, Everything Birmingham City fans need to know about Laurence Bassini – Watford woes, High Court hi-jinks and bankruptcy

Everything Birmingham City fans need to know about Laurence Bassini – Watford woes, High Court hi-jinks and bankruptcy

Former Watford owner Laurence Bassini has been linked with a shock £27million takeover of Birmingham City.

A report from Mirror last night suggested that Bassini, 51, is ‘keen on’ buying out Birmingham City in a £27million deal, with the former Watford chairman looking for a route back into football.

A controversial figure in the game, here’s everything you need to know about Bassini…

Watford woes and High Court hi-jinks

Bassini is best know for his time as chairman of Watford. Although it was short-lived, he managed to stir up a lot of controversy and make a name for himself which has followed him to this day.

He was at the club between 2011 and 2012. He took over the Hornets for less than half-a-million pounds having been bankrupted only four years prior.

He often failed to meet fans and reporters. Bassini cited poor health as his reasoning for not wanting to appear at fan forums and such events and soon into his tenure, the controversy would start to emerge.

Bassini began taking out loans in the club’s name and allegations of ‘financial impropriety’ were forced upon him, which would later deal him a three-year ban from any involvements in the English Football League for his financial misconducts and dishonesty.

Another highlighted moment of Bassini’s Watford stay was the Safegate scandal – towards the end of his stay in 2012, Bassini was said to have called the police into the club after an employee refused to hand him the keys to the club’s safe.

He later sold the club to the Pozzo family, and later revelled in Watford’s 2013 play-off demise after it was revealed he’d sent ‘gloating texts’ to the Watford Observer.

In 2014, two years after leaving Watford, Bassini was again made bankrupt after failing to pay off High Court orders to several Watford figures.

Bassini left the court hearing prematurely, claiming that he’d fallen on the High Court steps and was left feeling dizzy.

Return to football

After serving his ban from involvements in the English Football League, Bassini looked for a route back in with Bolton Wanderers.

And he came fairly close to taking over, but for his failure to provide proof of funding eventually leading to the demise of his takeover.

Soon after he was briefly linked with Oldham Athletic and then Charlton Athletic – he was reported to have an agreement in place to take control of the Addicks for £1.2million before issues with the stadium and training ground ownership forced the deal to fall through.

So, Bassini is controversial to say the least. He’s a name well know in the English game and often avoided but he may well have changed his ways – his reported £27million takeover of Birmingham City suggests he has a newfound wealth but, given his history of misconduct and bankruptcy, Blues fans will rightly have their fears of his potential takeover.

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