Liverpool FC supporters' union Spirit of Shankly have reached out to the Independent Football Regulator for more guidance on what Fenway Sports Group's £1.65billion investment deal with Amit Bhatia's consortium means for fans.
Bhatia's 1892 Holdings group, which includes Amazon founder Jeff Bezos and Facebook co-founder Eduardo Saverin, completed its deal with FSG on Friday to take a 30% stake in the club. Liverpool had been valued at £5.5billion, making the deal worth around £1.65billion to FSG and one of the biggest in football history.
Silent partners at Anfield
While Bhatia has nearly two decades of experience in club ownership from his time at Queens Park Rangers, where he served from 2007 until last month, the presence of Saverin and Bezos has attracted the most interest. Saverin will be represented on the new-look Reds board by his wife Elaine, as part of the EE Capital section of the consortium. Bezos, whose personal net worth is estimated at over £200billion, will have Bryan Baum, the managing partner of K5 Global, act on his behalf over matters at Anfield.
It has been insisted that both Bezos and Saverin, who failed to take ownership of Chelsea in 2022, will be silent partners at Liverpool. Shortly after the deal was confirmed on Friday evening, Spirit of Shankly confirmed they are seeking more information on what it could mean for Reds fans.
Supporters' union statement
The statement read: "Today's announcement that brings to an end the speculation of recent weeks and confirms the sale of a minority stake in LFC will have raised many questions for supporters."
"Much has been written and said of the individuals who make up the buying consortium, 1892 Holdings, which for Spirit of Shankly means that, alongside the formal due diligence required by the Premier League, we have reached out to the Independent Football Regulator to follow the next steps."
"We will also be speaking to our members and the wider supporter base to gauge their views and questions. Given the commitments by FSG and the previous roles of head of the consortium Amit Bhatia, we will be seeking engagement to understand better what this sale and consequent changes will mean for the future of LFC and its fans."
"As Liverpool supporters, we need zero reminder of the importance of good governance and club ownership. We trust that the current owners FSG realise this, and have carried out their own due diligence because we as supporters will most certainly do our own."
"It's important we take time to understand fully the long-term implications this deal will have for our club's ownership and at the same time what it doesn't mean – wild speculation about transfers and spending helps no one. It is vital for the game in general that football clubs are run sustainably, as LFC has been, and not an arms race funded by mega-rich individuals or state-backed entities."
"At this stage, we know only the outline, but we will contact supporters and keep you updated when we know more."
New vice-chairman
Bhatia's deal with FSG has seen him take on the new role of Liverpool's vice-chairman, while FSG president Mike Gordon will remain the most hands-on of the ownership group on a day-to-day basis on Merseyside.
