Post by QPR Report on Jan 14, 2010 7:24:19 GMT
The Times - Fed-up Portsmouth fans take first steps to have say in running of club - Nick Szczepanik
Throughout all the triumphs and troubles of Portsmouth over recent seasons, the one constant has been the support of the fans. But with financial ruin, the long-suffering loyalists of Fratton Park have had enough.
An hour-long demonstration by supporters outside the directors’ entrance after the 1-1 draw against Coventry City in the third round of the FA Cup 12 days ago showed the depth of their anger.
Further protests are planned, but more constructive is the recent formation of the Pompey Supporters’ Trust. The aim of such bodies is to give fans a say in the running of clubs and Portsmouth’s was given a boost last week when Sulaiman al-Fahim, the club’s non-executive chairman and previous owner, offered to transfer his 10 per cent holding to it. It raised the possibility of supporter representation in one of the most secretive of boardrooms.
“Since the early 1970s we’ve been run by autocrats — benign or not, depending on who they are,” said Colin Farmery, the spokesman for the trust. “That has made the fans think they have no chance of influencing things. But progress is often born out of crisis and I think that is what has happened at Portsmouth.
“The additional dynamic is Mr al-Fahim’s offer. I don’t think it’s a given that suddenly you’re going to get a supporter on the board. In the beginning, I think al-Fahim will be the fans’ representative anyway. But it shows that somebody is taking the fans seriously.”
Some supporters’ trusts have ended up running clubs, Exeter City being the most successful example, but taking over a side in the top two divisions would be a different challenge altogether. However, the Newcastle United Supporters Trust has attracted pledges of £50 million and hopes to buy into its club.
“If you are moving between Leagues One or Two, turning over £2-3 million, that is a business that can be run on a local level,” Farmery said. “But if you are turning over £30-40 million, you need professionals in there. The higher up the ladder you go, the harder it is to do something.
“But I’m trying to encourage fans to be ambitious. We might not run it ourselves, but a realistic ambition is representation. You become the conscience of the club. Kingmaker, or at least king confirmer, would be the ideal position to be in. Any owner who said they didn’t need a supporters’ trust should be regarded with the utmost suspicion.”
Mark Jacob, the Portsmouth executive director, would go no further than to say that “it might be, in the future, that the owners would want to work with something like a supporters’ trust”, but Supporters Direct, the organisation that promotes fan involvement in clubs, believes that owners should recognise the legitimate interests of supporters rather than fearing their involvement.
“Portsmouth fans want to know who owns their club, what their intentions are and whether there is anything they can do to make sure their club survives,” Kevin Rye, the Supporters Direct spokesman, said. “They are trying to make sure the people running the club know that they have concerns.”
Rye and Farmery agree that the situation at Fratton Park has thrown up wider questions about club structures and the role of the authorities. “The Premier League’s much-vaunted fit and proper persons test has approved a British Virgin Islandsregistered company, where we don’t know who the shareholders or directors are, to have a 90 per cent stake in our football club and to be apparently running it into the ground,” Farmery said. “How can they allow this situation to occur? That is the problem.”
www.timesonline.co.uk/tol/sport/football/premier_league/portsmouth/article6987058.ece
Throughout all the triumphs and troubles of Portsmouth over recent seasons, the one constant has been the support of the fans. But with financial ruin, the long-suffering loyalists of Fratton Park have had enough.
An hour-long demonstration by supporters outside the directors’ entrance after the 1-1 draw against Coventry City in the third round of the FA Cup 12 days ago showed the depth of their anger.
Further protests are planned, but more constructive is the recent formation of the Pompey Supporters’ Trust. The aim of such bodies is to give fans a say in the running of clubs and Portsmouth’s was given a boost last week when Sulaiman al-Fahim, the club’s non-executive chairman and previous owner, offered to transfer his 10 per cent holding to it. It raised the possibility of supporter representation in one of the most secretive of boardrooms.
“Since the early 1970s we’ve been run by autocrats — benign or not, depending on who they are,” said Colin Farmery, the spokesman for the trust. “That has made the fans think they have no chance of influencing things. But progress is often born out of crisis and I think that is what has happened at Portsmouth.
“The additional dynamic is Mr al-Fahim’s offer. I don’t think it’s a given that suddenly you’re going to get a supporter on the board. In the beginning, I think al-Fahim will be the fans’ representative anyway. But it shows that somebody is taking the fans seriously.”
Some supporters’ trusts have ended up running clubs, Exeter City being the most successful example, but taking over a side in the top two divisions would be a different challenge altogether. However, the Newcastle United Supporters Trust has attracted pledges of £50 million and hopes to buy into its club.
“If you are moving between Leagues One or Two, turning over £2-3 million, that is a business that can be run on a local level,” Farmery said. “But if you are turning over £30-40 million, you need professionals in there. The higher up the ladder you go, the harder it is to do something.
“But I’m trying to encourage fans to be ambitious. We might not run it ourselves, but a realistic ambition is representation. You become the conscience of the club. Kingmaker, or at least king confirmer, would be the ideal position to be in. Any owner who said they didn’t need a supporters’ trust should be regarded with the utmost suspicion.”
Mark Jacob, the Portsmouth executive director, would go no further than to say that “it might be, in the future, that the owners would want to work with something like a supporters’ trust”, but Supporters Direct, the organisation that promotes fan involvement in clubs, believes that owners should recognise the legitimate interests of supporters rather than fearing their involvement.
“Portsmouth fans want to know who owns their club, what their intentions are and whether there is anything they can do to make sure their club survives,” Kevin Rye, the Supporters Direct spokesman, said. “They are trying to make sure the people running the club know that they have concerns.”
Rye and Farmery agree that the situation at Fratton Park has thrown up wider questions about club structures and the role of the authorities. “The Premier League’s much-vaunted fit and proper persons test has approved a British Virgin Islandsregistered company, where we don’t know who the shareholders or directors are, to have a 90 per cent stake in our football club and to be apparently running it into the ground,” Farmery said. “How can they allow this situation to occur? That is the problem.”
www.timesonline.co.uk/tol/sport/football/premier_league/portsmouth/article6987058.ece