By Bill Wilson
Business reporter, BBC News, Soccerex |
  Liverpool FC's US owners have reportedly fallen out |
The fans' group hoping to buy Liverpool Football Club says it is preparing to approach the club's US owners in an attempt to discuss its intentions. Share Liverpool FC wants to buy the club for �500m, through 100,000 fans paying �5,000 each for a club share. It now says it has �60m definitely pledged, and a potential further �55m from fans showing "strong interest". The US businessmen who own the club, Tom Hicks and George Gillett, have become unpopular with many fans. The pair bought the football club in early 2007, but have reportedly fallen out. Terms of the takeover mean that each can block any move by the other to sell their holding without the other's specific approval. Dubai International Capital has recently revived its interest in the club but, to take control, it must buy all of one owner's shares along with some of the other man's. 'Overwhelming response' "We have got to approach the current owners, that is what we have to do now," Rogan Taylor, who is spearheading Share Liverpool FC, told the BBC. "I can't say how, or through whom, at present, but we will be approaching them to try and set up talks, and let them know our intentions". He said that since the fan website was launched there had been a flurry of activity - with contact from more than 200 countries. "Our initial website was a marketing tool to check the level of interest out there," he said.  Fans have expressed dissatisfaction with the current ownership |
"We have been overwhelmed by the response, and now we have to keep things moving forward quickly." As well as those expressing a "definite" and "strong" interest in making an investment, there are 13,000 other would-be backers who say they cannot raise �5,000. "We will be contacting them about possible group memberships, where fans and family come together to buy one share, and have a nominated shareholder they all agree on," Mr Taylor said. Non-profit making structure Share Liverpool has set up a steering committee - made up of people with legal, business, accountancy and other commercial experience - to formulate a constitution setting out the way forward. A company is being formed as an "industrial and provident society" structure, Mr Taylor said. And after talks with the Financial Services Authority, the set-up is close to being ratified. "The constitution is designed to deliver a non-profit making structure, and a means of electing an executive board, which would run the company for four years." Mr Taylor said. While the board would be the club executive, there would also be a fan parliament of 100 delegates to scrutinise the board's actions. "Fans will not be able to say what cheques are written, or which players are bought and sold," Mr Taylor added. "The board will have executive control for hiring and firing, buying and selling, lending and spending." 'Sophisticated' Any borrowing to build a new stadium for Liverpool FC would be done against future revenues a new stadium would bring, such Arsenal did to finance its Emirates Stadium move. Mr Taylor added that other regulatory issues needed to be overcome, partly because the group is asking fans in so many overseas countries to send money. Meanwhile a fighting fund has been established, and the website is being reconstructed to become "more sophisticated" in preparation for future moves. "What has been going on at the club, regardless of who owns it, is a vivid illustration of the pattern of ownership in the UK," Mr Taylor said. "Great clubs, established social institutions, are being traded on the global capital markets, with no knowledge of the clubs. "Fans offer everlasting support and should be given the chance now to own an everlasting share."
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Great clubs, established social institutions, are being traded on the global capital markets, with no knowledge of the clubs
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