Americans at war as Reds row escalates
LONDON, England — Liverpool co-owner Tom Hicks has branded the club’s chief executive Rick Parry a disaster as he once again urged his partner George Gillett to sell him his stake in the Premier League club.
Gillett later vowed never to sell his 50 percent stake to the Texan — and told his co-owner to stop causing trouble.
I am saddened at this latest outburst from Tom Hicks, Gillett said in a statement from Vail, Colorado. If Tom wanted a serious discussion on the issues to help the club move forward, he should bring his views to the board.
Five-time European champions Liverpool are just two matches away from another final and host Chelsea on Tuesday in the first leg.
Here we are, a few days away from a vital Champions League semifinal match and Tom has once again created turmoil with his public comments, Gillett said.
Tom should stop. He knows that Rick Parry has my support and that airing his comments in this way will not change my position.
His failure to discuss this with the (Liverpool) board or the management committee is significant.
Hicks, who also owns the Texas Rangers and Dallas Stars, said his goal was to relieve Liverpool of its debt except for the working capital needed to get the new stadium built.
I want the finances of the club to be secure, Hicks told Sky. I want to be the majority owner of a group that buys the club and I have got a 25-year track record of being a very successful investor around the world. The fans don’t like the fact that we borrowed a lot of money to buy the club but I will fix that.
For now, despite Hicks pledging to make Gillett an attractive offer, it appears the duo are stuck with each other.
Tom needs to understand that I will not sell my shares to him and that we need to find a way forward that is properly funded and truly in the best interests of Liverpool Football Club, Gillett said.
The real business of winning matches and running and developing the club is what we should all be focused on at this moment.
Hicks reiterated his support for manager Rafa Benitez, saying he would secure the Spaniard’s future at the club if he was successful in buying out Gillett.
The first thing I would do is offer Rafa a one-year extension, Hicks told Sky. Hopefully, we could have some success and then extend him again.
Hicks is blaming Parry for Liverpool’s failure to match the commercial pulling power of arch-rivals Manchester United and their delayed move to a bigger capacity stadium.
Look at what’s happened under Rick’s leadership. It has been a disaster, claimed Hicks. We have fallen so far behind the other leading clubs.
We should have the stadium built three or four years ago. We have two or three major sponsors when we should have 12 or 15.
We are not doing anything in Asia, the way that Manchester United and Barcelona are, and we have a tremendous number of fans in Asia.
Rick needs to resign from Liverpool FC. He has put his heart into it but it is time for a change, he added.
Parry, who has been chief executive at Anfield for 10 years, responded quickly to Hicks’ latest criticisms.
It’s for the board to ask me to resign — and they haven’t, Parry told BBC Radio on Thursday.
It’s clear it’s a matter for the board — I’m accountable to the board and this is not something the board has discussed with me.
Hicks and Gillett took over at Liverpool in a 50-50 partnership in February 2007, but their relationship has soured, with both men openly airing their views in a battle played out to an acquisitive media.
Despite the off-field distractions, Liverpool have prospered on the pitch of late, cementing fourth place in the Premier League and beating Arsenal to reach the semifinals of the Champions League.
Results have eased the pressure on Benitez, whose position looked uncertain when it was revealed that Hicks and Gillett had met with former Germany coach Jurgen Klinsmann in New York last year.
Hicks is now claiming that the meeting, which was also attended by Parry, was instigated by Gillett. E-mail to a friend
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