The Trust issued the following statement today in response to comments by Vincent Tan.
Tim Hartley, chair of Cardiff City Supporters’ Trust, said: “It is good to hear that Mr Tan is committed to Cardiff City and that he recognises that there is need to build bridges with supporters.
“His offer of a return to blue if Cardiff City return to the Premier League is welcome but there is no reason why he cannot do that now. It took Leicester 10 years to return to the Premier League and most fans would prefer an immediate return to our traditional playing colours. It would be in the club and Mr Tan’s interest to do so. Announcing that blue will replace red for the 2014-15 season would boost season ticket and shirt sales.
“We welcome the suggestion that Mr Tan will consider having an elected supporter representative on the board. The Trust organises elections to its board on an annual basis and would be happy to help the club ensure supporter can be elected to represent the fans’ interests.
“We are however disappointed that Mr Tan did not confirm that he would convert the club’s entire debt to equity. This is what was promised two years ago and at a meeting in March, Mr Tan pledged to deal with the matter when the legal dispute with Malky Mackay was resolved. That has now been done and conversion of all the debt would give fans confidence that the uncertainty of the club’s financing going forward had been dealt with.
“We along with other supporter representatives look forward to meeting Mr Tan at soon as possible and he is invited to attend our annual meeting on May 22 to talk to Trust members.”
The difference between debt and equity is explained on the Trust website by board member and football finance expert, Keith Morgan: https://www.ccfctrust.org/?p=