He wanted to buy the clamp, but eventually sold it. He did not want to block Zbrojovka, he ended up in Brno

The executive director of the Portiva investment group, Pavel Svoreň, has sold his minority stake in Zbrojovce Brno, which he was originally supposed to buy. Svoreň stated this in an interview on the CzechCrunch website a day after Libor Zábranský, who also owns the hockey team Brno, became the new owner of the second division club.

Portiva was to acquire a 61 percent stake from the current owner of the Brno football club, Václav Bartoňek, and was to have a pre-emptive right to buy the remaining shares. However, the transaction, which both parties were going to announce today according to the original agreement, fell through.

According to Svoren, the situation started to get complicated already in the fall. “It turned out that we have different expectations from the transaction and the functioning of the club. I was only informed at the end of the week to sell back my minority share, otherwise we will not move. And I have no interest in blocking Zbrojovka. On Thursday, I sold my minority, “ said the businessman.

Brno was relegated to the second league last year and is not doing well there either. It is only in ninth place in the table with minimal hope of returning to the elite. “Of course, I noticed that many people perceived me as the savior of Brno football. I would certainly like to thank you for the massive support and assure them that it is impossible for Zbrojovka not to be successful again one day. That moment will come one day, but you must not lose hope. I am sincere wanted to contribute without ulterior motives,” stated Svoreň.

He is not interested in buying another club now. “When the opportunity arose to acquire an exceptional brand in the region in which I live and to raise it, it was a great opportunity in terms of people and business, which I think will not be repeated. Never say never, but the ambition that I would go and strive now for Czech I certainly don’t have Budějovice, Jihlava or Hradec Králové,” added the boss of Portiva.

Zábranský resurrected the once famous hockey brand Komety. As owner, general manager and coach, he led it to two extra league championship titles in 2017 and 2018. The former hockey representative will take over an eighty percent stake in the second division football club. Ondřej Kania, who recently became the owner of Slovan Liberec, was also interested in Zbrojovka.