The row sparked by the visit of one of England’s most famous politicians to a Championship football club has escalated after more extraordinary details of the episode were revealed by The Athletic.
Ipswich Town’s decision to invite Nigel Farage, leader of the right-wing populist UK Reform party and a long-time ally of US President Donald Trump, to the club’s stadium, Portman Road, sparked a backlash.
Farage is one of Britain’s most divisive political leaders and an outspoken figure on issues such as immigration, net-zero greenhouse gas emissions targets, and trans rights.
The 61-year-old, whose party is currently leading the English polls, has now entered the world of football with a visit to Ipswich on Monday. Farage was filmed in the dressing room, by the pitch, and in the club’s media facilities, with images and footage posted by him and Reform to their social media accounts the next day.
Best of luck to Ipswich Town Football Club for the rest of the season. 👏 pic.twitter.com/WmrGYJrpru
– MP Nigel Farage (@Nigel_Farage) March 24, 2026
Ipswich’s chief executive officer, Mark Ashton, has faced internal criticism from staff and public condemnation from supporters’ groups following the stunt, which threatens to cast a cloud over his season.
Ipswich, which is majority owned by US investors and also boasts pop star Ed Sheeran as a minority shareholder, is currently third in the Championship, having been relegated from the Premier League last season.
On Tuesday, The Athletic it was the first media outlet to show that elements of Ipswich’s account of the arrival of Reform, especially that Farage has not been invited to the club, have been contradicted by sources in the party.
But with the growing controversy, The Athletic can now reveal more details that have damaged Ipswich’s account and raised further questions about the club’s handling of the matter.
These include:
- The invitation to Farage was made by an associate of Ashton.
- Farage was met by club executives and then had lunch with Ashton and Luke Werhun, the club’s COO.
- The club gave the politician six free Ipswich ‘Farage 10’ shirts.
- Members of staff, some senior, have made a formal complaint to Ipswich’s HR department about the stunt.
There is no suggestion that Ipswich broke any rules by entertaining Farage, or that Reform broke any of the Electoral Commission regulations by filming campaign material at the football stadium.
But his supporters group continued to apply pressure on Ashton and Ipswich’s ownership. On Wednesday, Blue Action – one of Portman Road’s most vocal fans’ groups – accused the club of allowing itself to be “grossly exploited by political figures for personal gain and those in charge seem to allow and welcome it”.
His statement added that Ipswich’s behavior “dangerously alienates a large part of the fanbase and encourages divisions”.
Reform Britain and Farage were in Suffolk on Monday to campaign ahead of May’s local elections, a key moment in the political year.
After Reformation posted the content they shot on Portman Street on Tuesday, The Athletic contacted Ipswich to ask if they were aware of the party’s intentions. Ipswich did not comment to the publication, but pointed out that Farage had not been officially invited by the club and that it was a private tour booked via Portman Road Events.
They added that there was no official club involvement, and no senior executives had met Farage. It also states that visits should not exceed 30 minutes. This version of the event is announced by media organizations, including newspapers and major news agencies.
but The Athletic have told different stories, corroborated by several sources both in Ipswich and Reformation, who spoke anonymously to protect their position.
According to these sources, it is Ashton – who has worked at Ipswich since 2021, having previously held jobs at Watford and Bristol City – who wants to meet Farage. The Athletic have seen a message showing an invitation to be extended to Reformation by someone presenting himself as a close associate of Ashton.
On arrival on Monday, Farage was met by Marcus Nash, the club’s director of media and communications, and taken to the chairman’s suite.
Farage dined privately with Ashton and Werhun with a sign posted outside to explain the meeting was private. Employees outside of a select few were unaware that Farage would be visiting.
As part of his visit, Farage posed in an Ipswich shirt with ‘Farage 10’ printed on the back. The club indicated that this was paid for by the Reformation, but The Athletic have told them to produce six shirts with ‘Farage 10’ printed on the back, which were gifted to the Reform leader for free.
One of the shirts signed by Farage and given to Ashton – a video posted on the X Reform account appears to show him signing it ‘To Mark’.
Nigel Farage signs Ipswich shirt (X/@Nigel_Farage)
When the extent of Farage’s visit became clear on Tuesday morning, many club employees were furious, but they received the same briefing given to the media – namely, that Ipswich Town were not directly involved in the event.
Although anger among employees continued to rise throughout Tuesday morning, Ashton initially refused to hold a staff briefing to explain the situation. However, at 3:30 p.m., the CEO agreed to hold one.
But if the staff huddled in the open-plan office were expecting an apology, they were disappointed. Instead, Ashton doubled down on Farage’s visit and insisted the club was apolitical. He did not refer to the fact that he had dined with Farage on Monday, nor did he say that the Reform leader was at his request.
The Athletic had asked Ipswich for a response by 17:00 for queries about discrepancies in their account of Farage’s arrival and our version of Reform.
The club did not respond, but at 5pm, they issued a public statement which read: “Ipswich Town Football Club has, over the years, been the representative of a range of political parties. The club remains apolitical and does not endorse or support any individual or party.
“The club will continue to engage with representatives from across the political spectrum as part of its role in the community. Ipswich Town is proud to be an inclusive, diverse, and welcoming organization that supports all members of the local and wider community. This commitment remains unchanged.”
Despite this, Ipswich’s efforts to defuse the row did not work.
The Athletic It is said that many of the club’s employees are furious that Ipswich have allowed this to happen and feel that the club is constantly trying to mislead them about how Farage’s visit will go. A club source said several complaints had been made to Ipswich Town’s human resources department.
Farage’s visit was also a point of discussion among players and staff at the club’s training ground. Ipswich do not play again until April 6, when they face Birmingham City at Portman Road.
Nigel Farage in one of the Portman Road dressing rooms (X/@Nigel_Farage)
On Wednesday, Ashton held a similar meeting with staff at the training ground as he did at Portman Road on Tuesday evening.
Another group of supporters expressed their pride in the Reformation. Rainbow Tractors, an LGBTQ+ fan group, posted a statement on Tuesday saying it was “deeply disappointed at the club for allowing itself to be used in the line of the Reform campaign…. Frankly, we feel disappointed”.
The East Anglian Daily Times, one of the local papers covering Ipswich Town, has called on the club to apologise.
Reform’s 2024 general election manifesto vows to break the so-called “wake up ideology”. It said it would eliminate what it called “transgender ideology” in primary and secondary schools, including banning gender questions and changing pronouns.
Reform has only eight members in the UK parliament, but is currently leading polls on voter intentions in the general election. Average support is around 25 per cent, according to polling firm YouGov, down from 29 per cent in May last year, but still giving them a large lead.
The Athletic contacted Reformed England for comment on the details of this story, but did not receive a response prior to publication.
In a statement, an Ipswich spokesman said: “There are many errors and falsehoods in this version of events. The club stands by the statement made on Tuesday 24 March. We will not be commenting further on this matter.”
When The Athletic asked the club for specific examples of “mistruths and falsehoods”, they refused to respond.
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