Chelsea accused of 'exploiting loyalty' as Premier League intervene amid CST complaints

Chelsea supporters have voiced their outrage at the club's latest ticket pricing strategy, accusing the Stamford Bridge outfit of "exploiting the loyalty of those people who are the lifeblood of the club."

The Chelsea Supporters' Trust (CST) is not mincing words over a recent hike in season ticket prices, noting an average jump of 17% over the past two years, and fans are also riled up about additional booking fees, diminishing concessions, and a controversial £60 "priority" membership option.

Now having consulted with its members, the CST has pledged its support to the Football Supporters' Association's Stop Exploiting Loyalty campaign spreading across the UK.

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The CST spoke out strongly against the Blues' hierarchy: "Piece by piece, Chelsea FC is alienating a large part of our core fan base with decisions that will slowly force supporters to pick and choose which games they attend."

They went on to express grave concerns regarding member exploitation, fearing these adverse trends might tarnish the club's legacy: "The exploitation of members is also a worry, and we are deeply concerned that the increasingly bad deal that members have will negatively impact our club for generations to come."

Highlighting the disconnect between the boardroom and the stands, the spokesperson didn't hold back: "This should be a huge wake-up call to the owners and the senior leadership team within the club. Supporters are rejecting the decisions made by the club and are evidently unhappy with the current path being taken."

Condemning the strategy as both ethically questionable and damaging to future relations, the CST issued a stern warning: "Not only is it ethically wrong to exploit the loyalty of the lifeblood of our club, but it is strategically short-sighted and obliterates any trust or goodwill that had started to be built by recent positive initiatives."

The Premier League has reached out to Chelsea following complaints that Vivid Seats, a ticket resale company with ties to co-owner Todd Boehly, has been marketing tickets at exorbitant prices.

Last year, Chelsea disclosed a pre-tax profit of £128.4m and they stand to make £97m from the Club World Cup, yet less than a third of members believe ticket prices are reasonable.

The CST stated: "Despite record-breaking profits, Chelsea FC has broken its commitment to 'maximise all other revenue streams before increasing costs for supporters' by introducing a range of new policies that hit the pockets of loyal supporters.

"The CST has consistently warned the club that time after time they are making poor choices that infuriate supporters. This statistic is therefore really alarming and cannot be ignored."

Following conversations with the Fan Advisory Board, Chelsea recently claimed: "As a club, our priority is to ensure that we are making the right decisions for the long-term sustainability and success of the club."