One journalist has given a rather emphatic response towards rumours of Sheikh Jassim possibly taking over as owner of Liverpool FC.
The Qatari businessman had been attempting to buy Manchester United, but was left ‘very disappointed and angered’ after his £5.5bn takeover bid was snubbed by the Glazers in favour of a substantially lower offer from Jim Ratcliffe (Daily Mail).
It was reported last November that FSG were considering a full sale of the club at Anfield (Sky News), although they later clarified that they were merely open to fresh investment – which recently arrived from Dynasty Equity – rather than relinquishing control completely (Liverpool Echo).
The idea of Sheikh Jassim potentially buying Liverpool instead of United had duly been floated, but speaking to GIVEMESPORT, Ben Jacobs dismissed any notion of the Arabian entrepreneur ousting the incumbent ownership at LFC, citing multiple reasons.
He said: “I think that Liverpool, at this stage anyway, are not open to 100% sale and remember that is the only thing that [Sheikh Jassim’s] Nine Two Foundation have said that they wanted from a football club.
“Considering Dynasty have just bought a small stake and considering FSG are committed, it would be extremely difficult for anybody to buy Liverpool right now.
“There’s no indication that Sheikh Jassim has discussed Liverpool, or considered Liverpool, and why would he? He is a Manchester United fan who in part wanted Manchester United for business but in part wanted Manchester United for vanity.”
Firstly, Liverpool fans probably wouldn’t be overly enamoured by the thought of a known United fan buying their club, considering the deep-rooted rivalry between the two northwestern giants.
Furthermore, it’s incredibly important to Reds supporters that whoever has ownership at Anfield reflects the core values of the fan base and what LFC stands for, something which wouldn’t be the case with Sheikh Jassim.
FSG have had a few missteps during their 13-year reign on Merseyside, but to give John Henry and co their due, they’ve struck the right balance between ensuring that the team on the pitch is competing for major trophies and remaining true to the values which are held dear by supporters.
Also, as Jacobs rightly points out, Dynasty Equity’s investment makes it even harder to imagine that the current ownership would be open to granting the Qatari businessman his wish of a full takeover.
Therefore, the fan base needn’t worry about seeing the club fall into the hands of someone who doesn’t represent LFC’s core values.
#Ep94 of The Empire of the Kop Podcast: EOTK Insider with Neil Jones🎙️
