Birmingham vice chairman Peter Pannu has moved to clarify the extent of his allegiance to Arsenal, reports the Birmingham Mail. At the club's annual awards dinner, he spoke of his support for the Gunners when he was working in Hong Kong.

"Look, that doesn't mean to say I don't love Birmingham City - I do," he said. "This has been misinterpreted."

On the night, Pannu's actual words to the audience at the ICC were: "I am a fanatic Arsenal fan. Well, I was. Not now.

"This (Blues) is an arranged marriage - and I have fallen in love. I am a true Blue Nose - trust me when I say this now."

And Pannu said many people had got the wrong end of the stick when he spoke about the price Yeung paid for Blues.

"We have, in our owner a person who has made it and has come west," said Pannu.

"He has come to this country, he had the guts to buy the club, and he paid a premium.

"The club is worth £37 million, he paid £81 million for it - because he loves this club."