A group of Chelsea supporters have been protesting against the club’s ownership outside of Stamford Bridge this evening ahead of their Premier League match at home to Southampton.
Some fans, thought to be around 200 and 300, met at Bovril Gate outside of the Blues’ stadium at 6pm (GMT) to protest about how the club is being ran at the moment. Clearlake Capital, the consortium led by Behdad Eghbali, are one of the targets of the protest with fans concerned about the club’s progress almost three years after they bought Chelsea from Roman Abramovich.
Abramovich’s name was being chanted outside of Stamford Bridge, as well as derogatory songs towards Todd Boehly from the group of supporters. One of the banners on show in SW6 read: “Wanted for crimes against Chelsea: Clearlake”, with plenty of blue smoke being created from flares being set off.
The club’s transfer policy is a big talking point with many fans unhappy with the way Chelsea have operated in the market in recent seasons. The Blues have bought plenty of young players with a lack of experience and some fans believe this has played a big part in the form in recent games. Going into tonight’s match, Chelsea are in seventh-place, although a win over bottom-of-the-table Southampton would see the Blues climb back into the top four.
Here are some of the images from the protest outside of Stamford Bridge…
