Birmingham City urges fans not to enter field of play as protest planned before West Brom derby

Birmingham City supporters are planning another protest against the club’s owners before tomorrow’s (10 February) home game against local rivals West Brom.

Supporters have demanded change at the top of the club during protests against owners Birmingham Sports Holdings (BSHL) for more than a year now.

Fans held marches before the club’s home games during the second half of last season following a social media campaign which began in January 2022 with supporters using the hashtag #BSHLOUT to express their frustration with the current regime.

Fans are frustrated that talks with potential new owners have so far proved fruitless. Despite months of talks, it was announced before Christmas that the club would not be taken over by Maxco pair: Blues fan and local businessman Paul Richardson, and former footballer Maxi Lopez.

The duo had been leading the Maxco consortium with continuous talks with Blues’ current owners BSHL throughout the autumn and the start of the winter this year, but they eventually decided to pull out of any deal.

And it was reported in Janaury that Blues were in talks with a group led by the former Motorola and Microsoft executive Jeremy Dale over investment into the club -although there has been no further development as of yet.

Protest before West Brom fixture & club statement

It’s expected that fans will march to St Andrew’s prior to the 7.45pm kick-off against the Baggies.

The march plans to start at 6.30pm from the Bull Ring Tavern in Digbeth to the Kop carpark at St. Andrew’s - like many of the protests last season. The club released a statement on Wednesday (8 February) urging fans not the enter the field of play as part of any protest against the owners.

Part of the statement, read: “The Club supports the right to safe protest and recognises the frustrations that have led to groups and individuals exploring options to express their personal feelings.

“The safety of supporters attending St. Andrew’s remains a priority and so it is necessary to highlight the dangers of attempting to enter the field of play, particularly via the lower tiers of the Tilton Road stand and Kop stand.

“To be clear, supporters are not permitted to enter the lower tiers of the Tilton Road and Kop stands. Whilst covered, they remain an active construction site and carry a substantial risk of injury should spectators attempt to enter this area.

“The advertising banners currently covering the lower tiers would not support the weight of a supporter and are only in place to protect the exposed scaffolding beneath. Impact from landing on the scaffolding from the height of the fencing which borders the lower tiers, could result in serious injury.

“Furthermore, the Club wishes to remind spectators that entering the field of play is a criminal offence and could lead to Football Banning Orders or civil stadiums bans, with two supporters identified who encroached onto the pitch during the Sky Bet Championship match with Preston North End subject to sanctions.

“Finally, Birmingham City reiterates its stance of supporting the right for safe protest, however, any demonstration should not jeopardise the safety of supporters, players, staff or match officials.”

What has manager John Eustace said about the protest?

“Everyone’s got a right to protest,” Eustace said ahead of the West Brom clash in his pre-match press conference.

“Everyone protesting is doing it because they love the football club, and that’s up to them. As long as it’s in a safe way and doesn’t affect the 90 minutes - for me as a head coach, as long as everyone is safe and they protest in the right way, that’s all I can ask for.

“I understand that these magnificent Birmingham City fans love the football club and they care deeply about it. What’s happened has happened, but from my point of view as a head coach all I can do is prepare the team properly. The fans have been absolutely fantastic up to now and the connection with the players is very special. That’s helping us with a difficult season,” Eustace continued.

Why are fans unhappy with BSHL?

Under the ownership of Birmingham Sports Holdings, the club were found to have breached profitability and sustainability rules in 2019 after incurring losses of nearly £48.8m in three years, and were subsequently docked nine points.

They avoided a second points deduction in 2020 despite losing an appeal to the EFL over a misconduct charge.

The club have also been forced to close the lower sections of the Kop and Tilton Road End at St Andrew’s due to structural issues with part of the stadium remaining closed last season.