(taken from goal.com)
Liverpool fans are considering a boycott of season tickets in the summer in protest at the club’s owners Tom Hicks and George Gillett.
Thousands of supporters hope hitting the owners in the pocket will persuade them to reduce their sale price and leave after putting the club £237 million in debt.
Although Liverpool supporters union Spirit of Shankly say an organised boycott is not yet on the cards, the anti-Hicks and Gillett campaign is gathering momentum.
“Fans are considering giving up season tickets to the games next year if Hicks and Gillett are still in charge,” Spirit of Shankly spokesman James McKenna exclusively told Goal.com UK.
“Fans are looking at what we can do to affect Hicks and Gillett’s ownership.
“A mass boycott is not something that’s on the agenda at the moment. But if their regime continues, I know that a lot of fans will be asking serious questions whether they should go to the games.”
A protest that denied Hicks and Gillett much-needed revenue could have a serious impact on the financial running of the club.
Liverpool are currently £237m in the red. Concerns grew stronger recently with the revelation that the Merseysiders registered record annual losses of £55m for the year ending July 2009 and are paying £110,000-a-day in interest payments.
Thousands of supporters hope hitting the owners in the pocket will persuade them to reduce their sale price and leave after putting the club £237 million in debt.
Although Liverpool supporters union Spirit of Shankly say an organised boycott is not yet on the cards, the anti-Hicks and Gillett campaign is gathering momentum.
“Fans are considering giving up season tickets to the games next year if Hicks and Gillett are still in charge,” Spirit of Shankly spokesman James McKenna exclusively told Goal.com UK.
“Fans are looking at what we can do to affect Hicks and Gillett’s ownership.
“A mass boycott is not something that’s on the agenda at the moment. But if their regime continues, I know that a lot of fans will be asking serious questions whether they should go to the games.”
A protest that denied Hicks and Gillett much-needed revenue could have a serious impact on the financial running of the club.
Liverpool are currently £237m in the red. Concerns grew stronger recently with the revelation that the Merseysiders registered record annual losses of £55m for the year ending July 2009 and are paying £110,000-a-day in interest payments.
Representatives from Spirit of Shankly met with Premier League chief executive Richard Scudamore in London last Friday to air their concerns about the way in which the club is being run and, while Scudamore backed the ongoing protests, he told the fans group the debts amassed by Hicks and Gillett are currently sustainable.
“They are satisfied the long-term future of the club is not threatened because we have saleable assets such as players who can still be sold down the line,” McKenna said.
“But our idea of sustainability is different to theirs. We are aware we could go down the path of Leeds United if the debt can’t be paid. When you are losing money, you can’t move forward. It’s a very scary thought.
“Fans want issues resolved. We support the football team and don’t support the financial team.”
Hicks and Gillett officially put Liverpool up for sale last month and drafted in British Airways chairman Martin Broughton to help speed up the process.
“We have asked several questions to Martin Broughton to find out what is going on,” explained McKenna. “We are awaiting a response. We feel the future of our club Liverpool, in its current format, is unsustainable.
“This summer is vital for Liverpool Football Club, not just on the pitch in terms of getting a foothold in the transfer market but in terms of sorting out the ownership. It’s quite clear that off the pitch matters are affecting what happens on the pitch.
“Our plans now are to keep the pressure on Hicks and Gillett to make sure we are listened to.
“We want to see fit and proper owners who are prepared to invest in the club, don’t tell lies and live up to their promises.”
Asked about the future of manager Rafael Benitez, McKenna said: “Personally, I want him to stay. Even if you wanted him out, a new manager would want money to spend on players and we haven’t got that.”
“They are satisfied the long-term future of the club is not threatened because we have saleable assets such as players who can still be sold down the line,” McKenna said.
“But our idea of sustainability is different to theirs. We are aware we could go down the path of Leeds United if the debt can’t be paid. When you are losing money, you can’t move forward. It’s a very scary thought.
“Fans want issues resolved. We support the football team and don’t support the financial team.”
Hicks and Gillett officially put Liverpool up for sale last month and drafted in British Airways chairman Martin Broughton to help speed up the process.
“We have asked several questions to Martin Broughton to find out what is going on,” explained McKenna. “We are awaiting a response. We feel the future of our club Liverpool, in its current format, is unsustainable.
“This summer is vital for Liverpool Football Club, not just on the pitch in terms of getting a foothold in the transfer market but in terms of sorting out the ownership. It’s quite clear that off the pitch matters are affecting what happens on the pitch.
“Our plans now are to keep the pressure on Hicks and Gillett to make sure we are listened to.
“We want to see fit and proper owners who are prepared to invest in the club, don’t tell lies and live up to their promises.”
Asked about the future of manager Rafael Benitez, McKenna said: “Personally, I want him to stay. Even if you wanted him out, a new manager would want money to spend on players and we haven’t got that.”
No comments:
Post a Comment