One of the names in the frame to become the new owner of Chelsea believes that the fans deserve a place on the board to help run the club. Nick Candy, a property developer and lifelong Blues fan, is keen to take ownership and is working to establish a consortium. Candy is just one of a number of groups linked with taking over the club following the recent events surrounding owner Roman Abramovich. Here is a look at a few of the major runners and riders:
Boehly, Wyss, Goldstein consortium:
American billionaire Todd Boehly (co-owner of a number of US Sports sides) is the face of this consortium that also includes Swiss billionaire Hansjörg Wyss and UK property developer Jonathan Goldstein.
Saudi Media:
A private consortium from Saudi (obviously) and involved in media (hence the name). Not much else is known about the group but unlike the Newcastle owners, they claim to not be government funded.
Josh Harris:
An American billionaire who has stakes in numerous sports teams such as the Philadelphia 76ers, New Jersey Devils, Pittsburgh Steelers and Crystal Palace. The latter is obviously a conflict of interest that would need to be addressed.
Sir Martin Broughton:
A Chelsea fan for the life he has let it known he is in talks about developing a consortium. Best known for his work in selling Liverpool to the Fenway Group he is someone the government might look to help broker the deal. Broughton is well connected and it is possible he could work with Harris and Candy.
What is a Golden Share?
The term came around after the proposed European Super League idea and was developed by Labour MP Tracey Crouch. While not going as far as clubs in Germany that have large fan ownership and control it would give back some powers to supporters. A promo code is made available by betting websites for new bettors in their quest to have fun with their favourite clubs. It would allow them to have a representative on the board. It would give them powers to veto some more controversial decisions that would be linked to the history of a club and naming rights.
Do other clubs employ this?
In the UK this system is employed by Brentford in the Premier League alone while in the Football League a few clubs have similar setups. Rochdale and Wycombe are both known as clubs with large fan involvement.