions to rebuild the trust of the supporters that we have enjoyed to this point.
“As such, the club renews its commitment to listen to and engage with its supporters far better in future.
“The board will lead consultations with supporter groups and other stakeholders on new mechanisms or structures that develop and safeguard fan representation in the club’s work.”
Source: Soccer - thesun.co.uk
