On Tuesday, Sigma Olomouc, without any specific details, published information about the offer for shareholder entry into the club. The interested party is the American Blue Crow Sports Group, which already owns, among other things, the club MFK Vyškov.
What can Sigma gain and vice versa lose?
Of course, we are not talking about the possible sale of Sigma as some super hot news. There has been speculation about this move for several months, but the city also played a role in everything. The initial speculation regarding the offer was that the Americans would buy the club gradually. And it was the city representatives who were worried that the club’s annual budget needed for its functioning might not be fulfilled and the city would then have to subsidize this. All of this is now probably resolved, so there is an unspecified offer to buy the club in Olomouc.
Recently, Sigma Olomouc has been facing a barrage of criticism for the ill-advised sale of its assets. It all culminated in the recent act of pig heads and blood splatter outside the stadium’s main entrance. Whatever is happening in Olomouc, such an act was way over the line, the entire reasonable-minded population will probably agree on that. In any case, the possible sale of the club is welcome news for many fans. However, there are also those who would not like to sell one of the traditional football clubs to foreign owners. However, I personally think that Sigma can only profit from this acquisition, thanks to the experience that the managers of the American company have to offer.
Who are Blue Crow Sports Group?
Most Czech football fans probably heard this name for the first time in connection with the sale of the MFK Vyškov club. However, this is far from the company’s only football acquisition. She already owns several other clubs. In particular, I would point out Club Deportivo Leganés, who now hold the first position in the second Spanish league and thus have a very good foothold in La Liga. And let’s face it, that means something. The company also has acquisitions in Qatar or Mexico.
The whole idea of the company’s management lies in the fact that it wants to improve and support local talents in different corners of the world and thus create the foundations and springboard for truly global players. And what are we going to talk about, the Czech Republic has a lot of talent, but we haven’t had an era here for a long time, like during the time of Nedvěd, Koller and others. Perhaps Blue Crow Sports Group will stand behind a new generation of players. And maybe one day we will once again see the Czech national team at least at the top of Europe.
And what will happen to Vyškov?
However, the ownership of Sigma Olomouc can create wrinkles for many football fans. And especially those from Vyškov. He has quite a decent step towards promotion to the first league. They currently hold second place behind Dukla Praha and are thus at least close to the playoffs. However, if the acquisition of Sigma really happens, the whole long effort may come to naught. According to the rules, two clubs of the same owner may not play in our highest league. And let’s face it, if the owners have to choose between Vyškov and Olomouc for the first league, we are probably all clear. It’s quite a shame though. Vyškov has been fighting for the first league for the second season and certainly deserves promotion.
However, if Sigma is sold, it will probably really stay in the second league. Unless the Americans somehow cleverly invented it, but I honestly don’t think so. As a result, I rather lean towards Vyškov becoming a farm for Olomouc and other clubs in the American company’s portfolio. Which in the end may not be bad at all. In case of promotion to the first league, Vyškov would also have to deal with the problem of an inadequate stadium, and unfortunately we know from recent years that newcomers to the first league often fall back after one season. Vyškov could thus play at the top of the second league, have a very interesting squad and participate in the development of many players. And that’s actually not a bad fate.
Do the owners of Sigma Olomouc even want to sell?
I saved the biggest and most important question for the end of the article. We can probably all agree that the offer is financially lucrative, that the majority of fans will welcome the new owner and that it would be beneficial for the club and Czech football. But nowhere is it written that the sale will actually happen. The recent cases surrounding the sale of real estate have not yet died down, and there are rumors from many corners of Olomouc that Sigma has essentially been tunnelled.
What will we do, the dissatisfaction of the fans with the management is huge. The low attendance and the recent protest, when rock fans left the stands for five minutes, speak for themselves. The management should communicate much better with the fans and explain their actions. However, this has not yet happened, and so the question arises whether there really is something very rotten in the bowels of Sigma. And if the management cannot name these things and present them publicly, is the sale perhaps in the interest of specific individuals? What if it started investigating and found something? I don’t want to point the finger at anyone or name anyone, but it seems like a wait-and-see strategy – but it will eventually wear off. But while he can say or deny practically anything to the fans, it is very difficult to say anything to the new owners.
Anyway, we’ll see how it all turns out soon. To be honest, I have to partially agree with one comment on the club’s social networks, where the author wrote that if a betting company posted odds for sale, it would be “for a shack” that the club would not be sold in the end.
