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Chelsea denied by fans in Stamford Bridge bid

Chelsea have suffered a setback in their bid to leave Stamford Bridge © Getty Images

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Chelsea have been defeated in their bid to buy back the freehold of Stamford Bridge following an extraordinary general meeting of Chelsea Pitch Owners (CPO) shareholders.

The Blues failed to convince the holders of 75% or more of the shares in CPO to support their proposal, which was seen as a precursor to a move to a new 60,000-seater stadium.

At an emotionally-charged meeting in Stamford Bridge's Great Hall, CPO chairman Richard King revealed a no vote was carried after 61.6% of approximately 700 shareholders voted against the proposal, with the 38.4% who supported the Blues' plan leaving the club 13.4% short of their target.

The defeat prevents Chelsea regaining ownership of the land they sold to supporter-led group CPO in the 1990s in order to ensure the club was not made homeless.

They made an offer to buy back the freehold at the beginning of the month, saying they would not be able to move to a new stadium unless they could profit from the land on which Stamford Bridge sits.

Their opponents, spearheaded by the 'Say No CPO' (SNCPO) campaign, insist they are not against relocation in principle but criticised the club for a lack of transparency, failing to give enough time for the issues to be debated and refusing to transfer the existing CPO agreement to any new stadium.

One shareholder, a lawyer, asked whether the club had considered asking for a "conditional sale agreement'' that would see CPO shareholders automatically surrender their shares once the club had identified a ground within three miles of Stamford Bridge that would house 60,000 people.

Chelsea chairman Bruce Buck, who provided robust answers to most of the questions posed to him, admitted it was not something he had considered, adding: " I don't think we're in a position in this meeting to revise our proposals.''

© ESPN Sports Media Ltd.