作者：金杜律师事务所 King & Wood Mallesons
在金杜律师事务所专业团队的协助下，由赖国传先生领导，深圳上市公司棕榈生态城镇发展股份有限公司（简称“棕榈”）联合私募股权基金云毅投资共同注入大量资金的中国财团成功收购了英超西布罗姆维奇足球俱乐部。
King & Wood Mallesons has advised a large consortium of Chinese investors, led by Guochuan Lai and comprised of significant investments by Shenzhen-listed Palm Eco-Town Development Company Limited (Palm)and private equity fund Yunyi Investment, on its acquisition of English Premier League Football Club West Bromwich Albion.
西布罗姆维奇俱乐部主席杰雷米·皮斯同意出售西布罗姆维奇控股有限公司，该公司持有俱乐部母公司西布罗姆维奇集团有限公司约88%的股权。
Jeremy Peace, Chairman of West Bromwich Albion, agreed to the sale of West Bromwich Albion Holdings Limited, which owns approximately 88% of the club’s parent entity, West Bromwich Albion Group Limited.
西布罗姆维奇足球俱乐部成立于1878年，是英国西米德兰兹区域西布罗米奇的足球俱乐部，曾五次获得足总杯冠军。从1900年起，该俱乐部就以山楂球场为主场，目前正为其自2009/10赛季回归后在英超联赛的连续第七个赛季做准备。作为于1978年首支来华访问的英国球队，西布罗姆维奇与中国已建立了紧密联系。
Five-time FA Cup winners West Bromwich Albion, based in West Bromwich in the West Midlands, UK, was formed in 1878. It has played at its home ground, The Hawthorns, since 1900. The club is currently preparing for its seventh successive season in the Premier League, after returning in 2009/10. As the first British football club to visit China in 1978, West Bromwich Albion has already established strong links with China.
赖国传在其职业生涯中大力协助棕榈的发展，该公司市值达18亿美元。棕榈早期主营植物苗圃业务，随即发展成为一家业务遍及中国及世界各地的城市规划和景观公司。
Guochuan Lai built his career assisting with the development of Palm, a listed Shenzhen Stock Exchange company with a market capitalisation of £1.8billion. Palm formed from a plant nursery business and grew into a substantial urban planning and landscaping company, with operations throughout China and in the rest of the world.
该交易标志着中国投资者首次收购一家英超足球俱乐部，同时也是中国私募股权首次涉足英国超级体育产业。
This transaction is the first acquisition of an English Premier League football club by a Chinese investor, and the first venture for Chinese private equity into the UK’s premium sports industry.
赖国传表示，“中国正迎来足球的黄金时代。中国拥有海量的球迷基础，而且仅在过去短短几年即快速增长形成了这种规模。同时，足球及其产业文化的发展也得到了中国政府的承诺和大力支持。我相信该交易将提升人们对足球的喜爱度，并为西布罗姆维奇带来数百万新球迷。”
Guochuan Lai said, “We are also entering a golden age for football in China. China has a massive football fan base, which has only been growing in the past years. There is also a real commitment, strongly supported by the government, to develop football and its culture in China, and I am convinced that this transaction will serve to reinforce the love of football, while bringing West Bromwich Albion millions of new dedicated fans.”
金杜伦敦办公室公司业务合伙人William Holder表示，“很高兴能为我们的客户就如此具有历史性的交易提供法律服务。该交易聚焦了中国企业对欧洲体育目标表现出的重大投资兴趣。随着中国企业对该领域的投资兴趣稳步增长，我们预计未来几年这一发展势头将持续加速。该交易是金杜伦敦业界领先的公司业务与中国办公室紧密合作，并为客户提供与众不同的交易管理和客户体验的又一佐证。”
William Holder, London Corporate partner, said, “We are delighted to have advised our client on such a historic deal, which puts the spotlight on the significant investment interest shown by Chinese businesses in European sports targets. This is a trend that we expect to gain momentum over the next few years as Chinese appetite continues to grow at pace. This is a further example of the way in which our market-leading Corporate practice, working in tandem with our unrivalled China practice, can offer a real difference in transaction management and client experience.”
金杜广州办公室合伙人沙骏表示，“我与赖先生是多年朋友，并与他就多个项目共事。我为赖先生与其团队取得的卓越成就感到高兴。在这项具有里程碑意义的交易中，我也看到金杜律师团队展现出的巨大优势。通过广州办公室与伦敦办公室的紧密合作，我们凭借领先的专业知识与经验，为客户处理各类棘手的法律问题。我们成功协助客户满足中英两国监管机构的要求并最终达成交易。”
Sha Jun, Guangzhou partner, said, “I have been a friend with Mr Lai for years and have worked with him on a number of projects. I am very pleased with the marvellous achievements made by Mr Lai and his team. Meanwhile, in this landmark transaction, I also see great advantages demonstrated by KWM lawyers. Through the joint efforts made by both Guangzhou and London offices, KWM resolved various tricky legal questions with our unraveled expertise and professional experiences. We managed to satisfy all the requirements of both Chinese and UK regulatory bodies and the deal finally successful.”
金杜广州办公室合伙人曾坚表示，“该交易展现了我们将对本地法域的深入了解与金杜全球平台相结合的强大跨境业务实力，无论是对客户、金杜还是市场都具有深远意义。我们的全球团队紧密合作，该交易利用中国合伙人对本地法域的理解与关系以及欧洲团队的专业知识共同取得了这一历史性成果，进一步展现了我们亚洲智慧战略的力量。”
James Zeng, Guangzhou Corporate partner, said “This is a significant deal for our client, the firm and the wider market, which demonstrates the strengths of our cross-border practice; combining our local depth with our global platform. Working seamlessly as one global team, this transaction further illustrates the power of our AQ strategy, using the understanding and relationships of our partners in the China and the expertise of our European team together to achieve a historic outcome.”
金杜团队通过涵盖英国法及中国法“一站式”法律服务的独特能力，成功促成了此次交易。该项目跨境法律团队由广州办公室合伙人曾坚律师、沙骏律师以及王建学律师主导，罗翔、廖舒欣、张舒婕、陈俊宇及常贽提供支持。伦敦团队负责合伙人为William Holder，该跨业务领域团队还包括公司合伙人Joe Newitt，Michaela Moore律师和Aditi Venkat律师；税务合伙人Gareth Amdor和Charlotte Haywood律师；劳动法合伙人Carl Richards、 Stephen Hall律师和Chloe Scott律师；金融合规律师 Tim Dolan、Ramya Juwadi律师和Jack Pailing律师。
The deal was made possible owing to King & Wood Mallesons’ unique ability to cover UK and PRC law under one firm. The cross-border team was led by Guangzhou-based partners James Zeng, Sha Jun and Wang Jianxue with assistance from associates Fiona Luo, Pat Liao, Susie Zhang, Chen Junyu and Nikki Chang, and in London by partner William Holder who led a cross-practice team, including Corporate partner Joe Newitt, managing associate Michaela Moore and associate Aditi Venkat, Tax partner Gareth Amdor and associate Charlotte Haywood; Employment partner Carl Richards and associates Stephen Hall and Chloe Scott; and Financial Regulatory partner Tim Dolan and associates Ramya Juwadi and Jack Pailing.
该交易尚待监管部门的批准。
The transaction is subject to regulatory approval.