COVENTRY City has today told the football authorities it is close to agreeing terms with two other clubs for a groundshare – and that the Ricoh Arena is not among them.
A statement on the CCFC website this afternoon does not rule out a Ricoh deal but says it is in the gift of owners Wasps to talk. It reads:
Coventry City today provided an update to the EFL Board, as was requested.
The Football Club confirmed to the EFL that it is close to the Head of Terms stage with two groundshare options. Coventry City will now progress to working on finalising terms with the Clubs and Stadiums involved.
While it remains our number one priority to stay, we can confirm that unfortunately the Ricoh Arena is not one of the venues above. At this stage, Wasps continue to choose not to enter into talks with the Football Club while our Owners SISU continue legal action with Coventry City Council.
Regrettably, we therefore have had to make alternative plans to the Ricoh Arena, the stadium that was built for us, to ensure our place in the EFL next season. The groundshare proposals would do that.
This is not an easy situation, and we apologise to supporters that it has reached this stage and for the heartache which has been caused.
Coventry City Football Club and its management team cannot affect the stances of Coventry City Council, Wasps or of our Owners in this situation – what we can do is put in plans to ensure this great Football Club continues to survive despite the impasse that exists, and that is what we will do.
