Leeds United Supporters Trust har i brevs form vært tydelige på hvor man har fansen mht Red Bull og hva som evt kan skje på sikt.
De er gledelig tydelige.
Leeds United Supporters Trust have today issued a strongly-worded statement following the news that Red Bull have bought a minority stake in the club. It emerged yesterday that the global energy drink brand have agreed a "multi-year agreement" with the Championship club.
United say the Red Bull partnership, which includes a front-of-shirt sponsorship deal, will "bring in new commercial revenues as well as additional capital investment". In an interview with The Athletic, Paraag Marathe, the head of the 49ers Enterprises ownership group, stressed the club's name and logo will remain unchanged following Red Bull's arrival.
A Trust statement said: “Leeds United have announced that Red Bull has taken a minority ownership stake in the club, as well as becoming our front-of-shirt sponsor. There was a mixed response from the fan base with some welcoming the financial investment, which of course is becoming more important to delivering on-field success, while others expressed their concerns strongly on what Red Bull’s future intentions could be, given their history with other sports clubs.
"We would be naïve as fans to assume there isn’t a larger, long-term plan for Red Bull’s initial foot in the door at Leeds United. The global energy drink brand owns RB Leipzig in Germany's Bundesliga, Austrian side Red Bull Salzburg, MLS side New York Red Bulls, as well as Red Bull Bragantino and RB Brasil in Brazil. In the past, they have made significant changes to club names, badges and kits, placing their brand front and centre, overshadowing and in some cases erasing the history of the clubs they have purchased. This has been met with large protests from fans, and league-wide protests from fans of other clubs.
"To be clear from the outset, any fundamental changes to Leeds United club's identity and heritage will receive maximum resistance from our fans, and we will be working closely with football authorities over the coming years in preparation for any such move by Red Bull.
“While the club have been open and proactive in stating that no one from Red Bull will sit on the board and there will be no change to the name or logo, this is only a promise while the 49ers maintain complete control of the club. Nobody can predict what will happen after the 49ers’ custodianship, so we are taking the opportunity at an early stage to let Red Bull, or any other potential custodians of our club, know that we will not allow any of these fundamental heritage or identity changes to happen to our club.”
"One of the many reasons we are backing the introduction of an independent football regulator is their ability to install protections around football club identity and heritage," the statement continued. "Although on hold until after the general election, the government white paper which was published after a fan-led review in 2022 proposes that clubs in the Premier League and English Football League will be held to account on specific heritage elements.
"Among these recommendations are a ‘duty to not relocate without approval’ and a ‘duty not to change crest, home shirt colours or name without approval’. That approval will not come without consultation with supporters, a move which the government says will ‘put fans back at the heart of how football is run.’ Leeds United Supporters’ Trust is proud to have been a part of this consultation process with the government and wholeheartedly support the recommendations. It’s important that we (and fans of other football clubs) have these types of protections in place sooner rather than later. We continue to work closely with the FSA on this to ensure its effective and meaningful implementation."
As well as the statement, the Trust have published a question and answer exchange between themselves and the club surrounding concerns raised by fans, including the lack of option for Red Bull to increase their stake. You can read this here.
https://www.leeds-live.co.uk/sport/leeds-united/leeds-united-supporters-trust-issue-29272151
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