American billionaire Michael Eisner is to make a "personal pitch" to League Two side Portsmouth shareholders "ahead of their vote on his proposed takeover," according to BBC. The Portsmouth Supporters' Trust confirmed the former Disney CEO will attend a meeting at Portsmouth City Guildhall on May 4. He will "present his vision for the club at the meeting and answer questions from the audience." Before the meeting, which will be for PST shareholders only, "members will be sent a voting pack containing details of the terms" submitted by Eisner's Tornante investment group and his family. A two-week ballot will then open on May 6 and close on May 19 (BBC, 4/20). The BBC reported shareholders and members of the PST are "in favour of retaining representation on the club's board in the event of a takeover." The PST surveyed its members over a potential ownership change with 94% "agreeing to the importance of retaining at least one board member at the club." In a recent interview, Eisner said that he would "remove fan representation from the board if his takeover bid was successful." The PST, which currently owns 48% of the club's shares, "has three members out of nine on the board." The PST said, "Given we represent the largest share in the club, we would hope to see our members' views on supporter ownership and involvement, and protection of the club's heritage, reflected in any bid" (BBC, 4/19).
