A regional daily banned by a football club has distanced itself from calls for supporters to boycott one of the team’s matches.

As previously reported, the Coventry Telegraph was barred from Coventry City’s press conference on Friday after the newspaper launched a campaign urging the club’s owners Sisu to sell up.

Now a group called Preservation Sky Blues has urged supporters to stay away from City’s home game against Rochdale on 22 October in protest at Sisu.

But in a piece on the Telegraph’s website, editor Keith Perry stressed its campaign was not calling for any such boycott.

Coventry City supporters are calling for a boycott of the home game against Rochdale

He wrote: “Any decision to stay away from games is a personal one for supporters.

“We have never told fans they shouldn’t go and support their team.

“One of the reasons for our call for Sisu to put the club up for sale is that after nine years of their ownership, thousands of fans are already ‘boycotting’ games and turning their backs on the club.”

A petition set up by the Telegraph calling on Sisu to sell the club has so far been signed by more than 16,500 people.