“BRING back the Sky Blues to Coventry and give fans more say, ” was the impassioned plea from the Labour MP for Coventry South, Zarah Sultana to parliament.
Speaking in a Westminster Hall debate Ms Sultana called for Coventry City FC’s ground situation to be swiftly resolved and has also written to the the Secretary of State for Digital, Culture, Media and Sport Oliver Dowden calling for financial support for the club.
The Labour MP for Coventry South said it was “absurd, ridiculous and frankly disgraceful” that fans are having to drive a 38-mile round trip to St Andrew’s to watch home matches.
She said: “Coventry City Football Club should be playing football in the city of Coventry.” The MP added that she is determined to do everything she can to help resolve this.
Although a “die-hard Liverpool fan”, Ms Sultana described how this meant she knew it is important to speak up about the Sky Blues
She said: “I know what it is to care about a club, through the highs and without doubt through the lows…
“I am very proud to represent many thousands of passionate Sky Blues fans. I am here today for them.”
Ms Sultana also spoke about the financial situation Coventry City FC and other English Football League clubs find themselves in.
Last week Sky Blues chief executive Dave Bodd wrote a letter to the Prime Minister about the government’s Winter Sports Survival Package which he said had “failed to provide a financial lifeline for EFL Clubs”.
He went on to say: “The evidence shows that the Government is not doing everything that it can and instead is putting its head in the sand and hoping for the Premier League to provide the support for the EFL Clubs instead.
“Coventry City believes this is wrong, and the Government should treat football as it is treating other sports and provide the support to ensure it survives during this crisis and while the Government does not allow fans to return.
“The nation’s sport is football and it is being left to fend for itself, despite it being the most significant sport in this country for its economic, social and community impact and the number of supporters it would normally have going through turnstiles.
Referring to this, Ms Sultana said: “Clubs should not be in this position of financial insecurity…because a football club is more than a business. It’s part of the community. For many people, they are part of the social fabric that ties us together.”
Ms Sultana concluded her speech calling for fans to have greater say in how their clubs are run. She said: “Clubs should be run in the interests of the people who sustain them, who watch them week in, week out. The people who stick with them when times are good and when they’re not. They should be run for their fans.”
