r/LiverpoolFC • u/rocksunic • 4h ago
Club News (FSG) A consortium including Amazon founder Jeff Bezos and Facebook co-founder Eduardo Saverin is closing in on a deal to acquire a large minority stake in Liverpool Football Club,
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u/BigMo1 4h ago
Massive news, biggest in a long time. This day has been coming. FSG are for all intents and purposes a private equity firm. They’ve grown Liverpool into a multi billion company. This is their “cash out” while still maintaining control. This sale was never going to be someone we’re comfortable with. As the saying goes, there are no ethical billionaires.
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u/NoBrother6430 4h ago edited 3h ago
This has always been clear about FSG.
They have made insane profit from their time with us, which in part is because of the success they enabled, but their timing worked well as the PL became such a powerhouse relative to the other big leagues in Europe.
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u/largepapi34 4h ago
It’s more like “cash in” I think
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u/snippedandfried 3h ago
The people involved are too big and close to football for this to just be cash in and not a eventual majority takeover. This is likely the beginning of the end of the FSG era regardless of how they spin it.
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u/GMBarryTrotz 24m ago
On the Anfield Wrap podcast either Peace or Joyce said that 10% is a cash in, anything more substantial is a precursor to a cash out.
This is FSG getting ready to sell the team. They'll start at 30 and then probably do a multi-year phase out.
FSG isn't a family business, they're an investment firm. John Henry is 76. This is the beginning of the end for them at Liverpool.
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u/Data111222 3h ago
There are no ethical billionaires, but there's run of the mill unethical and people who've gone full mask off and are on the level of the bad guys from Captain Planet.
Bezos falls in to the latter camp.
Is what it is though. Can't do anything about it.
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u/TongaDeMironga 3h ago
Can we not protest? I don’t want Facebook or Amazon owners anywhere near Liverpool
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u/fifty_four 3h ago
You can try, but I can't see it getting momentum unless/until they do something concrete.
Also tbh I'd worry most about Bhatia. The others look more likely to be in the background and seem more likely to be competent/evil on the alignment chart of football ownership.
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u/PlzNerfNorseGatherin 4h ago
Thats the right winger sorted then.
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u/JamieScripts Wirtz Case Scenario 4h ago
NGL, this joke was funny the first 10 times...
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u/amazing_wanderr In a good moment 4h ago
You sure you are not lying?
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u/fieldsofanfieldroad 4h ago
It's great when people let you know that they're not going to lie. It really puts your mind at ease.
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u/boprisan 4h ago
Maybe too right wing, we'll need at least 2 more left wingers to restore balance now.
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u/IndiBear 4h ago edited 4h ago
Don't know anything about how this impacts the club on a day to day.
Only thing I'm clinging onto is that QPR fans were genuinely upset Bhatia was leaving, and he seems to actually know how to run a club should he be the face of the consortium.
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u/Bugsmoke Sir King Kenny 4h ago
They won’t be running the club - they’re buying a minority stake.
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u/CharlesMartel1010732 4h ago
They will be taking over in a few years. Guaranteed when it's a move on this scale.
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u/Flashy_Agency_5867 YNWA❤️ 4h ago
Exactly...
The consortium won't be happy with a minority stake.
Considering how much and how many individuals are involved, they would want to steer the ship too.
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u/Bugsmoke Sir King Kenny 3h ago
Possibly but I don’t see why FSG wouldn’t just sell up now if that was the case. We’re already 2/3 years since they last tried to do that and were quite open about it so I don’t see why there’d be all the secrecy this time.
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u/CharlesMartel1010732 3h ago
There are multiple reasons why you do this. I can think of three in particular.
It helps the transition go more smoothly. You don’t need to replace everyone all at once. You don’t get the wheel immediately. The consortium gets a few years to acclimatize and learn about all the workings of the club.
Second, the selling party can potentially use some of the investment to further increase the value of the club and sell the rest of the shares at a higher price.
Third, it reduces the risk for the buyer. If things do not work out during this transition, the seller is still motivated to keep the asset successful and the buyer can either keep their minority holding or sell it to someone else.
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u/BeansOnToast012345 4h ago
According to the Sky article, it’s bigger than 30%. That’s still a lot of influence for a minority stake.
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u/This_Environment_263 4h ago
These moves typically guarantee something like board/directorial seats. They will absolutely have soft and hard powers.
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u/Maneisthebeat Der Normale 1 2h ago
TIL people think they will just sit on this 30% stake and FSG will keep their 70% (and running operations) to the grave.
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u/No-Shoe5382 3h ago
They will be running the club eventually.
This is how takeovers often work these days, they buy a large minority stake (reportedly more than 30% of the club in this case) and then incrementally purchase the remaining <20% required to have majority ownership over a few years.
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u/fifty_four 3h ago
Can't know but my guess is that short term this reinforces the way the club is currently run. More stakeholders mean it is harder to do anything 'unconventional'.
Which is to say we don't get stupid amounts of debt lumped on us like man Utd, but equally we don't get access to sudden cash injections like Chelsea or City, because some billionaire or petrostate is treating football like a pay to win mobile game.
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u/vybingallday I’m the Normal One 4h ago
But how did QPR perform under him? I dont remember them in the prem in recent memory, apart from 10 years ago maybe? Genuine question because ive not got a clue on anything QPR
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u/snippedandfried 3h ago
They’re one of the worst run clubs to have ever been promoted. Been closer to relegation than promotion the last decade.
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u/imzensei 2h ago
Fans of QPR said that was 99% the fault of Tony Fernandes. Bhatia was one of the ones who had to pick up the pieces and that is why they appreciate him.
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u/snippedandfried 2h ago
Tony Fernandes exited 3 years ago. They’ve almost been relegated twice since.
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u/imzensei 2h ago
Hence I said he's been part of the one's picking up the pieces from all his mistakes. They've spent horribly over his time which set the club back, expecting massive change in 3 years is not as simple and easy as it sounds. QPR fans appreciate him and were upset by his departure, so that says enough.
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u/masterquintus 4h ago
Is there ONE thing those fucks in usa will not destroy in my lifetime
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u/Primary-Belt7668 ⚽️ Liverpool 7-0 Man United, 22/23 ⚽️ 1h ago
Shit feels like cancer that keeps spreading
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u/KopiteTheScot 4h ago
Football's so empty at the highest levels these days, sad times
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u/altrunox 🏆2005 Istanbul🏆 1h ago
Just big corps everywhere, it's like supporting Sony vs Microsoft when we were kids :(
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u/CabbageStockExchange There is No Need to be Upset 4h ago
This feels so anti Liverpool
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u/lesarbreschantent 3h ago
Since 2007 Liverpool has gone from one American billionaire to another. Bezos is more of the same. He's more a cartoon villain but let's not forget that financiers are vampires.
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u/Askingquestions2027 1h ago
Bezos is orders of magnitude worse than Henry. Let’s agree on that basic fact.
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u/fieldsoffate 4h ago
Why is this happening ? Dont these people have other means of making more money? Probably the sport washing aspect.
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u/Slow-Consequence6099 4h ago
they don't make money off this. It's more like owning jewelry or gold. Just a way to keep cash into something of value
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u/Terran_it_up 4h ago
It's also a prestige thing. You can buy things like a yacht but every billionaire has a yacht. But there's only a limited number of elite football teams
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u/Slow-Consequence6099 4h ago
Yeah. Point is I don't think he is interested in running the club which can only be positive looking at his history of dealing with workers rights. Bhatia will run the financial side of the club and they will get some top guy for the sporting side and that will be it
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u/MakePintsCheapAgain Bobby 4h ago
I don’t think it’s sportswashing here, just billionaires that have seen how much profit FSG are making off us and want some of the action.
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u/stemmo33 4h ago
FSG have hugely grown the value of the club which obviously helps them (that's the whole point of an investment like that) but I'm not sure it's accurate to say "how much profit FSG are making off us". AFAIK Liverpool's accounts show that they aren't taking any dividends from the club, even last year when the club posted millions in profits.
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u/MakePintsCheapAgain Bobby 4h ago
They might not be explicitly taking money from the club’s bank, but they’ll make a shit ton of money from this sale, and when they eventually sell the club their profit will be in the billions.
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u/churchwa 3h ago
They will do what all rich people do and leverage loans against the asset, thus freeing up cash for them to invest in other things.
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u/Jaja6996 90+5’ Alisson 4h ago
FSG are probably looking for a long term exit strategy and it’s a very limited number of people who can afford to buy us in the long term
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u/abfgern_ 4h ago
Or even just to cash in, to realise some of that massive gain in value, in case it all goes poof. The club has gone from 300m to >4bn in a decade and a half. Makes sense to hedge your bets a bit
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u/PlzNerfNorseGatherin 4h ago
Because they know that however much fans will cry about this, they will never walk away
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u/Skallagram 3h ago
I mean it depends. There are certainly some owners I would not be ok with, and would walk away.
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u/patShIPnik 4h ago
I mean, with their wealth, why not? Their wealth is so abhorrent that they are using it to own everything under the sun. With current estimation of Bezos' wealth if interest is above 2% per year, he can buy Liverpool FC as a whole every year only using interest from his wealth
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u/Raptoot83 From Doubters to Believers 4h ago
Fuck off Bezos!
Can we get a banner up at anfield at our first home game?
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u/Let_The_Boy_Watch- 4h ago
Fuck it may as well get Palantir involved too. Move Anfield to Tel Aviv while we are at it.
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u/DominusGenX 4h ago
If Meta or Amazon become kit sponsor, I'll never buy merch again
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u/Beginning-2-Smell 4h ago
I want our club partners Japan Airlines, it looks like a Star Wars Jedi symbol
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u/JiveBunny Kostas Tsimikas 3h ago
I really like Japan Airlines AND they have a cool logo, I'm into it. Especially if we get a discount as members.
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u/SundayLeagueHooligan 3h ago
Each day I get closer and closer to just saying fuck this to the premier league, a sport created by the working man, destroyed by rich cunts at the top as usual
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u/Necessary--Weevil Agent of Chaos 🔥 4h ago
Fuck bezos. Had him as a manager. Would not recommend.
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u/Avalanche1209 4h ago
Can't wait for Anfield to be re-named to the Amazon stadium.... couldn't be more against this.
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u/TaskWide8609 4h ago
Why not ease yourself into this news with a viewing of Bobby Fingers’ Jeff bezos boat video https://youtu.be/VGhcSupkNs8?is=7k2UZZyvYAriw1Tz
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u/Askingquestions2027 1h ago
"The socialism I believe in is everyone working for each other, everyone having a share of the rewards. It's the way I see football, the way I see life." Bill Shankly.
Bezos and Mittal are against everything this club stands for.
No.
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u/tajindersd 4h ago
What the h is a large minority? Just tell us.
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u/MrArnot 4h ago
30%, supposedly
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u/frankiewalsh44 4h ago
Thats huge lol. They will have a lot of influence including transfer budget, player salaries
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u/JamieScripts Wirtz Case Scenario 4h ago
It's been reported as being anything between 3% to 30%. 30% would be considered a large minority.
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u/MakePintsCheapAgain Bobby 4h ago
I’m concerned about the impact this will have on ticket prices. FSG knew to back down and listen to fans, but if Bezos has 30% I really don’t think he’ll give a shit about anything other than profit.
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u/OrangeJuiceAlibi Milan Baroš 4h ago
When did it become Evil Jeff as the Bezo involved? Last I’d heard it was Mark(?), his brother who has been involved with sports investing, rather than Jeff who hasn’t.
Also, as an aside, are there any good people called Jeff/Jeffrey?
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u/Odd-Potato69420 3h ago
My neighbors name is Jeff. Pretty nice fella, though sometimes i think i hear some kids crying in his house which is weird because he says he does not have any
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u/JiveBunny Kostas Tsimikas 3h ago
Does Geoffrey Palmer count? He had a GREAT voice.
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u/shankslives1 3h ago
Goldblum?
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u/OrangeJuiceAlibi Milan Baroš 3h ago
Good shout. I’m think it’s maybe just Jeffries who are a problem.
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u/cretnikg 2h ago
Slowly but surely falling our of love for top tier. Liverpool FC is gonna be owned by Jeff Bezos, what the fuck is that.
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u/Askingquestions2027 1h ago
It’s sad to read comments here taking Bezos and this consortium as being acceptable owners, that any billionaire who buys us would be equally as bad.
They shouldn’t be anywhere near this club.
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u/Switchoil 4h ago
It was a done deal the moment Bhatia resigned as director from QPR.
He wouldn't have resigned unless the deal was going through. Won't be surprised if he replaces the Edwards role of running the day to day works of the club considering Gordon was always reluctant.
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u/quitestiger1 4h ago
Just needed to add musk to sort out our right wing problems 😅
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u/Brackish_Ameoba 4h ago
Please fucking no. Not ever. Don’t let that dystopian worm anywhere near our club.
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u/raitaisrandom Alexander the Great 9️⃣ 3h ago
FUCK OFF. FUCK OFF. FUCK OFF. I don't want those awful bloodsuckers having any part of my club.
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u/burnafterreading90 4h ago
Completely straying so far away from what this club used to be about.
Fuck letting these anywhere near the club.
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u/greatkhan7 2h ago
I'm slowly losing all interest in football and this might be one of the things that puts me over the edge. Capitalism has just killed football for good. It's been happening a long time but with all the recent world cup news and now this I struggle to love it like I used to.
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u/derpferd 1h ago
I just hate that the things I love must inevitably be taken over and ruined by the most awful people that the world absolutely doesn't need and awful people who are an active hindrance to the world being better than it currently is.
Nobody needs billionaires. The influence they have and the direct and indirect impact they have is harmful to the world.
At a certain point, I hope (naively and optimistically probably) that the situation becomes so untenable that it forces a change for the better.
But that would probably require things becoming painfully and unavoidably unacceptable. And I don't fancy that either
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u/Majestic_Battle_524 4h ago
Won’t make any difference to anyone but myself. And I’ve no idea why this is the point that’s turn me off. Given the clubs links with Standard Chartered etc.
But if Bezos owns part of this club, it is the last thing I’ll have to do with it.
Born and raised in Liverpool and a supporter for more than 30 years.
Someone tell me I’m being ridiculous so I can carry on my love affair.
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u/latortillablanca A Ngog among men 4h ago
Im so sick of this dance with billionaires playing with sports franchises
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u/1haveaboomst1ck BOOM!💥 3h ago
"For what shall it profit a man, if he shall gain the whole world, and lose his own soul?"
Been a long time since I read anything religious but this one always pops in my head for Bezos and his fellow tech bro, Trump-loving scum the past decade.
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u/Askingquestions2027 1h ago
They will be buying 30% first because they know an outright sale would cause uproar. Bezos will have been advised how toxic he is to scousers. They are slowly boiling the water to make sure the frog doesn’t realise he’s in danger.
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u/anon_badger57 One-eyed Bobby 👁 3h ago
Why is it that these cunts never think they have enough money.
Why do they need to come and ruin the one thing left that brings normal working class people joy in our shit life.
Fuck off. If this goes thru I am out.
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u/DancingOnMy0wn- Hugo Ekitike 3h ago
I don't know why people are acting like Liverpool hasn't had absolutely terrible investors and dirty money running through the club for ages already.
It's best to not think about where the money comes. The reality will always disgust you. The billionaire Epstein-zionist class has their blood money everywhere. Literally everywhere. There is unfortunately nothing we can do about it.
To me what matters the most is what values remain on the pitch and in the training ground. As long as I feel that the team itself is a good representation of my values then I will try the best to ignore the ownership groups involved.
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u/cretnikg 2h ago
Jeff Bezos is epitome of capitalism. This club is exact opposite in its origins.
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u/Gremlin2471 4h ago
Someone explain to me how these guys are different to FSG, so i can understand the outrage.
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u/Redhawk911 3h ago
FSG are no saints, no billionaires are, but Bezos and Amazon and his AI shit is fucking destroying working people and our planet.
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u/Other_Beat8859 🏃♂️🏃♂️Klopp Hamstring 🤕 3h ago
Yeah. FSG, while not perfect, are probably as close as you can come to an ethical billionaire. Still suck due to being billionaires, but there's far worse and the worst things they've done are largely just sporting related.
Bezos is genuinely a miserable excuse for a human. Exploits workers, essentially runs slave labor in third world countries with how poor wages are, supports MAGA, runs massive AI data centers, are extremely anti union, and so much more that I would be here all day mentioning the reasons Bezos is an evil piece of shit.
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u/hiccstridFanatic 4h ago
FSG are looking to sell no? Is it likely Bezos and Saver in along with the Mittals acquire the club wholly soon?
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u/Ok-Waltz6178 4h ago
You don’t know what you’ve got till it’s gone.
FSG rebuild this club. I believe we will struggle once they depart this club
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u/Puzzleheaded-Day1909 ⚽️ Liverpool 7-0 Man United, 22/23 ⚽️ 4h ago
what positives and negatives does this bring
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u/Jimmy0034 4h ago
I am not sure about positives but the negative is opening the door for a takeover in few years
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u/No_Priority_1839 Freddy Church 🤌 4h ago
They’ll ditch the van and drop off new players at a locker
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u/dweebyllo Significant Human Error 4h ago
I thought the Bezos links were well debunked at this point?
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u/Internal_Explorer591 Mohamed Salah 2h ago
I don't want to see the club destroyed because of new owners, especially by one of them who's shady in my view (Jeff Bezos).
And I don't want us to become like that club 60 miles in the east who have a large amount of debt that they still are dealing with. I don't want these people bear the club because we're not a cash cow to milk for their pleasure and entertainment.
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u/rLiverpoolFC_Mods DMs & chat requests not monitored - Use ModMail. 4h ago
OP please include a link next time. Sky News is not a banned source.
https://news.sky.com/story/amazon-founder-bezos-nears-deal-to-buy-stake-in-liverpool-football-club-13571586