One of the best clubs in English football is in the doldrums thanks to issues not related to the field of play. Liverpool FC need to sort out their management issues so that the players can concentrate on doing what it is supposed to be doing - play football.
The club has debts, including fees, payable to Royal Bank of Scotland by October 15, failing which an additional penalty would be due.
RBS have taken the issue to High Court, in a bid to resolve a power struggle within the club, and prevent the club from removing the chairman and another board member who have approved an offer to buy the club by New England Sporting Ventures (NESV), owners of Boston Red Sox, an American baseball team.
To add to the off-field wrangles at Anfield, a Singapore billionaire, Peter Lim has bid to buy the club and made an offer that is said to compete with that of NESV's. Mr Lim is reported to have offered an additional amount to the beleaguered club to help it to buy players. The NESV offer, accepted last week by club chairman Martin Broughton, has been disputed by Liverpool's current American owners George Gillett and Tom Hicks.
Gillett and Hicks have contended via their lawyer that they are not trying to prevent the club's sale but are interested in looking at better offers than NESV"s. According to a statement by the lawyer made on behalf of the owners, an American hedge fund had also made a competitive bid, offering an additional amount to build a stadium.
Incidentally, the hedge fund, refinanced the loan taken by Gillett in 2007 to buy the club, and controls 50% of Gillett's shareholding in Kop Holdings the company that owns Liverpool FC.
Mr Lim had also bid to buy the club in 2007, when Gillett and Hicks's bid was favoured over his. Mr Lim owns several bars, with a Manchester United theme, in Asia, a testament to the Premier League's popularity in Asia.
Mr Lim is reported to be planning to sell off the bars, if his bid to own Liverpool were successful., and use the proceeds to wipe off the club's debts to RBS, while providing additional money to invest in new players in the January transfer window.
After the completion of eight matches, Liverpool are languishing in 18th place on the Premier League points table, and their fans would welcome investment in new players who could revive the squad.
The High Court ruling on the matter is expected on Wednesday, October 13, at 10:30 BST. If the management dispute is not resolved, there is a danger of the club going into administration, in which case Liverpool FC would be docked 9 points, opening up the prospect of relegation.
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