“ Cardiff City Chairman Dalman latest “

Trust chair Keith Morgan reports on a meeting between supporter representatives and club chair, Mehmet Dalman and staff at Cardiff City Football Club.




Dear Member,

We were invited by the club to a meeting chaired by Mehmet Dalman at 12.30 on 11 November 2023. Also in attendance from the club were Ken Choo, Wayne Nash, Amy James, Mark Denham and Paul Corkrey. Representatives from the Supporters Trust, Supporters Club, Disabled Supporters Group and the Travel Group also attended.

The last such meeting, which I reported to you, took place as recently as 7 October and it is encouraging that the Chairman is prepared to engage with fan groups on such a frequent basis even if there is not necessarily anything of great significance to impart. These meetings are very informal and Mehmet encourages questions from all parties. He has previously stated that these meetings are all part of his commitment to improved communication and he is certainly delivering on this.

A question was raised from the floor about the prospects of signings in the January transfer window. Mehmet stated that the Club’s first priority was to remain compliant with Profitability and Sustainability. He stated that we are on budget to be compliant but there was a need to convert budget to reality by ensuring monies owed to the Club are paid. Subject to these provisos the Club are keen to improve the squad.

The question was raised that, if a substantial offer was received for an existing player would the club accept it. The response from Mehmet was that everything is on the table but the Club would be extremely reluctant to lose a player who was key to maintaining the current on field improvement.



The subject of the Club receiving sponsorship from a Vaping company was raised. The Trust, the Supporters Club and members of the Travel Group expressed their misgivings over such an arrangement. Ken Choo responded that, after the current contractual situation ceases, the position will be reviewed.



Mehmet mentioned that a meeting had recently taken place with Nantes FC officials in France ahead of the Emiliano Sala transfer litigation. I will get a further update on the current situation from Mehmet Dalman and the Club’s lawyers as soon as possible. Mehmet has given me permission to speak directly to the Club’s lawyers so will advise you as soon as possible.

I was asked by Mehmet to provide those present at the meeting with the implications of the King’s Speech in relation to the Government White Paper on Football Governance and the specific impact on Cardiff City FC and its fans. I will prepare a summary of these issues and circulate to Trust members as well as other supporter groups. On this point, the Trust is already in advanced discussions with Wayne Nash on the formation of a Fans Advisory Board (FAB).

All in all, it was a very relaxed meeting which was very informative. I understand that, especially in relation to sensitive subjects such as the ongoing litigation, Mehmet cannot be as forthcoming as he might like but I feel the fans are being kept more in the loop in respect of Club affairs than has previously been the case.

Keith Morgan

Chair

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Mehmet Dalman:



A question was raised from the floor about the prospects of signings in the January transfer window. Mehmet stated that the Club’s first priority was to remain compliant with Profitability and Sustainability. He stated that we are on budget to be compliant but there was a need to convert budget to reality by ensuring monies owed to the Club are paid. Subject to these provisos the Club are keen to improve the squad.

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The question was raised that, if a substantial offer was received for an existing player would the club accept it. The response from Mehmet was that everything is on the table but the Club would be extremely reluctant to lose a player who was key to maintaining the current on field improvement.

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I am encouraged by this ongoing dialog, I recently posted that the Club, the manager, staff (playing & admin) and fans all seam to me pulling in the same direction. There certainly is a theme of positivity running through the club at present.

It has been said that football clubs are central to the community as a whole, we all concentrate on the first team matters but I would like to see a higher profile of the work the club and the Foundation do within the community, this in itself would create greater engagement between the club and people throughout the area.
If I may offer a criticism, the club flagged up about the creation of a Fans parliament which was populated with season ticket holders who expressed an interest to participate, unfortunately nothing has happened with this. I have always worked on the line of thought that good communication leads to good performance at all levels.

I wouldnt be surprises to see us try to make Bowler and Grant permanent signings,thus opening up loan spaces.

Two silly questions raised though , one regarding player sales ( as if the club wouldn’t accept a decent amount of money for a player) and the vaping one virtue signalling at best

Cardiff City chairman Mehmet Dalman has said the club's top priority in the January transfer window is to comply with profit and sustainability regulations as the Bluebirds look to build their squad for the back end of the season.

Manager Erol Bulut has spoken regularly about the need to add three or four players in the new year and last week said he is confident owner Vincent Tan would be backing him and the club in their transfer dealings in January.

However, in a meeting with Cardiff City Supporters' Trust on Saturday, Dalman said the club would need to chase money which it is owed in order to ensure they can work within the budgetary requirements stipulated by the league. Bulut has also spoken about offloading players in January which is likely to help in this regard, with the likes of Andy Rinomhota and Romaine Sawyers seeing very little game-time at present.

In their summary of the meeting with Dalman, the CCST said the Bluebirds chairman was keen to improve their squad in the new year. They wrote: "A question was raised from the floor about the prospects of signings in the January transfer window. Mehmet stated that the club’s first priority was to remain compliant with profitability and sustainability.

"He stated that we are on budget to be compliant but there was a need to convert budget to reality by ensuring monies owed to the club are paid. Subject to these provisos the club are keen to improve the squad. The question was raised that, if a substantial offer was received for an existing player would the club accept it. The response from Mehmet was that everything is on the table but the club would be extremely reluctant to lose a player who was key to maintaining the current on field improvement."

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Anyone able to confirm where the club stands with regards to monies due from Bournemouth from the KM transfer. Just wondering if getting the monies owed to the club in is referring to this. Can't think of any other monies we will be owed.

I am encouraged by this ongoing dialog, I recently posted that the Club, the manager, staff (playing & admin) and fans all seam to me pulling in the same direction. There certainly is a theme of positivity running through the club at present.

It has been said that football clubs are central to the community as a whole, we all concentrate on the first team matters but I would like to see a higher profile of the work the club and the Foundation do within the community, this in itself would create greater engagement between the club and people throughout the area.
If I may offer a criticism, the club flagged up about the creation of a Fans parliament which was populated with season ticket holders who expressed an interest to participate, unfortunately nothing has happened with this. I have always worked on the line of thought that good communication leads to good performance at all levels.

The Fans` Parliament is still going to happen. It was always intended to hold these twice a year, in September and February to immediately follow the two transfer widows. Unfortunately, there wasn`t time to put it in place in September so the first one will be in February 2024.

Anyone able to confirm where the club stands with regards to monies due from Bournemouth from the KM transfer. Just wondering if getting the monies owed to the club in is referring to this. Can't think of any other monies we will be owed.

It wasn`t said what the breakdown of monies due to the club is, and I wouldn`t expect it to be on the basis of confidentiality.
However, it is quite possible that some transfer money remains due from some time ago as transfer deals often include payment schedules over a few years. (e.g the Emiliano Sala fee was due to be paid by three annual instalments).
In addition, there could be money due in from sponsors and/or stadium advertisers.

The Jan transfer widow could be interesting