Brighton owner Bloom proposes £10m minority stake in Hearts
Brighton and Hove owner Tony Bloom has proposed a £10m investment in Scottish Premiership club Heart of Midlothian.
The investment needs approval from the club’s majority shareholder, supporters group Foundation of Hearts, and would see Bloom receive a 29 per cent stake in the club who are second in the relegation segment of the Scottish Premiership.
It would see the Brighton owner involved with Hearts in a personal capacity while poker player Bloom, 55, also has minority stakes in Belgian First Division A club Royale Union Saint-Gilloise and Australian A-League team Melbourne Victory.
“Heart of Midlothian can confirm that Tony Bloom has made a proposal to invest capital of £9.86m into the club for which he shall receive a 29 per cent stake in the club via non-voting shares,” a statement read.
“A consultation period with the club’s majority shareholders – the Foundation of Hearts – will now begin.
“The consultation will explain the proposal to FOH members and ascertain their views before asking them to vote on this. A majority of FOH members’ acceptance is required (as determined by the FOH board) for the proposal to be successfully carried forward.
“Following the FOH consultation process, an Extraordinary General Meeting of the club’s shareholders will be called in order to formally approve the transaction.
“In the meantime, the transaction remains subject to entry into legally binding documentation, SFA approval and other normal course regulatory requirements.”
Hearts not in multi-club
His Premier League club Brighton registered a £73.3m profit for the 2023-24 season.
A Foundation of Hearts update added: “This proposed investment is being made by Tony Bloom on a personal basis as an individual. Although Tony Bloom does have ownership interests in three other football clubs he has never sought to tie those clubs together in a “multi-club system”.
“The transaction has also been structured carefully to ensure that it remains compliant with football regulations relating to multi-club ownership.”