Joe Januszewski, the senior vice-president who runs the corporate sales team at Fenway Park, home of the Boston Red Sox, sent an email to John W Henry, owner of NESV, suggesting the company look into buying Liverpool.
“It was as a fan, really, but also as a businessman who follows sport,” he said. “I told him that we should take a look at this opportunity.”
Henry’s interpretation is rather more blunt: “I thought it was more like ‘save my club’!”
Januszewski’s is no passing fancy. His first game was a 1-0 Anfield defeat to Manchester United in January 2005 and, crucial to his credentials, he was in Istanbul five months later to see them win the Champions League. His support, though, is much more deep-rooted.
His interest in football springs from living in what was then West Germany during the 1974 World Cup, and his first connection with Liverpool came from seeing news footage of the Hillsborough disaster after his return to the United States.
“I remember my mother crying,” he says. “I do not have to tell you about the horrific imagery. There was a Liverpool emotional connection, as a child who grew up loving football and having a dad who loved The Beatles.
“Then, one night at university, I was in a bar with some English expats and they were extolling the virtues of the mighty Reds. You get wrapped up in the history. I am a sports fan. I love the passion that comes with it.
“My first game, [Wayne] Rooney scored a soft goal in front of the Kop.
"Everyone was screaming at him and he pulled the Shrek ears. I was in the Main Stand, hearing You’ll Never Walk Alone and thinking to myself ‘I’ve picked the right club’.
“People walk into my office at Fenway Park and there is a solid Liverpool representation on my wall. There’s souvenirs, tickets. They look at me to ask what the deal is, and I tell them baseball is my business but Liverpool is my passion.”
No comments:
Post a Comment