Chelsea have appointed a former media professional as their women’s team new chief executive officer in a bizarre move by the club, according to reports.
The Blues are the reigning Women’s Super League champions after winning the English top-flight title for a record-breaking seventh time under Emma Hayes last season.
Hayes later made the decision to leave Chelsea in favour of becoming the next United States women head coach in a move that sparked several changes at Stamford Bridge.
The women’s team is now running entirely separate to Chelsea’s men’s squad and have taken the decision to appoint former Athletic general manager Aki Mandhar into the top director role, as reported by the Guardian.
Mandhar doesn’t boast any football management experience, but has been tasked with delivering success both on and off the field for the Blues women’s team moving forward.
Chelsea have appointed Aki Mandhar (pictured) as the new women’s team chief executive
Chelsea are about to embark on their Women’s Super League campaign as reigning champions
She previously fulfilled the role of chief operating officer at the Daily Telegraph having initially embarked on a career in public relations.
Chelsea is a new project for Mandhar and will reportedly be tasked with improving matchday attendances after the club struggled to fill out seats at Stamford Bridge last season.
The Blues struggled while Arsenal in contrast generated huge home crowds when they moved to playing WSL and Champions League matches at the Emirates.
Mandhar is expected to be tasked with improving attendances for women’s games at Stamford Bridge
Meanwhile, Mandhar’s arrival comes at a time when there is disparity between investors at the top of the club amidst a souring in the relationship between co-owners Todd Boehly and Behdad Eghbali.
50-year-old Boehly has been the face of Chelsea that was formerly represented by ex-owner Roman Abramovich, who oversaw the club’s greatest period of success prior to being forced to sell after the UK Government imposed restrictions amidst Russia’s invasion of Ukraine.
Now there are suggestions that Boehly and Eghbali both want to buy each other’s shares to gain a greater controlling portion. Mail Sport previously revealed that Clearlake Capital have no intention of selling their stake.
Clearlake own a 61.5 per cent majority in Chelsea, but all key decisions are made as a collective process between a group of four main investors.
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