Cardiff City fans have again voiced their opposition to the club’s change to red and its overall rebrand.
Members of the Cardiff City Supporters’ Trust have voted against the controversial and have also criticised the failure of the club consult fans before the move was made.
The football club announced earlier this month that it would play in red from next season – despite apparently turning down the controversial plan in May, when the move was first mooted.
Cardiff City Supporters’ Trust voted 54.7% to 43.8% (blank votes 1.9%) against the change to red while nine out of ten members said they had not been consulted adequately over the changes.
80.4.% said they wanted more information from the club on the investment proposals.
The club has said the move is part of a multi-million pound investment by the club’s Malaysian owners.
Principal investors Tan Sri Vincent Tan and Dato Chan Tien Ghee will clear the club’s outstanding debt to Langston and make funds available to manager Malky Mackay to bolster his squad.
In addition to the new kit the club has also announced plans to build a new training ground either at its current base in the Vale or somewhere in Cardiff.
Tim Hartley, chair of the trust, said: “It is clear that our members feel that the club have failed to consult properly with our fans. The majority of our members are against the switch from blue to red, and the feedback we have had is that many of those willing to change to red do so reluctantly. The club now needs to reflect very carefully on the views of some of its most loyal supporters. What is clear is that fans feel the club failed to consult them properly before such a radical change. We believe that as a minimum, all season ticket holders should have been consulted in advance.
“The results again highlight the need for elected supporter representation on the board of Cardiff City Football Club. The voice of the supporter needs to be heard loud and clear to avoid the alienation of some of the club’s most loyal and long-standing fans.
“There is supporter representation on the board of Swansea City and it works very well. We believe the Malaysian owners and the board must look at this as an option in the future. Formal consultation would have avoided the embarrassing debacle over the last few weeks. While supporters are pleased at the proposed investment in the club, they have still not received a full explanation for the need to rebrand alongside the additional funding.”
Mr Hartley added: “There must be greater transparency at the football club we love in the future and we are writing to the chairman, Dato Chan Tien Ghee (TG) and Mr Vincent Tan, to invite them to meet Trust members and other fans at the earliest opportunity.”