Spirit of Shankly write to Liverpool FC over potential Bezos investment; club has issued a reply | OneFootball

Liverpool FC supporters group Spirit of Shankly (SoS) has written a letter to the club to seek ‘further information and greater clarity’ on prospective investment in LFC from a consortium involving Jeff Bezos.

On Monday, Sky News reporter Mark Kleinman broke the news that the group of potential investors (led by Amit Bhatia and also including Facebook co-founder Eduardo Saverin) is nearing a deal to purchase a stake of approximately one-third in the Merseyside club.

SoS writes to Liverpool FC over potential consortium investment

Communicating via its official website, SoS confirmed that it has written to Liverpool FC with five key questions regarding the potential sale of a stake in the club:

The group also requested a meeting with Liverpool FC to discuss the matter, with the club responding to affirm that ‘if anything became more formalised, they would be willing to meet with the Supporters Board’.

SoS added: ‘The latest report of a 30% sale and the consortium set up to buy it is significant. The ownership and custodianship of our club is paramount to SOS and all supporters. 

‘We have witnessed similar sales at other clubs resulting in notable changes in the running of that club and football operations, leading to decisions and behaviours that many would not want to see at Liverpool.’

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Supporters’ concerns are completely valid

We welcome the proactivity of SoS in contacting the club with those pertinent questions regarding the potential investment from the Bhatia-led consortium, given the extreme importance of what it could mean for LFC and its supporters.

There are legitimate queries to be addressed in terms of whether the investment group is coming on board with a view to ultimately gaining majority control at Anfield and succeeding FSG at the helm, and what their reasons are for wanting to get involved in Liverpool.

No shortcuts can afford to be taken on exercising due diligence over the backgrounds of the people involved in the consortium. Bhatia may be the driving force, but Bezos is its most globally recognisable figure, and some of his previous actions may come as a major red flag to LFC fans.

He pledged vocal and financial support to Donald Trump in the most recent U.S. presidential election, backing a politicial leader whose right-wing populism is at odds with the socialist, collective beliefs of the Reds’ fan base.

Concerns have also been raised about the consortium treating LFC as a pure money-making machine rather than a historic and globally revered football club, with fears that loyal fans could be priced out and have their opinions completely neglected.

We’ve already been through the wringer with Tom Hicks and George Gillett, so any large-scale investment in Liverpool should be treated with the utmost caution, especially in this particular instance.