Charlton Athletic’s home game against Coventry City was briefly suspended by an unusual protest on Saturday, as small plastic pigs were thrown onto the pitch from both ends of The Valley.
The protest against owners of both clubs – Coventry’s Sisu and Charlton’s Roland Duchâtelet – followed a collective march outside the ground before kick-off, with supporters holding banners produced by Charlton supporters’ group Card (the Coalition Against Roland Duchatelet), reading “Charlton fans hate Sisu” and “Coventry fans hate Roland”.
Game delayed as both sets of fans throw pigs onto the pitch in protest. #PUSB #CAFC pic.twitter.com/2zzRvneej2
— Matty Roper (@M_Roper96) October 15, 2016
The banners also included Card’s logo and paid tribute to Jimmy Hill, the former Coventry managing director and Charlton chairman. At kick-off, Card tweeted “Will the owners of Charlton & Coventry change their ways? Pigs might fly!”
Will the owners of Charlton & Coventry change their ways?
— CARD (@CharltonCARD) October 15, 2016
Pigs might fly!
🐖🐷🐖🐷🐖🐷🐖🐷🐖🐷🐖🐷🐖🐷🐖🐷🐖🐷🐖🐷🐖🐷🐖🐷🐖🐷🐖🐷🐖🐷🐖🐷🐖🐷🐖🐷#cafc #pusb #FansUnited pic.twitter.com/2tSBVI4BMK
The two sides met in the Premier League as recently as 2001, but have both fallen into the third tiers amid growing unrest over management of the clubs off the field. Charlton were relegated from the Championship last season and had won two of their 11 league fixtures before Saturday’s game, which they won 3-0, while Coventry, who spent a season in exile at Northampton’s Sixfields ground in 2013-14, are bottom of League One.
Charlton fans have staged a number of memorable protests in recent months against Duchâtelet and Katrien Meire, the club’s chief executive. In March, fans staged a mock “funeral” for the club before the win over Middlesbrough, and threw beach balls on to the pitch during the game.
