At 4pm Hong Kong time (9am BST) in a small conference room in a non-descript office block attached to a shopping mall in Admiralty, Hong Kong a vote will be called which will ratify the transfer of control of Birmingham City Football Club to Shelby Companies Limited. While the vote is a foregone conclusion, what happens next is a blank canvas.
On Tuesday Birmingham Sports Holdings filed a series of documents with the Hong Kong Stock Exchange. As well as the long-awaited Circular to shareholders, BSH confirmed that the EGM for shareholders to approve the sale of Blues to Shelby Companies Limited will take place on July 13, 2023.
On Friday Afternoon, a short technical statement made by Birmingham Sports Holdings to the Hong Kong Stock Exchange confirmed among other things that the company will hold an EGM for shareholders to approve the sale of the club on Thursday July 13, 2023.
With just a week left in June the angst among some Blues fans is starting to ratchet up. The eagerness for the takeover to go through seamlessly knows no bounds but years of being a Blues fan means that some fans can’t help but worry that something is going to go wrong.
On Monday afternoon it was confirmed by both Blues and by Birmingham Sports Holdings that EFL approval has been given to Shelby Companies Limited prior to their takeover of the club.
On Friday afternoon Birmingham Sports Holdings confirmed to the Hong Kong Stock Exchange the news that I had feared on Wednesday; that the Circular for shareholders relating to the takeover of Blues was to be delayed. The announcement confirmed that the Circular will now be despatched on or before June 30, 2023.
Birmingham Sports Holdings made a supplemental announcement to the Hong Kong Stock Exchange on Tuesday afternoon to clarify certain points about the deal that has been agreed to sell a stake in Birmingham City to Shelby Companies Limited. The four page announcement was designed to answer questions shareholders might have but has seemingly just caused more for Blues fans.
Late on Monday night, Birmingham Sports Holdings finally posted an announcement to the Hong Kong Stock Exchange relating to the sale of part of their stake in Birmingham City to Shelby Companies Limited.
While the Blues season petered off to a 17th placed finish thanks to a 2-1 defeat to Sheffield United, the attention of most fans was focused on matters off it. Confirmation that sale and purchase agreements have been signed was just the news that fans had been hoping for and the mood around the pubs pre-match was as happy and uplifting as it could be.
It’s safe to say that while on the pitch the season is coming to an anticlimactic end for Blues, off it appears to be a very different story. It hasn’t taken long for the rumours to fly on social media of just which investors might be behind potential new owners Often Partisan Limited.
