Coventry City's Non-Independent Director Mark Labovitch has told the Coventry Observer's Steve Carpenter that City must own their own stadium.
Labovitch said: “No club can ever be financially viable in the long term without an ownership interest in its stadium and access to all the revenues generated by the matches it puts on. If the club was back at the Ricoh as a tenant without access to these revenues, it would go bust again, like it did under its previous owners. The 2003 experiment of separating a club from stadium revenues simply didn’t work.
"Those fans who have met Joy Seppala have heard first-hand how committed she is to the club’s future. She is determined to make it a success under its outstanding manager, but we can't do that without the long-term financial security of our own stadium. As we’re not allowed any form of ownership of the existing one, we’ll have to build a new one.
“Over the past 15 years, the council leadership seems to have had a poor relationship with the club’s owners – past and present. I think that needs to change. Councils in other cities – whether it’s Swansea or Doncaster – know that a successful football club is a huge asset to the local economy.”
Full story: Sky Blues director wants open talks over Ricoh Arena row | Coventry Observer