The search for a buyer at Leicester City continues, with the Foxes currently sitting 18th in League One and having managed just one win all season so far. Growing discontent has continued to build among the fanbase, mirroring last season’s frustrations with those responsible for running the club.
Now, the club’s supporter liaison group, The Foxes Trust, has presented an open letter to the club detailing the frustrations and observations of both the supporters’ group and fans themselves over the perceived lack of care shown towards fan experience, financial concerns and the overall running of the club.
The Foxes Trust knows all too well about turmoil at Leicester City, having been formed as a consequence of the club’s 2002 administration period. The move from Filbert Street to the Walkers Stadium, now the King Power Stadium, was hampered by relegation from the Premier League, the collapse of ITV Digital’s commitment to TV money and high player wages.
A consortium was brought together with former Foxes striker Gary Lineker as a figurehead, while Emile Heskey, then of Liverpool, donated over £100,000 to aid the club’s survival. Leicester City managed to survive a vote to change the name of the club back to ‘Leicester Fosse’ in a bid to wipe out its crippling debts. The ‘C or F’ vote took place at half-time during the home match against Wimbledon, with the crowd holding up the relevant placards. The name City unanimously beat Fosse.
Now, the dark days of financial struggle are back, with Leicester finding themselves a league worse off than on the previous occasion. Despite the club pledging a ‘new era of communications’, the Foxes Trust has highlighted ticketing, FanZone usage and communication as some of the key areas in which the club’s board are falling short. Emails to the club regarding these concerns from the Trust have largely gone unanswered.
Ticket pricing was also detailed in the open letter after Bradford City’s supporters’ trust enquired about reciprocal pricing for away fans ahead of their visit to the King Power Stadium. The Foxes Trust duly approached Leicester City to raise the matter but was unsuccessful in receiving a response, despite repeated follow-up attempts. In Leicester City’s opening home game of the season, Burton Albion supporters were charged up to £47 for away tickets.
A survey by the Trust confirmed that 75% of fans wanted a change of ownership at the club. Owner Aiyawatt “Top” Srivaddhanaprabha placed the club up for sale in mid-August, with reported interest from the Middle East failing to yield any concrete offer to date. Aiyawatt’s father, Vichai, famously oversaw the club defy 5,000-1 odds to lift the Premier League title in 2016 before his tragic death in a helicopter crash in 2018.
Since lifting the FA Cup in 2021, the club have suffered three relegations and a single promotion in the last four seasons. Fingers have pointed towards Director of Football-turned-Chief Football Officer John Rudkin as being a key culprit for the downturn in on-pitch performance along with poor transfer dealings, while those in charge of the club’s finances have seen Leicester City taken to court and docked six points for breaches of PSR (Profit and Sustainability Rules) relating to the 2023/24 promotion season.
The Foxes Trust finished their letter by raising concerns that potential buyers could be put off by the disengagement between the supporters and the club. The Trust stated: “As the club goes up for sale, it should lean further into fan engagement rather than away from it. Disenfranchised fans are less attractive to buyers than engaged ones.”
In a statement aimed at those running the club, the Trust added: “In the meantime, we hope our own Football Club will start treating supporters and the Trust with the respect that we deserve.”
You can read The Foxes Trust open letter in full here.
Image Credit: Ronnie MacDonald