Vincent Tan's friends told him one thing about Cardiff City – he refused to listen

Vincent Tan was warned about his investment in Cardiff City before taking over in 2010

Vincent Tan has been in control of Cardiff City since 2010 and has overseen many ups and downs in that period.

The Malaysian businessman has been in charge for two promotions to the Premier League, as well as relegation down to League One.

The Bluebirds are back in the Championship under Brian Barry-Murphy following their automatic promotion from the third tier in 2025/26, coming second in the table.

And fans will be hoping that they can re-establish themselves at that level long-term, with a view to potentially competing for a place in the Premier League again in the future.

Cardiff City’s mixed start under Vincent Tan

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A group of Malaysian investors that included Tan became the new owners of the club in May 2010 after the team finished fourth in the Championship table.

And the club earned a play-off place in the next two campaigns before winning the second division title in 2013 to earn promotion to the Premier League for the first time.

However, fans were outraged when the new owners decided to change the team’s traditional home kit colours from blue to red in 2012.

So while there was on-pitch success in the first few years, fans were still left frustrated with how the club was being run under this new ownership.

Vincent Tan reveals investment warning

Tan revealed in 2014 that friends warned him against investing into the football club, and that looking back he maybe wouldn’t have had he known it would be so challenging.

However, he believed that it was still possible to make the Bluebirds profitable, with the team back competing in the Championship at that stage after just one season in the top flight in 2013/14.

“If I had known that it was so difficult and the problems that we faced, maybe I wouldn’t have invested,” said Tan, via Wales Online.

“But having said that, I think it is a challenge and I believe that eventually this will end well. I believe that I can make this investment profitable.

“Of course, my friends think I’m crazy, that it is impossible to make it profitable, but I believe that it is possible, so time will tell.”

At that point in his ownership, Tan had invested £170 million into the Welsh outfit, and was just a few months away from committing a U-turn on their decision to change the kit colours to red.

Cardiff went on to finish 11th in a disappointing first season back in the second tier after their 2014 relegation.

Cardiff’s Premier League return and League One relegation

Neil Warnock guided Cardiff back to the Premier League just a few years later in 2018, leading the team to second in the table.

However, the club once again failed to survive in the top flight, coming 18th in the standings, two points adrift of safety.

And while the Welsh outfit were in the mix for promotion in the subsequent two campaigns, they then slid down to 18th, 21st, 12th and then bottom of the Championship.

This was the first time the club had fallen to the third tier since 2003, and the first time under Tan’s ownership.

The future at Cardiff under Vincent Tan

The appointment of Barry-Murphy in the summer of 2025 proved a success for Cardiff, with the Irishman leading the team back to the second tier at the first attempt.

The mood around the club has improved as a result, with a greater emphasis on younger players and academy stars helping to improve the connection between the fans and the team.

However, financial issues still remain, with the club confirming that they made a loss of £35.1 million in their most recent accounts from 2024/25, when they suffered relegation.

Tan’s position as owner seems on solid ground, but he is a far way away from turning Cardiff into a profitable investment.