Chelsea fans are at odds over planned protests against the club’s ownership and management, with a section of the fanbase voicing their frustration at what they perceive as unnecessary disruption. The unrest follows a series of disappointing performances, including a crushing 3-0 defeat to Brighton, which head coach Enzo Maresca described as the worst of his tenure.
While some supporters are contemplating boycotts and demonstrations to express their dissatisfaction with Clearlake Capital’s leadership, others believe that protesting now would be counterproductive.
@TK221996 criticised the move, saying: “All bark, no bite. ‘Protests’ at a time when the club need support. Youngest squad in Chelsea history and they wanna do this nonsense. Booing on the first day of the season vs City as well cuz we were trying to build up play. This is our fanbase in a nutshell. Embarrassing.”
Similarly, @313_Kaz pointed out the inconsistency in fan reactions: “All the fickle fans who hate Maresca and Clearlake right now will go back to loving both and will be chanting we’ve got our Chelsea back, and as soon as we lose or draw again, they’ll be chanting Roman Abramovich and organising protests.”
Another fan, @Silva05, questioned the logic behind the protests: “Chelsea fans who aren’t even in the country, organising protests vs owners that can’t even contractually sell the club until a certain date, because the club is currently 1 point off top 4. Room temperature IQ.”
The skepticism continued with @ShadboltGr51586 dismissing the potential impact: “These fan protests won’t make a bit of difference.”
@QCFCTRUEBLUE2021 warned about the long-term consequences of such actions: “I’m absolutely against the protest, the pressure it puts on this young team, this protest could ruin the club, because if the owners cave then the supporters will protest every time something bad happens. Protests never worked for United or Arsenal.”
Lastly, @Cccyuh1 highlighted the contradiction in fan sentiment: “The fans were chanting we’ve got our Chelsea back 75 days ago. Now it’s protests. Yk how dumb that looks?”
With tensions rising among the fanbase, it remains to be seen whether the protests will gain traction or if the majority will rally behind Maresca and the team during this challenging period.