A debate on football clubs took place in the House of Lords yesterday.
Baroness Baroness Taylor of Bolton, who asked for the debate, made some pointed marks which apply to the owner of Cardiff City, Vincent Tan, as well as some owner club owners.
She said: “There are owners of football clubs who are genuine fans and who suffer defeats with the rest of us. But there are owners—and this seems to be an increasing problem—who regard their clubs as just another business and who forget or ignore the essence of the club, the fans and their community. Some owners have no links and little loyalty to their club. They think that you can change club colours on a whim. Some even want to change the name of the team.
“As we have seen recently from the BBC’s Price of Football survey, average ticket prices have increased almost twice as much as the cost of living since 2011—all without any reference to the core supporters, local communities and fans. These owners are treating the club as a commodity and nothing more.”
Read the full deebate by clicking on https://www.publications.parliament.uk/pa/ld201415/ldhansrd/text/141030-0002.htm#14103054000422