Bilkul Football WBA, LLC is set to own a majority share in West Bromwich Albion Football Club this week, with the English Football League (EFL) approving the proposed deal.
The company will attain the 87.8% stake in the club left by Chinese businessman Lai Guochuan.
Heading the company is Florida-based businessman Shilen Patel, an investor whose business background transcends many sectors beyond sport, such as technology, health care, and finance.
Patel currently owns a minority stake in Italian Serie A club, Bologna FC, an investment he made in 2014. He will become Club Chairman of West Bromwich Albion once the takeover deal is complete.
His father, Dr Kiran C Patel, is well-versed in the medical profession and has spent many years building a strong business and philanthropic reputation; both in Florida and abroad.
The Patel family’s business and football experience promises to put Albion in good stead for the future.
“I am thrilled and grateful to have reached an agreement to become the custodian of West Bromwich Albion Football Club. The club’s exceptional history, support, and potential set it apart even here in the cradle of football,” Shilen Patel said via club press release.
“My goal is to help the club achieve a future worthy of its history as a pioneering top-flight club that marshals the pride and passion that have defined the Albion for generations.”
The takeover signals the end of a turbulent era for Albion, where the club’s future constantly hung in the balance.
Outgoing shareholder Guochuan purchased a majority share in the club in 2016, under the guise of Yunyi Guokai Sports Development Limited.
However, the businessman’s endeavours took a negative turn during the Covid-19 Pandemic, resulting in a failure to meet three loan repayment deadlines for the club.
Rumours of administration and financial insolvency then circulated around the club, during a period in which four English clubs had already entered administration.
It led to the formation of a fan-led activist group Action for Albion (AFA), who garnered support not just from its own supporters, but football supporters and organisations nationally and globally.
Protests became a regular occurrence at The Hawthorns, as fans pleaded for transparency from Guochuan regarding the club’s financial position and subsequent future.
Responding to the news of the takeover, a statement on the AFA website read:
“Today is about the fans of our great football club. We are delighted that Shilen Patel has identified West Bromwich Albion as a club worth investing in, a proud and passionate club, and a club with a bright future.”
“We are proud of our fans. They are the ones that raised the alarm, they are the ones that brought the story to the world, they are the ones that went about protesting in the right way – a peaceful and constructive way.
“We are of the firm belief that it is the visible dedication of our fans during this period that has shown our prospective new owners that West Bromwich Albion is the right club for them to invest in.”
As one of the world’s oldest football clubs, Albion’s future looks more promising under its proposed new owners.
The club is in the midst of a play-off battle with several clubs in the English Championship. It is likely this news will deliver an enormous boost to efforts on the field as well as off it.
