Kieran Maguire on Liverpool takeover: Amazon shirt sponsorship, broadcasting issues and Jeff Bezos involvement
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Liverpool are expected to announce a minority investment deal which will have plenty of knock-on effects.The ownership structure of Liverpool is about to change with FSG prepared to sell to a consortium involving Amazon founder Jeff Bezos and Facebook co-founder Eduardo Saverin.Over 30% of Liverpool’s shares are set to be sold to the consortium, with the investment deal valuing Liverpool at £4.4 billion.But what does the takeover mean for Liverpool’s spending power? And just how involved will Bezos be in the operations of the football club?
Santiago/Getty Images What do you think Jeff Bezos’ imminent involvement at Liverpool means for FSG’s future at Anfield? Rodriguez Carrillo / AFP Kieran Maguire answers Liverpool takeover questionsWeeks ago, Liverpool fans suspected a Bezos takeover and now it is coming to fruition.Naturally, there are plenty of question marks around the deal.Will Bezos investing in Liverpool cause a conflict of interest with Amazon Prime broadcasting matches?“Amazon Prime have not renewed their broadcasting deal with the Premier League, so there is little evidence of conflict of interest if Jeff Bezos is involved.”Maguire is also confident that Bezos’ involvement at the football club will be minor.“He will have a minority share of a minority share in the club, so again there are checks and balances to ensure his involvement is unlikely to compromise the separate best interests of LFC and Amazon.”Regarding any potential partnerships between Liverpool and Amazon, Maguire is not ruling it out.“There is scope for potential links between the two going forwards, as Amazon want to penetrate new markets and Liverpool’s matches are already broadcast to over 190 countries via the Premier League, but that is way down the line, and would possibly need a future buyout of the club from FSG to be implemented.
How happy would you be if FSG sell Liverpool? 💰 Credit: James Baylis/AMA/Getty Images That includes the possibility of Amazon becoming a shirt sponsor at Liverpool. Amazon were not willing to pay a large sum for further rights for the Premier League, so at this stage uncertain as to whether they would do so for a single club.“Maguire also spoke about the risk Amazon face of rival fan backlash if they partner with Liverpool.“Given the tribal relationship between fans and football, some fans of rivals of LFC may cancel their Amazon subscription if they feel they are indirectly financially supporting a club they dislike.“Join Our NewsletterReceive a digest of our best Liverpool content each week direct to your mailbox