Will Bloom's other clubs pose European issue for Brighton?
Bloom has expanded his football interests after making such a success of Brighton. All three could qualify for the same European competition this season. If Hearts or Union Saint-Gilloise secure a place in Champions League qualifying, that could threaten Brighton's place in Europe.
[BBC] We have received some questions via our Brighton 'Ask Me Anything' form around what happens if Hearts and Brighton qualify for Europe and get drawn against each other, does Tony Bloom's financial interest in both teams become problematic? Bloom has expanded his football interests after making such a success of Brighton. He now holds shares in Scottish Premiership leaders Hearts and Belgian club Union Saint-Gilloise.
All three could qualify for the same European competition this season. If Hearts or Union Saint-Gilloise secure a place in Champions League qualifying, that could threaten Brighton's place in Europe. That is because the team in the higher-ranked European competition would get priority if Uefa were to find a breach of multi-club ownership (MCO) rules.
For instance, by losing in Champions League qualifying Hearts or Union SG could potentially drop into the same competition as Brighton. MCO rules would not allow this and the Seagulls would not be admitted into the competition at all. Bloom had to reduce his controlling stake in Union Saint-Gilloise below 30% before the 2023-24 Europa League season, as Brighton had also qualified.
When he bought into Hearts last year, Bloom clearly had this conflict in mind by purchasing 29% of the Edinburgh club. Bloom will hope his house is already in order. Read more on clubs facing similar issues Ask Me Anything is a service dedicated to answering your questions.