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It was less than two years ago that he invested £6m into the Easter Road side.
Bournemouth owner Bill Foley is in talks with the Gordon Family over selling his 25% shareholding at Easter Road.
The American businessman is the owner of Black Knights Football Club, a multi-club ownership group, headed up by Premier League side Bournemouth while also including the likes of France’s Lorient and New Zealand’s Auckland FC. He invested into Hibs via a minority interest at the price of £6million and it was approved by shareholders just 20 months ago.
Now it’s understood the Gordon family are preparing a purchase of that stake as Foley is open to relinquishing his piece. The Gordon family already own 60% of the club and it’s believed the Black Knight group have expressed desires for Hibs to take more of a feeder club form for the Cherries down south.
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Why Bill Foley is looking to sell Hibs share
That notion has been opposed by Hibs and it’s part of the reason why Foley is seeking to invest elsewhere, with Easter Road chairman Ian Gordon strongly against any chance of the Premiership side being diminished by the Black Knight’s future vision. Tim Bezbatchenko was appointed as an Executive Director at Hibs in June of this year, taking one of Black Knight’s seats in the boardroom.
He became Black Knight’s first president in June 2024 while Ryan Caswell is a non-executive director, having been involved with the creation of Black Knight Football Club. Gordon is now seeking a quick resolution so both parties can move on after clashes over how to proceed into the future.
The relationship between Black Knight FC and Hibs got off to a rocky start, after Foley vented his disapproval of appointing David Gray as manager and Malky Mackay as sporting director. Hibs went on to finish third last campaign in the Premiership and currently sit in that position heading into November’s international.
What Bill Foley has said about future investment
In an interview with the Observer at the weekend, Foley said: “We’re actively looking at teams in certain places. Fortunately, we’re getting contacted by all kinds of different people, in different countries, representing different teams. We have a wide range of options. Within 24 hours, I’ll get a write-up on the league and the team. 90% of the time we pass. But 10% we’ll get involved, and start looking at it.
“I don’t want to be arrogant. But I believe I am really a good owner. I had a simple goal [with all my teams]. We want to win. My job is to do all I can to take away barriers to winning. I am a very good delegator. I listen to the people I am working with. Sometimes I hire people and they aren’t the right person, and I’m not afraid to make a change, but if it is the right person, I’ll do anything to keep them. But it’s not my style to be remote. If I’m going to be involved in sports, I am on duty. I am up to bat.
“Money is the differentiator, so we have to be smart in what we do. We’ve chosen to find other clubs for a feeder system. But we want to hire the sporting director, the coach, the analysts, for the teams to play the way Bournemouth play, so that if we do have to pay a fee for a player, we are paying ourselves. We want everyone – coaches, players, analysts – to feel that being part of our system is to their benefit. We want Bournemouth to be a destination for people, one they will enjoy. It’s the only way we can stay competitive. But you have to have good people.”
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