Football Update: Chinese Group interested in buying Liverpool
Rejoicing is what the Liverpool fans will do when the era of George Gillett and Tom Hicks ends. It has been nearly six months since the Liverpool Football club went up for sale mainly due to heavy pressure from fans and the ailing financial condition of the club.
Before the English Premier League had ended last season, it had become apparent that Liverpool was set for one of its worst performance in recent times. The fact that Liverpool had performed superbly in the season before 2009-10, made this recent failure even more confounding for all.
In the season of 2008-09, Liverpool came up to the second place and just missed the title to League winners and arch rivals Manchester United. Still their magnificent performance led to a record, when they producing the highest number of points without securing a title.
However, the success back then didn’t reveal the hidden fact that the financial situation of Liverpool was deteriorating fast. The club came under massive debts of 350 million pounds. The club was hit by the hardest form of bad luck in the season of 2009-10, as they faced injuries, on goals, poor performances and steady stream of unwanted draws against mediocre teams.
In the end, they came up seventh with rumours a float that many players from the club would leave. Then the manager of Liverpool was the Spaniard Rafael Benitez, who was promised that he would have enough funds to rebuild his squad but in the end, he was offered 5 million pounds. He decided to leave the club and the club sacked him. Another reason for that was the majority of Liverpool players demanding his removal, while threatening that if he stayed they would leave the club then.
The manager left the club and went on to coach at the Champions League victors, Inter Milan. Players from Liverpool were already pressing on all season that the squad was in desperate need of some new blood and if it didn’t came they might have to relocate themselves. Players like Fernando Torres, Steven Gerrard came very close to leaving Anfield behind but the reassurances came with signing of the Fulham manger Roy Hodgosn.
Hodgson has worked very hard in turning around the club, along with the Liverpool legend Kenny Dalglish and the returning of the heroic son of Liverpool and Captain Steven Gerrard. They have made a couple clever signings with the Serbian striker Milan Jovanovic and English international Joe Cole. The Liverpool board has announced that more signings are still to come which gives out the impression that Anfield is finally heading out in to a better era.
After being severely lambasted by both fans, media and former owners David Moores, the owners of Liverpool decided to put up the club for sale. They appointed the chairman Martin Broughton for selling the club which amounts to around 700- 800 million pounds. Early in the summer, Martin Broughton cleared it out that the selling of Liverpool will take no less than 18 months. However, in just a month or two, their Arabian group came up to buy the club, the situation quickly dissolved as both parties could not agree on mutual terms. Later a Russian and some English entrepreneurs also came up with offers, but no conclusion was reached.
Now about six months later, sources have revealed that the Liverpool owners are pondering over selling the Merseyside club to a Chinese Group. The name of the person trying to acquire the club is Kenny Huang, who is the Chief Executive of QSL. QSL essentially is a company that invests in sports related affairs and businesses. Sources have informed that the Chinese Group seems pretty serious about the take over and plan to put out a reasonable offer for consideration.
Huang also happens to be a popular sporting celebrity back home. He is the Co chairman of the National Basketball League and the National Baseball League of China, both of which are subjected to great interest in China. Recent statistics have proven that both the Basketball and Baseball Leagues are enjoying great success in the country.
In addition, the QSL Youth Development Support fund happens to be the largest charity funding for unfortunate and neglected children in China. It aspires to develop and increase sporting opportunities for children in China by growing the interest of sports in the country. They are also introducing and developing sports in China that haven’t been yet introduced.
Huang has expressed that he admires Liverpool Football Club and wants the club to attain back its glory. Experts believe that Huang will take this opportunity to promote football in China but this will ultimately prove as a good decision from Liverpool too, that is if the sale takes place.
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