Bill Foley officially becomes Hibs shareholder as Bournemouth owner's cash is unlocked despite fan group vote

Bill Foley is officially a minority shareholder in Hibs after the American's £6million investment was voted through at the club’s AGM.

Hibs needed 75 per cent of shareholders to agree to the cash injection but with the controlling Gordon family already holding 67 per cent and Leslie Robb throwing his 10 per cent stake behind the resolution there was never any chance it would fail. Foley, whose Black Knights group will receive two seats on the Hibs board, was not at Tuesday night’s packed meeting at Easter Road where Hibs chief executive Ben Kensell was pressed on the finer details by fans.

Hibernian Supporters Limited, the fans group who represent 4,000 members and had their 15.4 per cent shareholding diluted by the move, had initially indicated that they would vote against the move but in the end it did not matter. Foley, who also owns Bournemouth, French side Lorient and Auckland in New Zealand, becomes a 25 per cent shareholder.

The 79-year-old, whose involvement in the club also had to be rubber stamped by the Scottish FA, has not been shy in publicly outlining his ambitions for Hibs.

He revealed recently that he wants the Leith side to challenge the Old Firm’s dominance of the Scottish game. He said: “Short-term is to play in Europe, get in the Europa League, so be number three or four (in the Premiership) so we can work our way up.

"My long-term ambition is to challenge Celtic and Rangers for one of the top spots, but that is a longer term ambition. I hope I'm around to see it.”

As well as making millions available to spend on players, shareholders heard of plans to build an all-weather dome at the club’s East Main training base.

Kensell added: “This deal is ground-breaking in Scottish football and game-changing