Prince Faisal bin Fahd bin Abdullah, a member of the ruling family of Saudi Arabia who claimed this week that he was close to agreeing a deal to invest in English soccer club Liverpool, has now spoken out about the ongoing tension between the club's American owners.
Liverpool and members of Fahd bin Abdullah's own company moved swiftly to distance themselves from his claims this week, with the club's owners, George Gillett and Tom Hicks, admitting that they have retained Bank of American Merrill Lynch and Rothschild to advise on possible investments but saying that any talks are in preliminary stages.
Fahd bin Abdullah attended the match against Hull last weekend to discuss tie-ups between F6, his investment company, and Gillett's Richard Petty Motorsports Nascar franchise, as well as the possibility of establishing Liverpool-supported youth academies in Saudi Arabia, but subsequently said to the press that he was keen to invest in up to 50 per cent of the club. Now he appears to be putting the confusion that followed down to a misunderstanding between the club's owners.
"It's clear to everyone that there is some sort of misunderstanding between Gillett and Hicks," Fahd bin Abdullah told Saudi television. "We are not there to pacify between them."
Meanwhile, F6 director Barry Didato has spoken out about the issue of the club's hundreds of millions of dollars in debt, secured through loans from RBS and Wachovia. "As far as investment in Liverpool is concerned, that would be a long way off," he said. "A lot of people have jumped the gun and any possible investment would be several months away. The agreement signed leaves the door open for it, but that was certainly not the focus of it. Another issue is the club's debt. Prince Faisal will not put forward investment capital to just clean up a balance sheet. He would only want to use money to take the club forward."
Liverpool and members of Fahd bin Abdullah's own company moved swiftly to distance themselves from his claims this week, with the club's owners, George Gillett and Tom Hicks, admitting that they have retained Bank of American Merrill Lynch and Rothschild to advise on possible investments but saying that any talks are in preliminary stages.
Fahd bin Abdullah attended the match against Hull last weekend to discuss tie-ups between F6, his investment company, and Gillett's Richard Petty Motorsports Nascar franchise, as well as the possibility of establishing Liverpool-supported youth academies in Saudi Arabia, but subsequently said to the press that he was keen to invest in up to 50 per cent of the club. Now he appears to be putting the confusion that followed down to a misunderstanding between the club's owners.
"It's clear to everyone that there is some sort of misunderstanding between Gillett and Hicks," Fahd bin Abdullah told Saudi television. "We are not there to pacify between them."
Meanwhile, F6 director Barry Didato has spoken out about the issue of the club's hundreds of millions of dollars in debt, secured through loans from RBS and Wachovia. "As far as investment in Liverpool is concerned, that would be a long way off," he said. "A lot of people have jumped the gun and any possible investment would be several months away. The agreement signed leaves the door open for it, but that was certainly not the focus of it. Another issue is the club's debt. Prince Faisal will not put forward investment capital to just clean up a balance sheet. He would only want to use money to take the club forward."
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