Liverpool FC will be sold to the Boston Red Sox baseball team
owners, despite facing a legal challenge from the club’s current owners.
Club
chairman Martin Broughton told Liverpool’s official website: “I am
delighted that we have been able to successfully conclude the sale
process, which has been thorough and extensive.
“By removing the burden of acquisition debt, this offer allows us to focus on investment in the team.”
However,
current Liverpool owners, Tom Hicks and George Gillett, also from the
US, have attempted to block the sale to the Boston Red Sox, saying that
the club has been seriously undervalued. A Liverpool FC statement last
night confirmed that the pair had tried to remove managing director
Christian Purslow and commercial director Ian Ayre from the board and
replace them with Mack Hicks and Lori Kay McCutcheon.
Purslow, Ayre and Broughton are now consulting lawyers over whether they can resist the owners’ attempts to replace them.
Broughton
added: “I am only disappointed the owners have tried everything to
prevent the deal from happening and that we need to go through legal
proceedings in order to complete the sale.”
Liverpool is in a tricky position with an October 15 deadline to repay
debts to the Royal Bank of Scotland resulting from its 2007 takeover by
Hicks and Gillett. RBS would then be allowed to take control of and
sell the club on to recoup the loan.
However, Liverpool fans’ group ‘The Spirit of Shankly’ will be glad to see the last of the club’s current owners.
“We need to rid the club of Gillett and Hicks,” James McKenna, who helps run Spirit of Shankly, told BBC Sport.
“It
does not matter where they come from as long as they understand
Liverpool Football Club. That was the problem with Gillett and Hick,
they never really got Liverpool.
“We have not been involved in
discussions with the potential new owners about fans ownership but hope
to be involved. The supporters are very angry and believe that any new
owners should listen to our views.”
Spirit of Shankly aren’t the only ones looking forward to seeing a
change of ownership for the club. Hollywood film director Mike
Jefferies created this video, Dear Mr Hicks, featuring famous Liverpool
fans all ranting against the club bosses.
People such as
ex-Liverpool striker John Aldridge, Echo & The Bunnymen frontman
Ian McCulloch and actors Stephen Graham and Ricky Tomlinson took part
in the video which quickly went viral.
Watch Dear Mr Hicks here.
