Meet the New Owner of Liverpool Football Club: Fingers Crossed!
by YNWA on September 28th, 2009 58 commentsPrince Faisal is the one on the right by the way.
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A Saudi Arabian prince is looking to buy up to half of Premier League football club Liverpool, reports say.
Prince Faisal bin Fahd bin Abdullah al-Saud was quoted by the Saudi Al-Riyadh newspaper on Sunday as saying “we are seeking… to own a 50% stake”.
The reported price of £200m to £350m for the 50% stake would be in excess of the £174m US owners Tom Hicks and George Gillett paid for the whole club.
Liverpool recently signed a sponsorship deal with Standard Chartered bank.
That deal, which begins next July and runs to the end of the 2013-14 season, should lead to an increase in the club’s commercial revenues.
Debt burden
Mr Hicks and Mr Gillett have been looking to reduce Liverpool’s £245m debt and paid off £60m in July.
That was when the loan used taken out to buy the club in February 2007 ran out and was renegotiated with banks RBS and Wachovia.
“We are currently seeking to buy 50% of the shares in the club which is now suffering with debts worth £245m,” the prince was quoted in Al-Riyadh paper.
The Saudi interest comes after a document was leaked showing that since March 2009 the club has been seeking to attract new investors in return for a stake in the Anfield club.
In March 2009 a prospectus drawn up by investment banks Rothschild and Merrill Lynch told potential investors that for £50m they could get a minority stake in “one of the world’s most successful football clubs”.
Prince Faisal bin Fahd bin Abdullah al-Saud, who was at Anfield on Saturday for the 6-1 win over Hull, now appears to be seeking to invest much more than £50m.
He is chairman of Saudi holding company FAMA Group and the F6 sports investment firm, which said at the weekend that a memorandum of understanding had been signed with George Gillett and Richard Petty Motorsports.
That envisions setting up sports academies in Saudi Arabia, and could also see the Liverpool brand, and that of US motorsport Nascar, promoted heavily in the Middle East. (BBC Sport)
Fingers crossed indeed. The fact that our esteemed leaders deemed it necessary to look for new investors says it all. Either due to their financial incompetence or their desire to run the club dry whilst making any profit they can on the side or simply because they realise just how despised they are by a large section of the Liverpool fans, they are trying to extricate themselves from a very sticky situation.
The fact that Tom Hicks is planning on doing business with a man who seeks to get a 50% stake in the club suggests to me that he for one, and perhaps Gillett also, feel that making such a deal is a very real possibility and that will come as great news for most of the clubs fans, me included.
So Prince Faisal bin Fahd bin Abdullah al-Saud could well in time be our new owner and one who can surely not do a more lousy job than Messrs Hicks and Gillett and that for me is enough to offer him my wholehearted support.
YNWA
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Is This Good News for Liverpool Football Club?
anonymous - September 28th, 2009 at 11:17 am
first you wankers , only kidding , this can only be good news for the mighty reds
anonymous - September 28th, 2009 at 11:22 am
I hope the Americans are planning an exit strategy, it does appear they are looking to leave the club, which can only be a good thing
anonymous - September 28th, 2009 at 11:26 am
If the saudi arabian buy the team of liverpool, everybody in the world will be happy and i will live in peace
anonymous - September 28th, 2009 at 11:26 am
THE CHOSEN ONE
mmmm interesting …….
sometimes the devil you know………
remember we all jumped last time and look what happened….
caution i say oh comrads lets be careful.
anonymous - September 28th, 2009 at 11:30 am
I hope Hicks and Gillett leave before January!
anonymous - September 28th, 2009 at 11:39 am
The relationship betweem Hicks & Gillett is making this saga very confusing. If one of them remains in control, who would be the best for LFC? The question is really; WHAT IS GOING ON?
Retryboy - September 28th, 2009 at 11:47 am
The club actually cost 435 million the difference between the article being the money the yanks borrowed so surely this purchase is actually wiping out the clubs debt? Confused as to the way it works. Gillett has done the deal on his 25% hicks still has to agree to that and agree to giving up another 25% of the club can only be good news just gotta hope that hicks doesn’t want to hang on to his shares if he does the same deal as gillett they are almost certainly exiting stage left. Gonna be keeping everything crossed for prince bin bin’s arrival! Also seen the other oil rich royal families wanting to get in on the premiership with think its the dubai royals looking at a bid for arsenal makes it more important they don’t fuck up this deal
anonymous - September 28th, 2009 at 11:58 am
Excellent. Just what we need. Being owned by part of the non-elected government of a state where human rights are non existant, the subjugation of women is a matter of course and freedom of speech is non-existent.
As deeply unpleasant as the current owners are, this attitude of a lot of fans that will look the other way as long as someone waves a wad of cash at the team is revolting.
I’d rather see Liverpool playing in the 3rd division with honour, preserving the values of Bill Shankly that having our beloved club the smiling face of a religious dictatorship.
anonymous - September 28th, 2009 at 11:59 am
News report came out citing the report are not accurate. So another baseless rumour. Both Hicks and Gillet are not letting go.
anonymous - September 28th, 2009 at 12:02 pm
i bet that wanker gillet wont sell up, hicks is alright but gillet is a nob. if we get this investment then we can buy players and win the league every season becasue thats what will happen
anonymous - September 28th, 2009 at 12:14 pm
Will anyone want to buy Liverpool when they play Europa League next season?
anonymous - September 28th, 2009 at 12:15 pm
I think you was meant to post this on the Manure section, mate! Easy mistake
Retryboy - September 28th, 2009 at 12:49 pm
Firstly i am the anon at 11.58 puts petrol in his car, has gas central heating and sleeps well at night. Fact is this man will uphold the values of liverpool more than the yanks cos all that will matter to him is being the best like is the case with most owners this is football not politics. Secondly these aren’t unsubstantiated rumours from the tabloids these are out of the business papers, new york times etc… All reporting the same news that came out after the hull game.
Retryboy - September 28th, 2009 at 12:49 pm
Firstly to the anon at 11.58 puts petrol in his car, has gas central heating and sleeps well at night. Fact is this man will uphold the values of liverpool more than the yanks cos all that will matter to him is being the best like is the case with most owners this is football not politics. Secondly these aren’t unsubstantiated rumours from the tabloids these are out of the business papers, new york times etc… All reporting the same news that came out after the hull game.
anonymous - September 28th, 2009 at 1:00 pm
taxi for hicks please
Ash T - September 28th, 2009 at 1:11 pm
so they have agreed a deal with gillet for 25% of his stake in the club, and they are just waiting for hicks to sell 25% in his stake in the club.
but what if hicks does not agree, will the prince still buy ? and if he does, does that not mean hicks will controle most of the club?
anonymous - September 28th, 2009 at 1:24 pm
Retyboy,
I don’t own a car, my heating is electric and I buy energy produced by sustainable means.
I sleep very well at night, thank you.
I would sleep a great deal less well supporting a team owned by people for who mysogyny, intolerence and brutality is par for the course.
Shankly believed in socialism, a club for the people, by the people. Not some oil billionaire’s plaything. It’s impossible to separate the football from the politics. A football club IS politics. It’s people joining together for common beliefs and goals. Liverpool have always been about us, the fans. I’ve supported Liverpool for 32 years, since the first time I saw them play. It was enough of a sell out when the club went to the Yanks. This would be unforgivable.
anonymous - September 28th, 2009 at 2:04 pm
Digging the tie and velvet blazer, cool glasses and facial hair, Your Highness!
Hoogleboogybugleboy - September 28th, 2009 at 2:04 pm
Anon 11:58 & 1:24.
Although I admire your values and in part i agree but to up hold such values is impossible today. You say that you would be happier with Liverpool in the 3rd division, playing with honour, upholding the values of Bill Shankly. Although this is a very romantic notion it is also an unthinkable one and one which I would say 99% of fans would not go along with.
Football is about money and like it or not that isn’t going to change anytime soon. I agree with you that the values of Arabs are not the same as the rest of the western World but as a Liverpool fan of 33 years I want the club to be at the top of the tree and if getting investment from Arabs is the way it has to be then so be it.
anonymous - September 28th, 2009 at 2:16 pm
Just for the record Hoogleboogybugleboy, it’s not Arabs in general I object to. It’s the Saudi Royal Family and their regime specifically.
I think that’s quite important to clarify.
Ryan Babel - September 28th, 2009 at 3:10 pm
sky sports sais “F6 could purchase all of Gillett’s 50 per cent stake in the Merseyside outfit to take joint control alongside Hicks, with another option that they buy part of the Texan’s share.” but i wish they would either take the whole 100% or 50% of hicks and leave gillette
Retryboy - September 28th, 2009 at 3:28 pm
Anon at 11.58 i too see the validity of your points and do admire the way you obviously feel so passionately about the values of the club but values are different all over the world, its a different religion in the middle east and obviously you are a lot more educated on the regime than me that aside the prince is no more responsible for the crimes in his country than the queen is for what we did in the crusades he was born into a family and a way of life. Also i can’t see how having a billionaire owner can be bad for a club we need to stay competitive for you the moral issue is obviously more important and i do commend you
Hoogleboogybugleboy - September 28th, 2009 at 3:28 pm
Ok mate, my mistake. Even so, my views are the same. I don’t know much about how the Saudi Royal family operate but i’ll take your word for it that they are not nice people but if their wealth can help my beloved club then I would have to say happy days.
saif - September 28th, 2009 at 3:43 pm
i’v got to say happy days are sround the corner coz liverpool will buy villa/aguero and silva and other world class players so the kop will always rule
anonymous - September 28th, 2009 at 4:08 pm
i so so so so hope this happens but if it does i’d liketo see rafa get more spending money but not to be told to do a man city and spend at will. i know rafas more intelligent than that but i would still like to a see a star or two come in
anonymous - September 28th, 2009 at 4:34 pm
I’m a lifelong red, and it shames me to see all my fellows constantly crying and whining about how we deserve rich owners like man city who will buy every player in sight. Liverpool FC are not the best club in history because of lavish spending and wealthy owners of dubious ethics. We are not entitled to win the f*cking league! We have to compete hard and play football the way it should be played just like we always have and we can win. We can take our chances.
Hoogleboogybugleboy, are you really willing to give our club over to just anyone with loaded coffers, no matter how ethically dubious that money is? Football is great, and Liverpool FC is my passion, but we are talking about human lives that are being affected by the Saudis. It’s blood money, and I want no part of it.
Hicks and Gillet have a vision that the club will make enough revenue to support itself, and if that is the case, then we don’t need any money from foreign billionaires. After the infrastructure for long term success is developed, the fans can take over the club and spend the club’s money however we like, and do it ethically with no regrets.
Even if you don’t think the Yanks deserve more time, you’ve all got to realize that you are choosing football over ethics and justice. This is the type of thing our ancestors have fought wars against, lost their lives for, and you want to cross that line just for football. I’m not willing to do that, and I’d much rather have the club rot in the bottom leagues than support a government that systematically oppresses and exploits its citizens and minorities while funding terrorism.
Get a grip!
Hoogleboogybugleboy - September 28th, 2009 at 4:40 pm
All this nonsense about spending loads on players is not the liverpool way. I agree that we could do with another attacking option or two but spending over the odds on players is just not on and is not what Rafa does thankfully. David Villa would be a fantastic addition but only at the right price. Hopefully FIFA will bring in the rule that clubs can only spend on players what they earn in revenue. If this is the case we will be one of the biggest spenders as our revenue is good what with us being one of the biggest football clubs in the World. Clubs like Chelsea, Man City etc will struggle as they are not that big a brand Worldwide although their fans would like you to think otherwise.
anonymous - September 28th, 2009 at 4:57 pm
Dont get your hopes up lads are we fuck getting taken over. There was so much talk about DIC last year that they had already bought a stake in the club and that turned out as pure journalist shit. Were not going to get taken over until these yanks are able to pay the debt off with the money we get from standard chartted. The whole david villa saga is a joke he wont come to liverpool its rumours because we are getting linked with a takeover dont be suprised if we get linked with silva as well in the next few days.
Ryan Babel - September 28th, 2009 at 5:02 pm
i dont really care how we win the league and cups ect, and to become the best team in the world. it would also be nice to see liver pool get aguero as it could sort us out for 3-4 seasons, and someone like john barnes.
Retryboy - September 28th, 2009 at 5:10 pm
What happens to this blood money if it doesn’t get invested in liverpool then? Sits there accumulating interest? Goes on some nice new guns? The other part of the deal is to open liverpool football acadamies in saudi and in england is that a bad thing? Leave it to the western worlds governments to try and convert middle eastern countries and tackle their record on human rights this guy is a prince don’t remember prince charles having any say in the laws that are passed in our country! Plus the fact he is probably a football fan and the more time he spends in civilised countries the more he is likely to change the regime over there when he is in charge. At the very least it will take money out of his pocket and into our economy. We don’t need a rich owner just need to clear our debts and get the stadium up and running the yanks aren’t capable of doing that
anonymous - September 28th, 2009 at 5:37 pm
“this guy is a prince don’t remember prince charles having any say in the laws that are passed in our country!”
Our royal family aren’t also the government though.
Seriously, read up on the regime in Saudi. You may be pretty shocked.
hobbes (to diferentiate from other anons)
Ryan Babel - September 28th, 2009 at 5:41 pm
yh if this was to happen then it would probably just be the three of them owning the club or he may buy gillettes 50% according to skysports. however all i really would like for liverpool is to biuld a new stadium remove debts and buy 1 or 2 quality players, like aguero, and a gerrard replacement just so liverpool can compete properly for many years to come. as long as all our players are happy and we have good strngth in depth like man u n chelsea. ideally orur team would be:
Riena
Johnson Carragher Skrtel/Agger Insua
Mascherano
Aquilani
Kuyt Benayoun
Gerrard
Torres
Bench:
Cavlieri
Agger/Skrtel
a good RB e.g. Rafinha
Defour
Aguero
Aurelio
silva/mata
anonymous - September 28th, 2009 at 6:11 pm
FACTS
man city owner- 15 billion personal money ( family 550 billion)
this prince- (hopefully future owners) 13.3 personal money (family 420 billion)
so according to this we should be able to compete with other teams in the market
50 million has been promised in january if they get 50% of the shares
the guy is also a football fan which can only be gud as he’ll understand wit we want
Donavan Ried - September 28th, 2009 at 7:24 pm
Everyone here is getting ahead for themselfs. a deal still has to be struck and pen put to paper ….. SO …. Calm down,Calm down
Retryboy - September 28th, 2009 at 8:21 pm
Is true we don’t know what is happening behind the scenes and must admit don’t think i would like a billionaire paying 100m for a player not exactly for the reasons given by hobbes although he definitely has made me think but because i like seeing the young players coming through and believe the ones we have now can do for us what the beckham generation did for united
and never want ppl to say liverpool have sold out and bought success just want a normal level of backing for rafa and some of the debt alleviated. Will wait and see what happens
...samlfc.... - September 28th, 2009 at 8:30 pm
Yeah Retryboy is right
I dont want liverpool to be a team where they bought the prem title…….i kno they won’t but if we do spends loads on players and win then tats what people are going to say
Now don’t usually say who i want in the transfer windows when we are not in one however with loads of people talking about it i might aswell.
I would like:
Aguero : he’s young and very talented plus we should get him now before he has an even bigger buy-out clause
Thats it thats all we need or maybe a back-up winger or something.
anonymous - September 28th, 2009 at 9:08 pm
only if he’s got the money to buy villa then yes
anonymous - September 29th, 2009 at 5:05 am
Maybe Liverpool being owned by an Ruling Islamic Royal Family would show that the Five Pillars of Islam which is the term given to the five duties incumbent on every Muslim, is not so dissimilar to us true Liverpool supporters:
These duties are Profession of Faith, Prayers, Pilgrimage, Fasting. Giving of Alms.
I most definitely have a profession of faith, say my prayers, believe that we should all make a pilgrimage to Anfield at least once in our lifetime. We even fast during the summer break. We also give alms by paying the wages of some poor shitty players.
God willing we will get rid of those yanks.
anonymous - September 29th, 2009 at 11:36 am
lots of opinions. none of it matter. end of the day. the business still go on the pitch and off the pitch. the history is in the making. before you and i were born and long after we left. one thing for sure is YOU WILL NEVER WALK ALONE.
THE BIG I AM - September 29th, 2009 at 12:01 pm
YNWA you deleted my post . . . . fag
anonymous – September 28th, 2009 at 4:34 pm – good post.
its hilarious when people moan at our owners . . . all there guilty of is fuking up a stadium they promised, granted they could have handled that better BUT were not gona have a new stadium without them so be gratefull and they have took us to another level financially, given us players moores could never have given us, we get at least one big signing every summer. Just because there not going nuts in the market like city and madrid !!! and just because there not buying the players that the papers say they should there bieng sloughterd! its all because there not spending as much as the fans want them to spend.
and i cant belive YNWA called the two millionares . . ..yerp thats millionares, financialy incompotent. Shows how much he knows.
Retryboy - September 29th, 2009 at 12:56 pm
Reports 2day bring up a few things that the prince has only met with gillett yet signed exclusivity deals with liverpool and deals for the acadamies to be set up in the middle east and africa how these deals are taking place without hicks there is a question can he just veto everything that has gone on? Also the prince is only interested in investing in liverpool where his money is not used to pay off the americans debts and not interested if there is still disputes between the americans all sounding sensible. The princes camp seems to think a deal is nearly there for gilletts 50% while gillett says there is still a way to go and is talking to other parties as well. The prince is tying himself to gilletts other enterprises like nascar too still a long way to go on this one b4 we find out what is happening is good seeing the work the american owners and christian purslow are putting in behind the scenes this year though
RaNE - September 29th, 2009 at 1:51 pm
WOW anyone notice his incredibly long name
Prince Faisal bin Fahd bin Abdullah al-Saud
at least he can get us out of debt and getting some good players
anonymous - September 29th, 2009 at 5:15 pm
if the this saudi comes. this is what will happen:
in jan:
10m will be paid to valencia for villa
10m will be paid to valencia for silva
in summer:
20m will be paid to valencia for villa( rest that is owed) villa will come in the summer
10m will go to valencia for silva ( rest that is owed) silva will come in the summer.
and other signings.
anonymous - September 29th, 2009 at 6:20 pm
at the end of the day anything the saudi royal family may or may not be doing wrong is gonna go on if they own us or not, so by saying you don’t want them to buy us is no punishment to them and no help to us.
we need the money they’ve got it and are willing to spend allegedly, it doesnt mean im gonna start making my wife start walking ten paces behind me or stone her to death if she cheats.
so even though i respect people with morals which they are willing to stand by, i don’t really see how it affects our day to day lifes it will only benefit the club there not asking us to convert to islam so whats the problem.
saif - September 29th, 2009 at 6:43 pm
thats rasist
Retryboy - September 29th, 2009 at 6:50 pm
Saif you can’t even spell racist Lmao so how can you accuse some1 of racism
THE BIG I AM - September 30th, 2009 at 9:39 am
no it isnt
Retryboy - September 30th, 2009 at 10:44 am
Takes the moderators 2 days 2 decide if i can tell some1 they can’t spell racism?!
anonymous - September 30th, 2009 at 4:35 pm
Gillett and Hicks were the worst thing ever to happen to Liverpool FC ever. They did not have the funding to purchase the club when they originally purchased the club. They both owned failing franchises in the U.S Gillett doesn’t seem too bad, but Hicks is a bastard. In the U.S there is a cap on all sports, so team can be more competitive there isn’t one in Euro the best team wins. This will be great thing for Liverpool, if you compare these buyout to Man City and Chelsea it will be way better. Chelsea and Man City were miserable franchises prior to them being bought out with no structure. Liverpool are already a great club, this will only help them build on the club. I think the injection of big money will allow us to purchase the key players we need to bring more silver to the club.
isaac hunt - September 30th, 2009 at 4:46 pm
wont celebrate/talk about it until it is 100% done!!!!
saif - September 30th, 2009 at 6:18 pm
yes it is coz 2 things he aint a muslim and i’m one and i don’t make my wife walk 10 steps behind me so thats racist to muslims and to the prince plus it’s prejudice to think that just because this prince is from saudi he’s a mualim and before you ask how i know it’s because in islam we have certine rules on how we trim our beard
saif - September 30th, 2009 at 6:22 pm
if this gose through i’d like i
in villa silva aguero martinez good center back defensive mid to replace macherano dani alves and if we can do it messi
out
instanji skrtill dossena lucas bale if not improved if he has then on loan voronin
and how ever thinks that the prince is a muslim is wrong
anonymous - September 30th, 2009 at 8:52 pm
are u an idiot? Why would we need villa and aguero? Wehat about Torres? JUST GET AGUERO. We don’t need Alves while we have Glen Johnson and Messi? Are u crazy!!!!
We should get the rest plut may be that Florentina kid who will be an amazing star in 2-3 years. I WANT US TO GET A YOUNG PLAYER AND TURN HIM INTA A STAR LIKE MAN U DID WITH RONALDO!!!
saif - September 30th, 2009 at 9:18 pm
yeah aguero can play eny were 1 of the top 4 positions so lots of cover ther and villa can parterner torres with gerrard behind them and speaking of youngsters get honda costa hazzard and di fedricoagree with you on florentina guy but what about a young golly
Ryan Babel - October 1st, 2009 at 8:22 am
yh if we had unlimited money my dream team would be:
–Torres–Aguero
Ribery–Gerrard–Aquilani/Mascherano–Kuyt
Lahm–Carragher–Skrtel/Agger–Johnson
–Riena
Bench:
Cavlieri
Insua
Agger/Skrtel
Rafinha
Benayoun?Riera
Dzeko
Mascherano/Aqualini
anonymous - October 4th, 2009 at 10:45 am
who thinks he looks like the devil because i do
anonymous - October 10th, 2009 at 10:44 am
This is a blessing for Liverpool Fc, Atleast we will have so much money like Manchester City, I pray Hicks and Gillet should find their way out of the Club..We Gonna be Great and be Crown English Champion soon
anonymous - October 17th, 2009 at 3:26 am
if saudi man gets in his pocket a bit liverpool will be just like real madrid in january exept well be gettin allot more !spain-ared! personaly i like the old english football style but i think VILLA will do 4 me..
lets get americans out of our KOP .. and THE PRINCE in !!!!!