Almajir in Cambodia: Who are GRED?

In the second of my series of reports from what I learned in Phnom Penh, I want to talk about the businesses Vong Pech owns. One of them, Graticity Real Estate Development Ltd own a stake in Birmingham Sports Holdings and provide one of the streams of revenue that the Hong Kong listed company have that isn’t Blues. The big question is though how much money is coming in from Cambodia – and will it ever be enough to potentially help release BCFC from its Hong Kong parent.

Almajir in Cambodia: Who is Vong Pech?

Last week I visited Phnom Penh, Cambodia to attempt to understand and report more about the convoluted ownership of Birmingham City. While the appointment of Ian Dutton as Managing Director in Birmingham has bought some much needed change to the way the club Is being run on a day-to-day level, I wanted to learn more about the owners above him; who they are and what their intentions are.

BCFC: Sanctions and Sugar Daddies

While Birmingham City played out a draw with Hull City in the race to mediocrity in the Championship on Saturday, more uncertainty has been heaped on Chelsea in the Premier League following sanctions placed on their owner Roman Abramovich by the UK Government. Watching things unravel at Stamford Bridge has got a few Blues fans twitchy wondering if a Chinese atrocity akin to Russia invading Ukraine could put Blues in a similar boat.

BCFC: Political Influence

Not long before Blues met Sheffield United on Friday evening, I met with the Labour MP for Ladywood, Shabana Mahmood to talk to her about Birmingham City. It was a brief meeting but one that fills me with hope that there may be some political help on the side of Blues fans.

BCFC: Zhao’s Statement

Birmingham Sports Holdings Chairman and BCFC director Zhao Wenqing made his first public statement to Blues fans on Saturday, via the official bcfc.com website. The statement, which has seemingly come as a response to continued protest from Birmingham City fans sought to assuage fears surrounding the stadium and the ownership of the club.

BCFC: Is It Worth It Any More?

Birmingham City crashed out of the FA Cup with barely a whimper on Saturday, losing 1-0 to League One side Plymouth Argyle. The final result might say that the Pilgrims won after extra time but the sad fact is a 4-0 scoreline in 90 minutes would not have flattered them. Yet the worst part of it all seems to be the number of Blues fans (including myself) who were just resigned to defeat and numb to the pain.

BCFC: Regime Change

Birmingham City slumped to a 4-0 defeat on Saturday at Blackburn Rovers, leaving them 17th in the table. While the heavy defeat has brought out some critics of Lee Bowyer’s tenure as Head Coach, there has also been an increasing amount of talk online about how the ownership of the club might change.

The Elusive Mr King Part X – Cambodia

Last month I wrote about the family connections between the elusive Mr King, Wang Yaohui and Vong Pech, who has the largest financial interest in Birmingham City. Feedback from that article suggests there is still some confusion as to just who this Mr King guy is, and why I’ve dedicated so much of my time to uncovering connections between him and the titular shareholders of Birmingham Sports Holding. In this article I’m hoping to rectify that somewhat.

Who Are Ya: Birmingham Sports Holdings

Everyone knows that Birmingham City are owned by a company based in Hong Kong, but how much is actually known about them and what they do? In this second refresher article about the powers that be behind the club, I’ve taken a look at Birmingham Sports Holdings.

BCFC: Financial Reassurance

It’s a bipolar existence being a Birmingham City fan sometimes. On the pitch things look much improved and on Saturday the team scored five goals in the league for the first time in nearly six years in a thumping 5-0 win over Luton. Off the pitch, the rumour mill is in overdrive with whispers of financial meltdown doing the rounds in a vacuum of information.