Coventry City are closing in on a deal for a new lease at their Ricoh Arena home to avoid being made homeless and chucked out of the Football League.
An Emergency General Meeting to discuss the Sky Blues’ crisis originally scheduled for Thursday has now been postponed until May 29.
Manager Mark Robins’ League One promotion chasers have had to play under increasing uncertainty about their future, but this latest decision followed assurances from Coventry that they are in talks to continue playing at the Ricoh next season.
A statement from the club said: “We want to conclude this matter as soon as possible, with the continued aim of Coventry playing at the Ricoh Arena, and will work extremely hard in the next few days to that end.”
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A vote of all 72 EFL clubs was scheduled to take place on Thursday, because Coventry’s lease is up and they did not have an arrangement in place over a home ground for the 2019-20 season. But the club's owners, London-based hedge fund Sisu, have reopened dialogue with the stadium's landlords. top rugby union side Wasps, after losing a legal battle over the venue.
As a contingency plan, Coventry discussed possible ground-share options with League One neighbours Burton and Championship side Birmingham City.
The statement added: “We can also confirm that a heads of terms agreement has been signed to ground-share at an alternative venue. However, the timescales involved with this option means that a deal with Wasps will need to be concluded very quickly, otherwise our option with the alternative venue will be lost.”
Coventry have been left without a ground before, a lease dispute leading to them playing all their home matches of the 2013-14 season at Northampton Town's Sixfields Stadium — 35 miles away.
The Sky Blues sit eighth in the third tier, five points behind Doncaster in the final play-off place with two games remaining.
