Interesting developments emerge surrounding Hull City ownership web | OneFootball

Hull City owner Acun Ilicali has become the majority shareholder in League of Ireland club Shelbourne FC, just over a year since arriving at the MKM Stadium.

The Turkish media mogul and his highly reputable company, AcunMedya, will take over at the Dublin-based club with immediate effect after confirmation was published on their official website earlier today. Ilicali has also published a statement on his official Twitter following the news.

What has Acun Ilicali said about his latest investment?

There have been long-standing rumours about the Turk wanting to create an official partnership between Hull City and Shelbourne, and now it is complete, Ilicali believes the Irish club have great potential to succeed on a European stage. The club currently find themselves in fifth position in the League of Ireland standings.

“I am deeply impressed by the passion and motivation of the Shelbourne FC family, and we believe that the club offers great potential to succeed in European football," he said.

The 54-year-old has also likened the circumstances Shelbourne find themselves in at the present moment to how he found Hull City in the winter of 2022, and wants to create a similar environment at Tolka Park.

Continuing, he said: "We want to scout, recruit and train talented prospects from all over Ireland and Europe to be part of our family. With our global expertise and vision in football, media and entertainment verticals, we aim to bring new energy to Irish football and Shelbourne FC, one of the oldest clubs in Ireland, by further strengthening the deep-rooted bond between the fans and the club, like we did in Hull City."

How does this impact Hull City and Shelbourne FC?

With Ilicali having the majority of control of both the Tigers and Shelbourne, it seems highly likely that a partnership which will impact both footballing and business matters will be formed in the near future. This could see Liam Rosenior sending young players from East Yorkshire on loan to Damien Duff's side to gain experience of first team football at a cost which benefits both parties, and further opportunities through the affiliation.

It is no secret that Ilicali likes to use affiliations and connections when running a football club, with Hull signing a handful of players with previous experience of playing or being from Turkey in the last year or so.

The project has also been welcomed by Shelbourne's vice-chairman Andrew Doyle.

He's quoted as saying: "This partnership will help us finalise ongoing projects and seize many other opportunities that will benefit our senior teams, academy and facilities.

"There will be huge opportunities to leverage the synergies with the management expertise and resources of ACUNMEDYA, Shelbourne and Hull City in ways that can be very significant for everyone involved."