Why would the world’s 5th richest man go after Birmingham City?
Soccernet (blame them if it’s not true, not us) is running the following story:
World’s fifth richest man eyes Birmingham
Indian-born billionaire Lakshmi Mittal – the fifth richest man in the world – has emerged as a contender to buy Premiership club Birmingham.
While Birmingham City fans crap themselves in disbelief and do all sorts of unmentionable acts in celebration, they might do well to read the fine print i.e. the whole article, which has no quote nor any concrete evidence / proof that Lakshmi Mittal – worth £19.25 billion and is straight, btw – is actually doing something with Birmingham City.
What we do have is the mention of a mystery Far East businessman who will have to reveal his identity if his accountants are satisfied with Birmingham, and this statement:
Mittal, who is based in the UK, has not so far followed up his initial interest in Blues who have become a more attractive commodity following their return to the Premiership.
and this one:
But 56-year-old Mittal, who last year bought Arcelor, the world’s second biggest steel-maker for £17.8 billion, is maintaining a watching brief.
What’s a whole lot more interesting is the next line though:
Mittal has twice the personal fortune of Chelsea owner Roman Abramowich and Blues could be transformed into a major power if he took control.
I wonder if Mittal got the wrong club – and that he probably should have gone after the likes of Arsenal and Manchester United. Chelsea fans may not be bothered, but those Liverpool fans who were celebrating the PR of Gillett and Hicks must be cursing their luck now 
More on Lakshmi Mittal – including the fact that he’s worth US $32 billion, has been named one of the 100 most influential people by Times in May 2007, gives money to the Labour Party and has paid the highest price ever for a house ( £57.1 million ) – this is one seriously rich dude, and because of that I doubt if he’s after Birmingham City at all…
And he doesn’t have a British passport despite living in the UK for ages. (He prefers his Indian passport apparently – I don’t get it.) The Arcelor takeover btw, was a hostile takeover.
Wish he had turned his attention to United. Would have been chicken feed for him.
Well, lets see what happens in time in your rather patronising little blog, in terms of coming events …. If we are going to embrace globalisation then lets see all premiership clubs involved. This might allow a way out of the boring predictability that is the Premier League. Dont you think that is a useful idea – and an ironic one given the usual results of this epoch – that may offset the whole of football being swallowed up its own backside (a little like your assumptions perhaps?!)
Birmingham is a big catchment area with long generated ties with the East. The club is entirely solvent and has plans in working progress for a new stadium of considerable capacity. These factors might be attractive to potential bidders. The sport in question is football, by the way.
My regards.
Moeny rulzzz. We play and enjoy the beautiful game, but there are actual people playing games with clubs. Disgusting but true…………..
Hmmmm, I have never in all my years of football reading (and writing on the subject) have I come across your website before? As an impartial outsider, I have a number of points to answer your initial question, ie – why Birmingham?
1. They are solvent (can’t say that about too many clubs) and turned a profit last season.
2. Huge fanbase that is extremely dedicated
3. Nice ground, and own much valuable land ripe for expansion
4. They carry the name of Britains second largest city
5. At 50mill they are an absolute deal.
OK, main point made. Now onwards… If you are going to read and quote other websites, please read accurately – The ‘mystery Far-East bidder’ is not in fact Mittal, but another interested party. I guess BCFC are ‘hot property.’
If I were a Bluenose though… I’d be wary.
I can see how the article could convey that the Far East bidder and Mittal might be the same – I ensure you that I know that the article mentions 2 different people.
And cheer up, because what I was looking for was exactly an answer like yours – reasons why an investor would be interested in Birmingham City.
Good luck to BC, but the news didn’t look completely kosher to me and when I read it I was a bit jealous as well
ok, you may wonder whyt Birmingham City should get taken over but let’s re-phrase that why would he not want to takeover at Birmingham City? Were the stadium is located it is a gold mine were the stadium sits alone is worth £20 million and then a further £70 million can be gained by selling of some of the land the club own nearby. Birmingham City made history last year when they recorder a pre-tax profit of £3.5 million the first club to do so after dropping out of the elite. Bears the second city name and heck the fans deserve some good fortune. It’s not nice to be jealous.
Your article is patronising and ignorant.
Reasons;
1. Solvent and well run club.
2.Loyal fan base – 130 year average crowd of 20000+ despite never having won anything.
3.Significant land assets.
4. Top balti pies.
I dont expect this to come off but its nice to see our neighbours and even the glory hunters squirming for 15 minutes.
I am a bluenose, and although I look onto this whole thing with a weary eye, I don’t see why it is such a big shock to see anyone linked with a club like ours. Surely a shrewd business man would be better off buying a club like us, and turning us from also rans to something more than that. I was surprised when Wolves came up for sale that no real big names were spouted about. Surely there must be a bigger buzz for someone to take over a small club and build them, than it would be to buy someone like Man U or Arsenal, who are already at the higher echelons.
Also, Blues have one of the highest levels of Asian support in the country, which I believe is an untapped goldmine to any investor. Clubs have done similar things with the Chinese and Japanese support, so someone like Mittal might see this as an opportunity to expand the market to his native country.
You never no.
Even if nothing comes of it, I’m still happy with the board we have, the Golds have been very supportive, as has Sullivan (just wish he’d keep quiet sometimes!) and have turned the club from the brink of closure to profit making in just 14 years.
Keep Right On!
Firstly, I’m very sceptical that there’s any truth in this.
Now that the stablished big names have been taken over or are being taken over the question should be Why wouldn’t the world’s 5th richest man go after Birmingham City?
Everything is in place – bar the enormous wealth – to take our club to the very top. If he made us contenders Mr Mittal would be immortal in Birmingham – fame and respect he couldn’t get any other way.
If you are wondering what that low mumbling is – it’s the sound of 40,000 throats around Aston praying this isn’t true!
Please excuse my ignorance, I’m just trying to make sense of something I know nothing about.
IF:
“Were the stadium is located it is a gold mine were the stadium sits alone is worth £20 million and then a further £70 million can be gained by selling of some of the land the club own nearby…”
WHY THEN SELL THE CLUB FOR ONLY 50mil?
I cant understand the derogatory stance of the anti Brummie brigade who belittle and ridicule the fact that someone would chose Birmingham over considered “larger” clubs. To a degree it is all about potential. The only reason that Villa have predominated over Birmingham in recent years is because Birmingham have not realised their potential. To be honest, as long as the fan base is there (I can recall crowds of 52000 at St Andrews [Huddersfield FA cup, Cardiff league] in the second division in the late 60’s), then, given the speculated resources on offer the gap between ourselves and ANY other Premier club is surmountable. Just ask Notts Forest or Blackburn Rovers fans!! PS dont despair because if we become the top team in the country you can still laugh at our accent!!.
So what some rich dude is planning on buying up Birmingham City, the posts here make it sound as if as soon as they are bought they will suddenly be a top club in the Premiership.
Wrong for so many reasons. 1. Too many clubs now have rich foreign owners whose fans expect their team to be the one breaking into the top four, not every club can suddenly do this. 2. 3 out of the top four also have rich foreign investors, they also have the infrastructure and players of the highest level ALREADY IN PLACE. 3. Steve Bruce is a good manager but not used to dealing with the big name signings which would be needed. 4. It would take 2 to 3 years just to see Birmingham break into the top 7 due to the talent and competitiveness of the teams rank 5th to around 17th.
Whilst im sure BCFC are wishing this was true, even if it is don’t get your hopes up. If you are taken over do you think because of some rich guys money the top, and i mean top players will choose you over one of the traditional elite clubs around Europe.
However saying this, Birmingham do have a lot of positives as numerous people have pointed out and are financially already in a better position than most clubs! Welcome back to the Premiership.
Lakshmi Mittal has always had an eye for a deal. He’s always taken a non-descript company and turned it around. Arcelor was his first big money buy. Enough business talk tho…Birmingham City makes a lot of business and sporting sense. They’ve just been promoted to the premiership, won’t cost much and would need a budget of abt 15 to 20 million pounds in the transfer market. That’s chump change for Mittal. I bet he won’t be a Sugar daddy, so don’t celebrate yet if you’re a Birmingham City plan. What it does mean is
a) He has his revenue models and investment plans all chalked out if this rumour is indeed true.
b) He will do whatever it takes (not in an Abramovich sense) to bring success to the Club domestically and Europe.
c) He’s in it for the long haul, for he’s gonna make much, much more than he invests.
d) He’s better than Shinawatra, what with Thaksin’s domestic problems back in Thailand. With Mittal, Birmingham City are on a firm footing
Birmingham City are in a better position than Man City for sure – but how do they compare with Blackburn, who are reportedly under takeover talks too?
Also, people don’t buy clubs to get yearly returns – they buy them to build long-term assets.
[...] If you were this rich, why would you go after Birmingham? (SoccerLens) [...]
Roger Waters c. 1982
“New Car / Caviar / Four-star Daydream / Think I’ll buy me a football team”
I think these people buy football clubs like they also buy yachts, jets, special version Ferraris etc. Prestige.
Also thought the English in general were greatly opposed to a superleague, based on money. Guess that’s not the case if the superleague based on money happens to be in England?
I believe and always have that Blues are a sleeping giant that could easily be transformed into a Liverpool/Arsenal/Chelsea etc. The fans are passionate about the club and starved ravenous for success. The club location really is in the heart of England. The stadium possibly is a bit second rate but plans are already afoot to move to a bigger new stadium, just waiting on local bureucrats to pull their finger out.
What better opportunity for a rich investor to create their own rags to riches fairy tale and become a legend in an area which has become a major multicultural epi-centre of the UK, and although it is the second city the club do bear the city name unlike any London club.
green eyed monsters at 3 oclock,wearing claret n blue, we’re on our way!
good little business , makin money, richest football leauge in the world, buy in cheap big payouts= good business sense
if i were a millionaire id definately invest in a football club. how cool wud tht be. even beter than championship manager. unless u went into serious debt of course…..leeds