Coventry City will be leaving the Ricoh Arena at the end of the season.
In a statement on the club’s website, the Sky Blues board confirmed the news and announced they are in advanced negotiations over two possible ground shares for next season.
The EFL has given them until 25th April to confirm their arrangments or face possible expulsion from the league.
Supporters were angry at the news which is the result of an ongoing legal dispute between the club’s owners SISU and Coventry City Council in which the stadium’s owners, rugby club Wasps, are mentioned as an interested party.
SISU has always contested the sale of the ground by the council to Wasps in 2014, and despite losing two previous judicial reviews which upheld the council’s decision to sell to the rugby club, the controversial Sky Blues owners issued new legal proceedings in 2017.
Coventry’s current lease runs out at the end of the season, and the rugby club has refused to negotiate over a renewal while the legal action is ongoing.
This is the second time in their recent history that Coventry have been forced to leave the stadium that was purposely built for them in 2005. A previous legal dispute over rent payments with the council led to them playing the 2013/2014 season at Northampton Town’s Sixfields stadium.
Supporters soon took to Twitter to vent the fury at the situation, with many threatening not to renew their season tickets for the new season and only attend away games. SISU, Wasps, Coventry City Council and the impotent EFL all came in for scathing criticism.
Here is just a small selection of their angry responses to the latest update which includes some from other clubs offering support to the beleaguered fans of the 1987 FA Cup winners.
https://twitter.com/KathrynRidley/status/1116351293415665664
Sorry to everyone involved with Coventry City Football Club who care about the club! Not nice to hear regardless of who you support! All the best! Carlisle fan.
— JamesNStringer (@MrJNStringer) April 11, 2019
No more season tickets then. Saved a fortune. Thanks for the disappointment #shameless #growup
Away days only. ⚽️— Alright Treacle 💙📚❤ (@sweetfa21) April 11, 2019
What a joke. Laughing stock of the footballing community.
Sisu just leave, you have no love of the club or Coventry or the fans. It’s just embarrassing now. Fans will stay away if not at the Ricoh. #EFL #SISUOUT @bbcfoot @EFL WHAT ARE YOU DOING ABOUT THIS?— Simon Bradford (@SiBradford) April 11, 2019
https://twitter.com/ben292clay/status/1116364362443309059
Laughing stock , next season has relegation written all over it. Won’t be going to home games outside Coventry, hold you heads in shame the lot of you @WaspsRugby : @Coventry_City ; @coventrycc
— Swindontownfan1234 (@Swindontownfan3) April 11, 2019
Once again let down and don't even get me started on the cowards that run the football league.
— Steve Strong (@skybluesteve70) April 11, 2019
There are a lot of people who should be ashamed of themselves. I guarantee that they still sleep soundly with not a second thought to the damage they've done. A generation of young City supporters has now gone.
— MW (@markyward_cov) April 11, 2019
Knew that was going to happen. That’s screwed up my idea of having another season ticket. Be mostly away game next season. All have acted like children and you should all be ashamed of yourselves @coventrycc, @WaspsRugby and our owners
— tagz. PUSB 🏴🇬🇧 (@tagz96CCFC) April 11, 2019
https://twitter.com/curtis_goodison/status/1116406305252696064
Shameful. I genuinely feel sorry for the Coventry fans, I wouldn’t wish this on any club (and this comes from a Notts Fan). Those involved should be ashamed!
— Gem Miller (@Gemmiller7) April 11, 2019
A joke, you would of thought after Northampton, it would of been obvious very very few people will travel to watch "home" games outside of Coventry.
Cannot believe we are on the brink of moving out of our city AGAIN, utterly ridiculous..— Gman (@gman8770) April 11, 2019
