Aston Villa's Robert Olabe travels for key meeting – Big week for V Sports

Aston Villa sporting director Robert Olabe travels to Portugal for a Vitoria Guimarães general assembly vote on V Sports' proposal to increase their stake from 29% back to 46%.

Aston Villa sporting director Robert Olabe has travelled to Portugal to attend a general assembly at Vitoria Guimarães, where members will vote on V Sports' proposal to increase their ownership stake in the Portuguese club from 29% back to 46%.

V Sports, the investment group that owns Aston Villa, initially acquired a 46% stake in Vitoria in 2023 but reduced it to 29% later that year when both clubs qualified for the Europa Conference League, also relinquishing their board representation. They now seek to restore their holding to the original level.

Olabe's attendance is significant as he is set to become a director of Vitoria's professional sports entity (SAD) should the stake increase be approved. The proposal has faced opposition from some quarters, including former presidential candidate Viriato Sampaio, who claims V Sports are exploiting financial difficulties caused by recent mismanagement. Nonetheless, V Sports is pushing forward with the vote this week.