Supporters Committee Meeting Update

Hull City Supporters Trust chairman issues personal response to Ehab Allam's call for protest retraction

Hull City Supporters Trust chairman Geoff Bielby has issued a personal response following the postponement of last week’s Supporters’ Committee meeting.

Last week’s meeting was ended by Hull City vice chairman Ehab Allam before it had begun, with Mr Allam citing an article in the Hull Daily Mail which he believed contained a ‘thinly veiled threat’ to the club regarding protests.

In the article, HCST chairman Geoff Bielby was quoted saying; “I fear if we don’t see some action from the club then the protests which stopped when the owners agreed to hold these meetings, will begin again and be even bigger than before, such is the anger simmering among supporters."

Mr Allam issued a statement in the hours after the meeting was abandoned saying: “In light of recent comments made in the local media by the Supporters’ Trust, which the Club considers to be a thinly veiled threat of further disruptive action, we had no alternative but to postpone this evening’s meeting.

“We are still very much committed to continuing with open dialogue, but we cannot be there with guns held to our heads.”

Another statement issued this week by Ehab Allam called for the threat of protests at the Sheffield United game on February 23 to be withdrawn to enable the Supporters’ Committee meetings to continue as planned.

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Hull City owners Assem (right) and Ehab Allam

He said: “We were disappointed by the thinly veiled threats reported in the local media ahead of the third meeting by the Supporters’ Trust and subsequently decided to postpone the meeting to give an opportunity for the Supporters’ Trust to retract the threat of further disruptive action during the next televised home game and continue the positive discussions with full participation in the next Supporters’ Committee meeting.”

Now, in response, Mr Bielby has issued his own statement to clarify his comments in the hope the next meeting can take place before the Sheffield United game.

Mr Bielby said: “To add some background and to facilitate a resolution to the growing divide between Hull City Supporters and the club I'd like to clarify the comments I made to James Smailes in the HDM article published prior to last week's Supporters Committee meeting.

“The comments made were not intended to be a "veiled threat" as interpreted by Assem and Ehab Allam. I am sorry that my comments were misunderstood and that led to the postponement of the Supporters Committee meeting.

“All members of that committee give up their personal time in an attempt to facilitate positive change at our football club. The views I expressed were personal views but I believe were representative of a large number of Hull City Supporters.

“Last week’s third meeting was important and my comments were as a commentator not an agitator!

“Myself and the Hull City Supporters Trust have continually called for meaningful dialogue with the club and I'd hope meetings can continue with HCST continuing to play a key role.

“As has been strongly expressed in Social Media Hull City Supporters, including myself on behalf of HCST, were hopeful of real progress last week, particularly on the use of the club's playing name across all media platforms used by the club.

“The current threatened escalation of protests by supporters was exactly the reaction I feared when making last week's comments.”

Only dialogue can solve supporters' issues and I hope the Supporters Committee can reconvene as soon as possible to help facilitate meaningful changes acceptable to all supporters.

Geoff Bielby Chairman, Hull City Supporters Trust

https://www.hulldailymail.co.uk/spo...s/hull-city-supporters-trust-chairman-1214729

 

Looks like we’re not not606 any more, it’s all gone a bit pear shaped.