Former bankrupt Watford owner Laurence Bassini wants to takeover Championship club Birmingham City according to reports this week.
He is said to be keen on buying the West Midlands outfit for £27million as he continues to try to get back into football.
Bassini was chairman of the Hornets from 2011-2012 before selling up to the Pozzo family.
His reign ended in controversy after Bassini, who was previously declared bankrupt, called police when a trusted member of Watford’s staff didn’t hand over the keys to the club safe.
He then sent gloating text messages to Hornets legend Graham Taylor after the club lost a playoff final at Wembley in 2013.
A Football League commission also banned Bassini for three years from serving as a director of any club after a panel ruled the Stanmore businessman was “dishonest with the League and his fellow directors” and slammed his “secrecy and deception”.
But it hasn’t stopped Bassini from trying to own another club more recently after holding talks with the likes of League Two outfit Oldham and League One side Charlton previously.
He also tried to get control at Bolton in 2019 in a protracted takeover attempt which collapsed just before the start of the 2019/20 season when he failed to provide proof of funding.
It led to Bolton owner Ken Anderson blaming Bassini for time-wasting as the club battled a High Court winding-up order.
But Bassini remains keen on returning to football and has been eyeing Championship club Birmingham.
He has been described by supporters to “not be trustworthy person. Been bankrupt twice, asset striped Watford FC, made to repay £4.3 million, tried to buy Bolton but repeated failure to provide proof of funds to the EFL and is a colleague of Matthew Southall.”
The Blues have been under foreign ownership since David Sullivan and David Gold sold up in 2009.
But the Far East-owned club, now run by Trillion Trophy Asia, have been languishing in the second tier since 2011 when they were relegated despite winning the Carling Cup.
Birmingham are four points off the playoffs in the second tier after one defeat in four games.
However they lost their last game 2-1 at home to Reading despite taking an early lead through Scott Hogan.
Fans gave their reaction after seeing reports that the former bankrupt Watford owner wants to takeover the Championship club…
— Manni (@mannisxngh) November 12, 2021
#bcfc Just ask Deeney what he’s like and then do this pic.twitter.com/QXC4wY4kSO
— Kieren Rees (@kieren_rees) November 11, 2021
Birmingham’s new owner in actionhttps://t.co/xiUW22U1XL
— luke_BWFC (@luke_109) November 12, 2021
@haseeb9official : Hope it doesn’t happen, but does put the boat out their that our owners are considering selling us!
@MRMAXBRADLEY_ : Only we can get a worse takeover (if that’s actually possible)
@SJ_1875: Nah, you’re ok thanks.
@blueruss1875 : He seems to fit the criteria for us
@Nathancarty112 : No thanks bye
@SeventhColumn : i’m trillion trophy to the moon over this
@iamjbohemia : I’d rather have our current owners than Bassini taking over.
@SamFolwer95 : Ah not again
@TheFerrisWheel_ : Well this just sounds awful
@PRH0121: Blues, the only club who could get worse owners than we currently have
@blueruss1875: He seems to fit the criteria for us
@Coopy_84: Jeez, don’t do it!!
@crowiejnr: Seems like a perfect match to me 👍
@MRMAXBRADLEY_: Only we can get a worse takeover (if that’s actually possible)
@GozraKris: Sounds a right charmer, the expression out of the frying pan springs to mind
@chriswyatt95: good luck buying everything outs gonna cost you atleast £80m plus
@NLFG: Where’s his money coming from? Cos it isn’t his
@LeeW1875: Just looking at this guy I can see he’s no good….
@72jamesk: Who’s gonna take a club on that’s got £100m+ debts & doesn’t own its own ground..? You’d like to think he’d never pass the fit & proper test but that doesn’t seem to work anyway.
@iamjbohemia: I’d actually go as far as saying that I’d rather have our current owners than Bassini taking over. Absolute shithouse of a bloke.
@lee_wild31man: This was the joker who was going to buy one of Wigan or Bolton and didn’t have the money so this is all smoke and mirrors
@DaveJB1962: Who’d have thought #Blues fans would ever see a story about a potential buyer & say “no thanks we’ll stick with the current bunch of rascals”? Even for us this would be a new low
@Dioufy_: This guy doesn’t have a pot to piss in. Tried buying Bolton and he didn’t have the funds
@KLocoBCFC: Oh fucking god no
@MichaelSopwith: Bring it on, just another loon in the long list of loons since the Coombes family.
@muggins_77: No way. Stay clear. Not a single club deserves this man anywhere near them! @EFL don’t even think of entertaining it. #WatfordFC #BCFC
@_natwhitehouse: Well it would be truly typical of this football club wouldn’t it
@StaRzIzHere__: Knowing the EFL, the takeover will be done.
@carolbradycpcm: Think they’ve misspelt Birmingham – it’s D-E-R-B-Y
@B9Denaro: Hahahahahhaaha I love you eddie Cheng and Mr king never leave us I love you
@KarlHills2: No. HELL no. Stay the fuck away from our club. #bcfc
@_chancey_: I’m going to say he’s nearly as bad as our current! Guy can fucking do one
@LancsIron: Look whose back… #takeoverdangerman
@iamseanyp: No thank you. Absolutely not. Would have Dong back then this absolute clown !!!
@TheFerrisWheel_: Well this just sounds awful
@Calcos_: We will never be owned by someone half decent will we
@Wesbwfcagain1: More attempted takeovers than Pinky and the Brain this fucker
@PaulMcCarthy66: Expect to see this moron standing at Spaghetti Junction with a stack of papers blowing in the wind, trying to convince the world he’s not actually some hapless chancer. Again
@BluesJack_: How many shit owners do we fucking want
@cdbcfc_: And I’m eyeing a dinner date with Jennifer Aniston, but that’s not gonna happen either. #ncfc
@jcullv2: I would like new owners but by that I mean billionaires not some shady Italian bloke that’s had a previous ban from football
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