HCST has today issued a press release calling on the Allams to take stock and call a halt to the divisive and pointless name change proposal, following its savaging by the FA and the arbitration report issued on Monday.

The press release can be read in full by clicking here.

The main body of its text is reproduced below.

 

Hull City Supporters’ Trust is delighted to learn that the club’s playing name will remain Hull City A.F.C. for the foreseeable future in spite of the arbitration process embarked on by the club’s owners, the Allam family, with the Football Association.

HCST urges the owners to abandon the name change application once and for all. It is clear from the evidence set out in the arbitration document that a strong and compelling case for change does not exist.

 

The FA has published a thirty-page arbitration document that describes why the FA Council’s decision to reject the club’s proposed name change has been “set aside” on a very minor technicality, having rejected most of the arguments offered by the club. The Trust is disappointed with this finding – the FA Council made a sound decision made in the interests of football in general, not just those of Hull City supporters.

We are dismayed to see in black and white the contempt held towards Hull City supporters by vice-chairman Ehab Allam. Mr Allam was quoted stating he wanted the FA to make its decision without fans’ views being taken into account, while the club took the position that its supporters were irrelevant.

It is, to say the least, disappointing that Ehab Allam thinks so little of supporters – who are the life-blood of the football club.

The arbitration document also reveals that the club agreed to present a business case for the change and then failed to do so. We believe this is because there is and has never been any evidence that “Hull Tigers” would generate a financial benefit. The report also stated that the heavily-weighted ballot of season ticket holders the club ran was “poor”, “unimpressive” and the outcome was “unconvincing”.

In what is something of an understatement, the document added that “Ehab Allam confirmed the club had not handled liaising with supporters or the public relations well“.

In setting aside the previous decision the arbitration panel says that the Allams could re-apply to change the name for the 2015/16 season. As they were entitled to do so anyway, this means nothing has changed. It does beg the question as to whether such a new application was the motivation behind the club’s reported attempts to demand that the FA delay announcing the arbitration. Such delay would have meant the application could have been re-submitted without the knowledge of the supporters. In any event, HCST wrote to the FA twice to remind them they agreed to inform supporters as soon as a decision was reached. We are pleased that the FA took note of this and published the arbitration promptly.

Assem Allam stated last September that there would be no further application to the FA, but the club’s statement issued on Monday was far from clear as to whether they will honour that pledge.

It is vital that the club makes clear its intentions for any re-application before supporters are asked to renew season tickets for the 2015/16 season.

Now is the time for the owners to show our City, our history and our supporters the respect they deserve and allow us to put this saga behind us, so we can unite as fans of Hull City A.F.C. and focus on keeping the club in the Premier League.