Suporter Chelsea Gelar Aksi Protes Jelang Final Piala FA

Kelompok suporter Chelsea yang tergabung dalam Not A Project CFC menggelar aksi jalan kaki damai di Wembley Way menjelang pertandingan babak final Piala FA melawan Manchester City pada Sabtu, 16 Mei 2026. Aksi ini memprotes kebijakan pemilik BlueCo, Behdad Eghbali dan Todd Boehly, dalam mengelola klub.

Para pendukung merasa tidak puas karena menganggap pemilik saat ini mengoperasikan Chelsea sebagai proyek investasi bisnis alih-alih klub sepak bola. Selain melakukan aksi jalan kaki, suporter juga berencana membelakangi lapangan pada menit ke-22 pertandingan sebagai simbol penolakan sejak kepemilikan beralih pada tahun 2022.

Penyelenggara aksi dari kelompok suporter, David Cook, menjelaskan bahwa langkah ini diambil demi mengembalikan identitas klub yang hilang di bawah kepengurusan BlueCo. Menurutnya, tata kelola klub saat ini sudah sangat keliru dari berbagai aspek operasional.

"It’s such an iconic walk up Wembley Way and it will be something of a first." kata David Cook, salah satu penyelenggara aksi.

Cook menambahkan bahwa keputusan manajemen terkait pergantian pelatih dan kebijakan transfer pemain muda akademi yang diperlakukan seperti komoditas dagang memicu kemarahan basis massa pendukung.

"Last time we organised something completely different to march with Strasbourg fans before the Manchester United game and we wanted to do something different again." kata David Cook.

Meskipun tim berhasil mencapai partai puncak kompetisi domestik, para suporter tetap merasa ada penurunan prestasi yang signifikan jika dibandingkan era Roman Abramovich.

"I know it will look strange to some supporters. You reach the FA Cup final and it’s a sign of success. But this is about how the club is being run. This is our club, we are passionate and we support our team. We want it back." kata David Cook.

Kekhawatiran suporter semakin menguat setelah manajemen Chelsea kerap bergonta-ganti manajer dalam waktu singkat, termasuk pemecatan mengejutkan beberapa pelatih sebelumnya.

"Visually it will have a huge impact. We hope to make a big impact and an impact big enough to have an impact so potential BlueCo investors can see what’s going on." kata David Cook.

Suporter menilai stabilitas tim terganggu setelah kepergian Mauricio Pochettino dan Enzo Maresca secara beruntun yang memicu ketidakpastian proyek jangka panjang klub.

"We have lost faith in the ownership. From managerial appointments, treating academy graduates badly and trading them as assets while selling bits of the club to themselves, this is all wrong." kata David Cook.

Bagi pendukung Chelsea, kesuksesan di masa lampau seperti trofi Liga Inggris dan Liga Champions kini bergeser menjadi sekadar perputaran bisnis jual-beli pemain.

"It’s a project for them. That’s the protest. We have always produced and promoted our own young players. Now we sell them." kata David Cook.

Masuknya Liam Rosenior sebagai pelatih baru tidak menghentikan tren buruk tim yang kini tertahan di papan tengah klasemen Premier League.

"You need stability. We had two big managers. Mauricio Pochettino did quite well and then Enzo Maresca did very well. But they reached a point where they questioned the ownership - and they were gone. Suddenly Liam Rosenior comes in. Who will take it now?" kata David Cook.

Evaluasi terhadap aktivitas bursa transfer musim panas lalu juga dinilai minim kualitas, dengan hanya menyisakan sedikit pembelian pemain yang terbukti berhasil memberikan dampak positif bagi skuad.

"My worry is that when Chelsea won the Club World Cup, is that the owners and sporting directors saw it as vindication. In the past, we would have seen it as a stepping stone. This club has been used to winning Premier League titles and European Cups." kata David Cook.

Melalui aksi yang dimulai dari stasiun bawah tanah Wembley Park pukul 13.30 waktu setempat ini, suporter mendesak BlueCo segera menjual kepemilikan klub demi masa depan tim.

"Now it’s all about the business plan and turning over players. Of all the players signed last summer, maybe the only quality player signed was Joao Pedro. If we are to go forward as a club then we need BlueCo to sell." kata David Cook.

Di tengah tekanan suporter, manajemen Chelsea dilaporkan bergerak cepat mencari manajer baru untuk musim depan dengan membidik Xabi Alonso sebagai target utama.

Dilansir dari readchelsea.com, jurnalis sepak bola Fabrizio Romano mengonfirmasi adanya pertemuan langsung antara pihak manajemen Chelsea dan Xabi Alonso guna mendiskusikan peluang kerja sama di Stamford Bridge.

"Chelsea will decide their new manager soon. A final decision is expected very soon on Xabi Alonso. Chelsea, I can tell you this, had a direct meeting with Xabi Alonso. Not just with his representatives, but also with Xabi Alonso himself. So there’s been a conversation. Chelsea spoke to several managers. Andoni Iraola, Oliver Glasner, Marco Silva. They had some conversations with their entourage, the agents, the representatives, the lawyers of these managers. But with Xabi Alonso, Chelsea had very productive talks. Now a final decision is expected soon. Today is FA Cup Final day, and so we wait for that. But after that, any moment could be good for Chelsea to go close and seal the deal for their next head coach, with Xabi Alonso opening doors to Premier League chapter few days ago, and now Chelsea prepared to make a final decision on who they want as their new manager." ujar Fabrizio Romano, Jurnalis Sepak Bola.

Langkah Chelsea ini juga dipengaruhi oleh situasi di Liverpool yang sempat dikaitkan dengan Alonso setelah hasil buruk Arne Slot di kompetisi domestik.

Namun, Romano menjelaskan bahwa hingga saat ini Liverpool belum mengambil langkah konkret ataupun menghubungi pelatih asal Spanyol tersebut untuk menggantikan posisi Slot.

"Many of you asking me if Liverpool arrived at this stage for Xabi Alonso. As of today, Friday night, Saturday morning, Liverpool have not activated the option Xabi Alonso. Even after night, another disappointing defeat for Liverpool against Aston Villa, another poor performance. 20 defeats for Liverpool this season. Liverpool, as of today, have not reached out to Xabi Alonso. As I always told you, if they do so, I will be here to tell you, and we will tell you what’s going to happen. But as of today, Liverpool are yet to reach out to Xabi Alonso. So, that remains the situation." ujar Fabrizio Romano.

Persaingan di papan tengah klasemen Premier League saat ini semakin ketat seiring upaya tim-tim mengamankan posisi di sisa akhir musim kompetisi.

Chelsea kini menempati peringkat kesembilan dengan perolehan 49 poin dari 36 pertandingan yang telah dijalani.