FK Željezničar announces a public Call for establishing a strategic partnership with potential investor(s) (“Strategic Partner”). The Club has been operating as a non-for-profit organization for the last 103 years. The club’s rich history, successful performances, and passionate fan culture have contributed to its status as one of the most popular clubs in South-East Europe.
The purpose of the call is to create a new corporate structure that will enable maximum progress of the club, profitability of all operations, and utilization of existing potentials, with legal protection of the interests of both parties. The cooperation involves two joint ventures:
- Football operations: A legal entity licensed to compete in the Premier League of Bosnia and Herzegovina with the most loyal fan base and a current budget of approximately EUR 4 million, which can be significantly increased through professional management.
- Real estate management: Another legal entity will contract exclusively with the existing association for building rights on nearly 50,000 m2 of urban land, which will include a stadium, office buildings, hotel and shopping centre with parking garage.
It is possible to invest solely into football operations or in the real estate management part, but preference will be given to investors interested in investing in both segments simultaneously.
INTERNATIONAL CALL
The public call is open to all interested parties. These may include domestic or international individuals and legal entities, who may act individually or jointly.
Following a detailed analysis, the club has developed a plan for further business development. All interested parties are invited to contact the club with their proposals. All deviations from the proposed model will be considered if they serve the interests of both FC Željezničar and the Strategic Partner.
RETURN OF INVESTMENT
FK Željezničar will retain ownership of the land, and the new Real Estate Company will manage the buildings on the basis of the construction contract, which represents a separate real estate and is registered in the land register. The term of the contract will primarily depend on the joint assessment of return on investment and fair earnings of the Strategic Partner.
Financial experts estimate that the strategic partner should provide a minimum of EUR 20 million in capital and a credit capacity of EUR 70 million to realize the construction of a sports and business center with 90,000 m2 of usable space in the city center and a training camp on over 30,000 m2 of land outside the city.
The Strategic Partner and FK Željezničar will proportionally enjoy the right to collect revenues from operations, which will serve for investment repayment and further investment in Sports Operations. In doing so, the Strategic Partner will manage the real estate and thus provide a return on the investment, and at the same time generate income for sports operations, in which it will also be a co-owner.
APPLICATIONS
All interested parties can apply by sending an email to: partnership@fkzeljeznicar.ba, after which they will receive a form that includes at least the following content:
In addition to the capital and creditworthiness of the Strategic Partner, changes to the Regulation plan and the transfer of the football license are required for the fulfilment of the aforementioned plans. The club informed the relevant authorities and started certain processes. The fulfilment of all necessary permits will be part of a joint effort of FC Željezničar and the Strategic Partner.
WORKING GROUP
FK Željezničar has formed the following Working Group to conduct the negotiations with all potential Strategic Partners:
- Almir Gredić (Chairman) is a member of the Management Board of UniCredit Bank responsible for corporate banking. Almir holds a Master’s degree from the University of Sarajevo’s School of Economics and is a former president and captain of FK Željezničar.
- Adi Bikić (Strategy and Negotiations) is the co-founder and CEO of Greenfields, a corporate service provider headquartered in Frankfurt. Adi holds a Magister of Law title (mag.iur.) from the University of Vienna and is a former member of the youth academy of FK Željezničar.
- Feđa Dupovac (Legal Affairs) is an independent attorney in Sarajevo. Feđa holds a law degree from the University of Sarajevo and a Master’s degree in International Sports Law from ISDE in Madrid.
- Semir Imamović (Architecture) is the founder and managing director of the architectural studio Kota and the furniture brand Sitform. Semir graduated in Architecture from the University of Sarajevo.
The public call is published on the official website of FK Željezničar and remains open until May 26, 2024.
More information about the public call is available at the following links.
Bosnian – LINK
English – LINK
