The supporters of Cardiff City were relieved to hear the club has been given a further 56 days by the High Court to clear its outstanding tax debts. However, fans were also alarmed to hear the Bluebirds described as “plainly insolvent” by the barrister representing Her Majesty’s Revenue and Customs.
It is obvious that our beloved football club is in a wretched financial state and yet there appears to be none of the drastic cost-cutting measures we have seen at other clubs who have encountered similar problems. Instead, it seems the only remedies being offered by the Cardiff City board are the hopes of substantial foreign investment or promotion to the Premiership.
Given the perilous position of the club and our team’s poor recent form, both solutions seem wildly optimistic. Consequently, these are very worrying times for all Bluebirds fans.
Despite the club’s increasingly desperate plight, its management and players have continued to collect their hefty wages, and there are suggestions that some of the major shareholders have ensured monies owing to them have been paid ahead of those owed to HMRC.
Meanwhile, supporters have been asked to dip into their pockets time and again, and they have done so. Within the space of the last twelve months, the club has benefited from record season ticket sales and its highest attendance levels since the early-Seventies, so the fans have clearly been playing their part.
At present, the feeling amongst the Bluebirds’ support is that we are being badly let down by those who are in control of our club. We were led to believe the move to our new stadium was the dawn of a bright new era, but in recent months it has been developing into a nightmare and there are widespread fears that things are set to go from bad to worse in the near future.
The board of directors and major shareholders are the custodians of our proud football club and, as such, they have a very clear duty to safeguard its future. We therefore hope they acknowledge their responsibilities and begin to act accordingly.
On behalf of Cardiff City’s thousands of loyal supporters, we hereby call upon the directors, shareholders, management and players to set aside their personal interests and do what is right by our beloved football club during the critical weeks ahead.
