Spread the love

Charlton fans used Saturday’s televised Championship clash with Ipswich Town to highlight their dissatisfaction with way their Belgian owners are running their football club.

Although very much in its infancy, the fans’ “Spell It Out in Black and White” campaign has grown momentum in recent weeks. Thousands of Addicks held ‘We Are The 2%’ signs aloft in an sarcastic retort at Charlton Chief Executive Katrien Meire’s comments, which claimed that only 2% of supporters were unhappy with the way the club was run.

Quite how the fan-base is split in percentage terms it is hard to say. However, Saturday’s day of action – which centred around a stand up protest between the second and third minute – was supported by large sections of the crowd, especially in the North Stand and East Stands, where the suggested 2% was probably nearer the 70% mark.

Speaking to the organisers beforehand, their complaints largely centre around what they consider to be poor communication between the club and fans, as well as a lack of a transparent business strategy for the South London club moving forward.

Fans feel disenfranchised, stating they felt alienated from a club which seems to be losing its identity with a regime that, in their view, has not embraced the culture of the club – making Charlton one member of a network of clubs (mainly Belgian) which has no redeeming features for either current, or potential new, fans to buy into.

It would be fair to say, however, that this is not a viewpoint shared by all. We spoke to many fans who highlighted the investment that owner, Roland Duchâtelet, has made in the club and the level of debt the Belgian businessman is underwriting.

Saying that, feeling part of an experiment is more of a shared concern and there is much confusion as to where Charlton’s priority is in the owner’s portfolio of football clubs.

Quite where Saturday’s protest will lead, and whether the club will start to engage with the organisers in a more meaningful and proactive way, or not, only time will tell.

But it is clear that the appetite for action is starting to grow amongst fans of all ages – many of whom played a pivotal role in saving the club and the return to The Valley in the early 1990s.

The exact percentage of disaffected fans may still be questionable, but their credentials and love of Charlton Athletic is undeniable… Katrien Meire would be making a big mistake not to take note.

The question is – will the Black and White movement grow? Or will Charlton fans starting seeing Red again?

The Spell It Out protest was covered for new Ball St TV show The72Review and we will be updating our videos over the forthcoming weeks.  Give them a follow on Twitter (@The72Review) for more details or like The72Review on Facebook. 

Dave Lane