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Coventry City have been issued with an eviction notice by the new owners of the Coventry Building Society Arena.

Former Newcastle owner Mike Ashley's Frasers Group took over the stadium last month after buying its three former operating companies.

They say the Championship club has no continuing right to use the ground unless a new licence is agreed.

The club's existing licence runs until 2031, but they say the proposed new one would expire in May 2023.

Frasers do not believe they are bound by the previous agreement with the stadium's former owners, Wasps rugby club, who went into administration on 18 October.

However, Coventry said that discussions with Frasers Group prior to their purchase of the ground led them "to understand the existing terms would continue unchanged".

A club statement said: "Frasers Group have now presented to Coventry City a new agreement with new commercial terms, which have been presented to us without any dialogue or negotiations, and are less favourable to the football club.

"Frasers Group have said they would negotiate for beyond May 2023, but this leaves us without the security and certainty that our current deal provides to us and our fans."

Club officials were informed on Friday they must return keys and access cards and an FA Youth Cup game on Saturday was switched to Leamington Town FC.

Listen to BBC CWR's Sky Blues Fancast
Coventry are away to Reading when their Championship campaign resumes on Saturday and their next scheduled home fixture is against Swansea on 17 December.

But they hope Frasers will change tack and agree to let the existing licence remain.

"Following Frasers Group's purchase of the Arena, one of the great assets of the city of Coventry, they stated they were 'looking forward to working with Coventry City Football Club'," the club statement added.

"Coventry City hope that they will act on those words for the good of the Arena, the football club, our fans and the city and community that they are now part of."

Kasey Palmer and Mark Robins
Mark Robins' Coventry side are 12th in the Championship after winning all four games in November
Frasers 'supportive' of Coventry playing at CBS Arena
In a statement, Frasers Group said they wanted to work with the club to make sure the stadium could host their upcoming matches.

"Frasers has, throughout all its involvement with the stadium, been supportive of securing the long-term future of CCFC playing its games at the stadium. This position remains unchanged," the statement said.

"Prior to acquiring the stadium, Frasers issued a new licence mirroring the terms CCFC had agreed with the previous owners. However, CCFC chose not to sign it at that time.

"A revised proposal, together with a new licence, has been issued to CCFC and will secure the immediate future of CCFC at the stadium.

"Signing the licence would allow for more detailed discussions to take place about CCFC's long-term arrangements at the stadium, including to accommodate a number of requests which were raised by CCFC.

"Frasers looks forward to working with the club to host the upcoming games."

Coventry City Council, meanwhile, say they are hopeful that the issues between the club and Frasers Group could be "successfully resolved through dialogue" as soon as possible.

"The city council has always been clear that one of its strategic objectives is for the football club to continue to play at the CBS Arena and that position has not changed," said a spokesperson.

Coventry's ongoing ground saga
The Sky Blues moved to the then Ricoh Arena from their former Highfield Road home in 2005.

But a dispute with their landlords saw them decamp to Northampton Town's Sixfields ground for home games in 2013-14.

Wasps bought Coventry City Council's 50% stake in the stadium in October 2014 and the following month acquired the remaining shareholding from the Alan Edward Higgs Charity, with the Sky Blues returning as tenants.

But rent issues saw Coventry move to Birmingham City's St Andrew's stadium in 2019, spending two seasons there and winning promotion from League One in the process.

They finally returned home for the start of the 2021-22 season but there were further problems at the start of the current campaign because of the state of the pitch after it was used for rugby sevens matches during the Commonwealth Games.

Following the demise of Wasps, the CBS Arena's operating companies, Arena Coventry Ltd (ACL), Arena Coventry (2006) Ltd and IEC Experience Ltd, also went into administration, enabling Frasers Group to buy them for £17m.

A judge rejected a £25m bid for the stadium from businessman Doug King, saying it had come too late, but he is going ahead with a plan to buy an 85% controlling stake in the club from current owners Sisu, subject to approval by the English Football League.

But even that is not straightforward, with the sale being challenged by rival bidder William Storey, who says the deal breaches an exclusivity agreement he had with Sisu, although they insist his claim is "untrue and unhelpful".

'Nightmare before Christmas'
Analysis - BBC CWR political editor Simon Gilbert

This is truly turning into the nightmare before Christmas for Coventry City fans.

When new owners of the football club and the stadium were confirmed last month, many hoped this would be the end of nearly two decades of off field drama.

Those hopes appear to have been dashed in just a matter of weeks.

The reasons for the notice of eviction are not yet clear. But what we do know is that hope of the Sky Blues returning to the venue is not yet entirely lost.

Coventry City's next scheduled home game isn't for another 12 days - and that's a long time in a saga where we saw new owners of the club and stadium named in just 24 hours.

Officials will be working round the clock to try to find a resolution and bring Sky Blues fans some much needed festive cheer.

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Staying until the end of the season

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Coventry City have agreed a new rental deal to carry on playing at the CBS Arena for the next five years.

The Sky Blues had a deal in place until the end of this season, having signed that in December just days after being given an eviction notice by stadium owners, Mike Ashley's Frasers Group.

Frasers argued they were not bound to a previous 10-year deal, signed in 2021, with the ground's ex-owners Wasps.

Coventry owner Doug King said the new deal would provide "further stability".

"We are delighted to sign this agreement, which we know will be welcomed by Sky Blues fans," King said in a statement.

"The licence will enable us to play at our home, the Coventry Building Society Arena, for a minimum of five years and we will continue to positively engage with Frasers Group with regard to the longer term at the Arena."

Listen to BBC CWR's Sky Blues Fancast
King was in the process of taking the Championship club over when the interim agreement to finish the season at the CBS Arena was reached.

At the time, the Sky Blues had hoped they might take ownership of the stadium after then Premiership rugby union club Wasps went into administration on 18 October.

But, although King made a £25m offer, a court ruled that the offer had come too late - and allowed Ashley's group to take over.

King also added that the new agreement with the stadium owners means there will be no groundshare arrangement allowed with any other club.

Wasps played their home games at the stadium between 2014, when they relocated to Coventry from High Wycombe, until they went into administration.

"We have also agreed that we won't have a groundshare for another home team," King told BBC CWR.

"It will be for our use. There will obviously be internationals and whatever when they come and go and there will be concert season, but we won't be back again in a one-in, one-out situation which is important for us to build what we want pitch-wise there for the future."

Sky Blues can now move forward - Robins
The uncertainty over where the club might be playing next season, following on from the protracted takeover deal, has provided an unsettling backdrop to Coventry's promotion-chasing efforts.

But the news of the five-year agreement has now provided some much-needed clarity and has delighted Sky Blues boss Mark Robins.

"It's fantastic. Clearly there's a relationship that can be built upon and hopefully we can rub along nicely and ensure we are good tenants," he told BBC CWR.

"Finally it's done and we can move forward in a way we anticipated we could. It gives you the platform for everything else to follow on from.

"We've got every right to be happy and optimistic. The supporters can now look forward to some, hopefully, entertaining and good times."



Have sold 30000 tickets for the last home game teams on the up