Mayor tells irate Blues fans: I’m on your side
WEST Midlands Mayor Andy Street has sent an open letter to Birmingham City supporters after being criticised for being silent on the club’s long-standing ownership issues.
Mr Street drew the ire of Blues fans when he tweeted about the problems at Coventry-based Wasps after they were put into administration, many accusing him of not caring about the football club that bears Birmingham’s name.
He responded with an open letter in which he says he has written to the EFL, met with ‘‘those running the club’’, and even had dialogue with ‘‘potential new investors’’.
Street also posted a copy of an email he sent to the EFL, dated July 12, 2022 which says he is yet to receive a reply and in which he asks for clarity on the club’s ownership and the EFL’s role in ensuring good governance at ‘‘an important community asset in Birmingham’’.
His letter to Blues fans read: “I’m under no illusion that there are significant concerns regarding the club’s ownership, and that something needs to be done. I am committed to help as best I can, and therefore you might have hoped that I would have spoken up on the issue before now. However, I have learnt since doing this job that sometimes you need to take a different approach to get results.
“That’s why whilst the fans and others have done a brilliant job of taking to the airwaves to highlight the plight, I’ve been working behind the scenes to try and enact the change that’s required.
“I’ve met those running the club, I’ve sat down privately with leading fans to understand precisely what the issues are and what change you want to see, my team have met and are in dialogue with potential new investors, and I wrote to the EFL earlier this year seeking answers. I have not yet had a formal response to that letter, but my team are in direct contact with the EFL to press for the answers I’ve asked for on behalf of the fans.
“In the same way my mediation work between Coventry City Football Club and Wasps to get the Sky Blues home was done behind closed doors with minimal public comment, I am trying to take a similar approach for Birmingham City Football Club. It is of course an entirely different situation, but one I am just as determined to help resolve. You’re frustrated at me for not speaking out, and I’m frustrated that I haven’t yet been able to achieve what I want behind the scenes. I was hoping that when I wrote this letter to you – as was always planned – it should be to celebrate successful change.
“But please rest assured that you are not being ignored as any of you have suggested to me – far from it. You are the club bearing Birmingham’s name, and it’s critical to me that this deeply concerning situation gets sorted out. I’m on it, have been for a while, and will continue to do what I can to help resolve the ownership issues and support the club realise its future ambitions.”
Mr Street’s email to EFL chairman Rick Parry said “There is a strong view in the city that under the current ownership, the future of the football club is in jeopardy”.
Blues fan Paul Richardson and former Argentine footballer Maxi Lopez are trying to buy 21 per cent with a view to a full buyout over a couple of years.