Sunday, December 09, 2007

Champions League Exit Could Spark Fresh DIC Bid For Liverpool

Despite the tough talk coming out of Texas, Liverpool's long-term ownership remains in doubt and much could still rest on Tuesday's Champions League showdown in Marseille.

Tom Hicks, friend of George Bush and a man you just know Bill Shankly would have loved to work for, has rubbished suggestions that a breakdown in his relationships with co-owner George Gillett and manager Rafa Benitez led him to make it known in the City he would consider selling up.

Dubai International Capital, the state-sponsored investment company dramatically beaten to the Liverpool deal by Hicks and Gillett in February, would like the opportunity to show that they would have been the better choice all along.

For now, DIC are likely to maintain a dignified silence, but having conducted an investigation into who leaked sensitive documents which derailed their initial bid, they have watched events at Anfield with mixed feelings of frustration and vindication.

The £1 billion valuation Hicks has placed on a club he and Gillett bought for under £220 million is ridiculous, but if a more sensible price were set, a renewed DIC bid, led by Liverpool fan Sameer al-Ansari, would be a distinct possibility.

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