By John Percy6:30PM BST 11 Jul 2013
Coventry City have confirmed their controversial groundshare with Northampton Town could last for five years, while chief executive Tim Fisher has also admitted they are facing the prospect of another heavy point deduction.
The stricken League One club are preparing to kick off the campaign against Bristol City more than 30 miles away from the city at Sixfields after breaking off negotiations in their long-running dispute with Arena Coventry Limited (ACL), the owners of the Ricoh Arena.
Coventry have reluctantly agreed a deal with the Football League to play at Northampton's ground for the next three years, with Fisher insisting they aim to be back in the city within that timeframe and in a new stadium.
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But Fisher - who revealed he and his family have received sickening threats from frustrated fans - has made contingency plans in the event of the stadium's development being delayed by securing two extra one-year options to share with Northampton.
Many Coventry supporters plan to boycott games at the 7,653 all-seater stadia in protest, and their plight has earned the sympathy of supporters of other clubs up and down the country, but Fisher claims there was no alternative but to move out of the city.
"The groundshare is regrettable, it's painful," he said. "The fans are right not to be delirious about playing outside of Coventry, we don't want to do that either. However, that is the only option we've got and it's with a heavy heart that we travel.
"It's not a preferred option but we have to fulfil our fixtures and the Football League recognises the huge risk of us kicking off the season with nowhere to play. For them that's unacceptable, and of course it's unacceptable to us so we had to do the groundshare.
"For us to move there we had to submit a project plan for a new stadium build. We've allowed three years, which should be plenty, as we'd like to get back into Coventry area within three years. However, with construction and development you cannot discount the fact there might be some slippage.
"It's actually a three-year deal, with two one-year options so it might be four years, or worst case scenario five. But we are certainly focused on sub three years."
Coventry remain in administration and were deducted ten points in March to effectively end their slim hopes of making last season's play-offs.
And the grim news for manager Steven Pressley may extend into the forthcoming campaign if ACL, one of the four major creditors, reject the Company Voluntary Agreement when the club attempt to come out of administration. If the CVA is rejected, Coventry face liquidation and a heavy 15-point deduction.
Fisher said: "There is a creditors’ meeting on July 22. ACL, as a principle creditor, could vote for the CVA. They could therefore get what money is going to be allocated through that process. Or they could say no, and we would head towards liquidation.
"There is a probability you will get a sporting sanction, extra points deduction. We are not discounting that at all."
Coventry City have confirmed their controversial groundshare with Northampton Town could last for five years, while chief executive Tim Fisher has also admitted they are facing the prospect of another heavy point deduction.
The stricken League One club are preparing to kick off the campaign against Bristol City more than 30 miles away from the city at Sixfields after breaking off negotiations in their long-running dispute with Arena Coventry Limited (ACL), the owners of the Ricoh Arena.
Coventry have reluctantly agreed a deal with the Football League to play at Northampton's ground for the next three years, with Fisher insisting they aim to be back in the city within that timeframe and in a new stadium.
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But Fisher - who revealed he and his family have received sickening threats from frustrated fans - has made contingency plans in the event of the stadium's development being delayed by securing two extra one-year options to share with Northampton.
Many Coventry supporters plan to boycott games at the 7,653 all-seater stadia in protest, and their plight has earned the sympathy of supporters of other clubs up and down the country, but Fisher claims there was no alternative but to move out of the city.
"The groundshare is regrettable, it's painful," he said. "The fans are right not to be delirious about playing outside of Coventry, we don't want to do that either. However, that is the only option we've got and it's with a heavy heart that we travel.
"It's not a preferred option but we have to fulfil our fixtures and the Football League recognises the huge risk of us kicking off the season with nowhere to play. For them that's unacceptable, and of course it's unacceptable to us so we had to do the groundshare.
"For us to move there we had to submit a project plan for a new stadium build. We've allowed three years, which should be plenty, as we'd like to get back into Coventry area within three years. However, with construction and development you cannot discount the fact there might be some slippage.
"It's actually a three-year deal, with two one-year options so it might be four years, or worst case scenario five. But we are certainly focused on sub three years."
Coventry remain in administration and were deducted ten points in March to effectively end their slim hopes of making last season's play-offs.
And the grim news for manager Steven Pressley may extend into the forthcoming campaign if ACL, one of the four major creditors, reject the Company Voluntary Agreement when the club attempt to come out of administration. If the CVA is rejected, Coventry face liquidation and a heavy 15-point deduction.
Fisher said: "There is a creditors’ meeting on July 22. ACL, as a principle creditor, could vote for the CVA. They could therefore get what money is going to be allocated through that process. Or they could say no, and we would head towards liquidation.
"There is a probability you will get a sporting sanction, extra points deduction. We are not discounting that at all."
