 |
EPL side Swansea City's American owners insisted that Chair Huw Jenkins "has a long-term future" at the club despite "criticism from fans," according to Dafydd Pritchard of the BBC. Steve Kaplan and Jason Levien "answered questions at a passionate forum hosted by Swansea City Supporters' Trust." They "admitted making mistakes during last summer's takeover and in the transfer market, but defended Jenkins." Kaplan: "I expect him to be here a long time. He cares about the club deeply." He added, "Not all his decisions are right, not all my decisions are right decisions, not all Jason's are, either." Kaplan, Levien and the existing directors "faced stinging criticism from supporters, who called on Jenkins and other selling shareholders to leave during Swansea's poor start to the season." Swansea has "endured a torrid season, plunging to the bottom of the Premier League table earlier in the campaign" before finding itself in the "17th spot, one place and one point above the relegation zone" (
BBC, 4/4). In Cardiff, Andrew Gwilym reported Levien and Kaplan "also gave an update on ongoing discussions over the club taking over the lease of the Liberty Stadium." Levien believes the move "will make a major difference to Swansea’s commercial activities and revenue that can be invested in the playing squad," and also insisted that he and Kaplan "would make sure any deal and possible expansion" of the 20,000-capacity venue did not "put the club in any financial jeopardy." Levien: "We believe our opportunity to grow commercial revenue means bringing in new fans. We are focused on investing in the team and the players, we are not interested in taking away from that because on-field success is critical" (
WALES ONLINE, 4/4).
