dubai sheik looks into liverpool takeover

[johnny_S]

heard on the radio this morning

that sheik mohammed i think hes a prince, supposdly the 5th richest man in the world is looking with some dubai goverment co-operation of putting in a takeover bid of liverpool worth 450 million

benitez was quoted as being pleased and saying “What could happen soon will be a very good opportunity for the club."

[FourOneFourOne]

At least if it's the Government they'll have to look for profit, it won't be an Abramovich situation.

Wonder what Reds think about profits made from them going to Saudi Arabia?

I wouldn't be a happy bunny.

[johnny_S]

more on the story http://www.timesonline.co.uk/article/0,,762-2487071,00.html

[boro_boy]

This really has to stop, its wrong and its ruining football.

[Nafe]

Yeh I saw this on sky sports this morning, i'd like to see what the outcome of this will be...

[FourOneFourOne]

http://newsimg.bbc.co.uk/media/images/42386000/gif/_42386626_takeover270.gif

He looks like a bundle of fun.

[johnny_S]

http://newsimg.bbc.co.uk/media/images/42386000/gif/_42386626_takeover270.gif

He looks like a bundle of fun.

yeah hes some big race horse tycoon

wonder if hes got one of those big boats like the sultan of brunei, i can just see it sailing up the mersey

[FourOneFourOne]

Spent 2 hours walking up and down the banks of the Mersey looking for a building tonight, could have done with a bit of glamour to look at.

[I_AM_CANADIAN!]

Well, at least he can afford the team... Not like old Malcolm. ;)

[FourOneFourOne]

At least Glazer's not changing Man Utd's name, Liverpool are now going to be known as Red Shi-ite.

[almouchie]

this subect takes me to my question or maybe just wondering

the major businessmen & enterpreneurs around the world with forunes that can buy huge stakes,
have mainly bought teams in states, nfl ,nhl, nba , & so on
but lately many of these wealthy ppl who arent american want to invest as well, why most seem to see PL in particular as the main attractive league is europe deserves some attention
as for sheik al maktom, he is filthy rich, top 5 maybe in world, makes abrahimovich look poor in comparison

[Evertonscouser]

http://newsimg.bbc.co.uk/media/images/42386000/gif/_42386626_takeover270.gif

He looks like a bundle of fun.


Looks dodgy as **** there aswell lol. Bit like an arabian George Micheal.

[almouchie]

441 dont jump to conclusion

many non british are fans or pl teams, why else do u think many go around fro pre season tours to asia, america & the like
besides what differentiates many of the rich UAE men from others, is that they dont show it, or flaunt it either

[FourOneFourOne]

Looks dodgy as **** there aswell lol. Bit like an arabian George Micheal.

"Last Christmas I bought a new toy
But when Stevie G left I threw it away".

[FourOneFourOne]

441 dont jump to conclusion

many non british are fans or pl teams, why else do u think many go around fro pre season tours to asia, america & the like
besides what differentiates many of the rich UAE men from others, is that they dont show it, or flaunt it either


Think you've mis-interpreted my post a bit there.

I was basing it on the fact that the money is coming from a Government, not a single benefactor like Abramovich.

[Evertonscouser]

http://img371.imageshack.us/img371/95/gobshitezu5.jpg

[FourOneFourOne]

:D

Badgeman's a friend of a friend of mine, still a cock though:D

[Caesarius]

If you follow horse racing at all. This guy has the best horses and races them in the big Triple Crown races as well as every big race in the world. Just last month at the Breeders Cup he has a few winners. Dubai is a pretty rich city. Look at some of the architecture and things going on there. It really has some nice architecture and is a place for the rich to go visit. His brother is good too. He's the 4th richest man in the world. Next season's title will be good. Russia vs UAE.

You guys really need to wake up and realize this is a changing game. Foreign investment is good for the sport and it shows how much this game has grown. It's only going to make for better competition. Please TELL(EXPLAIN to me) me how this is bad for the game. Because, as far as I’m concerned, the foreigners who own teams have done nothing to drastically change the game. And don't give me this Roman crap that he's bought the title and crap you all know that if a bigshot with money came in to buy your club you'd open him with open arms. You have to face reality, in the next 20 years, every Premiership team will be owned by foreign investors and the game is not ruined at all.

[Nafe]

I'd love to work in Dubai, theres no tax so you get to keep the money you earnt.

As for the takeover, I think its about the change in football that people don't like. As always theres an evolution and it'll happen in football, whether I can agree it'll make things better, i'm not sure, its a matter of opinion.
Why will it improve the game? money wise, certain clubs will be benefit from this but will this rule the clubs with no multi-millionaire owner? Will the business side of things get in the way of the sport itself?

Theres alot to be answered for IMO and everyone else's. People are just worried that the multi-millionaire takeovers will eventually kill football.

[johnny_S]

to be honest if some rich dubai sheik wanted to buy my club at the moment id be over the moon

maybe were all just jealous that its liverpool who will get the cash injection

Sure i seen somewhere a breakdown of the 450 million and that less than 50 million would go for a transfer kitty

[FourOneFourOne]

If you follow horse racing at all. This guy has the best horses and races them in the big Triple Crown races as well as every big race in the world. Just last month at the Breeders Cup he has a few winners. Dubai is a pretty rich city. Look at some of the architecture and things going on there. It really has some nice architecture and is a place for the rich to go visit. His brother is good too. He's the 4th richest man in the world. Next season's title will be good. Russia vs UAE.

You guys really need to wake up and realize this is a changing game. Foreign investment is good for the sport and it shows how much this game has grown. It's only going to make for better competition. Please TELL(EXPLAIN to me) me how this is bad for the game. Because, as far as I’m concerned, the foreigners who own teams have done nothing to drastically change the game. And don't give me this Roman crap that he's bought the title and crap you all know that if a bigshot with money came in to buy your club you'd open him with open arms. You have to face reality, in the next 20 years, every Premiership team will be owned by foreign investors and the game is not ruined at all.


I certainly wouldn't welcome a big shot to Goodison with open arms.

Football clubs are meant to be about the fans, not about who can play Champ Manager the best with all the cheats on.

If it's all about winning you may as well just toss a dice every Saturday.

Incidentally, there's no way some sheikh can care as much about a football club as someone from the area whose family has supported them for generations - it might not be PC but it's a fact. EFC's in my blood, it's not the same for foreigners who just pick a team.

The day Everton are taken over like this is the day I stop going to Goodison.

[westboy]

Not specifically Everton, but in general there are very few players who care for the badge. Most players are at the club there at because they are a premiership side or whatever level. There are those who give 110% every match - because they want to win.

Sadly it's what football's come to - money

[FourOneFourOne]

Footballers have been like that since Blackburn Olympic first paid them though.

The fans are what makes a club, not the owner.

This is passion:

http://i10.tinypic.com/3yx6aug.jpg

Fans going mental after travelling a fair distance at night to see a last-minute winner.

Not some sheikh putting some loose change in.

Wonder if you'd catch him getting up at 6 to go to Portsmouth?

[Evertonscouser]

I certainly wouldn't welcome a big shot to Goodison with open arms.

Football clubs are meant to be about the fans, not about who can play Champ Manager the best with all the cheats on.

If it's all about winning you may as well just toss a dice every Saturday.

Incidentally, there's no way some sheikh can care as much about a football club as someone from the area whose family has supported them for generations - it might not be PC but it's a fact. EFC's in my blood, it's not the same for foreigners who just pick a team.

The day Everton are taken over like this is the day I stop going to Goodison.


I agree with your statments but, in the context of Everton, we need invesment badly. The club is in the debt of the mid to high £20million mark. And I can't see where we willt urn it around. Last years financial reports shown we just about broke even, and yet that was with selling the club's biggest player asset (R**ney) and finnishing 4th.

Now I agree that if some Sheikh or Abramovich style chairman came to power at Everton I would also have to stop going to Goodison regulary (mainly down to the prices they would bring). I would however much rather prefer us to be purchased by an invesment group (like is happening here, but on a smaller scale) or by a Randy Lerner style takeover, where funds are given and the financial stability to be able to compete for European places but at the same time within a few years, be able to generate the cash themselves without having to depend on him forking out.

But in my opinion, we are not looking for that. If we were I'm sure in the past 5 or 6 years, there would had been more than just 1 FAKE invesment announcement and general media circus, and a close friend of our chairman purchasing shares of a rival investor. That is it. Robert Earle would had been a great person to purchase the club, he doesn't want to though. He will be a very important part of the Kirkby stadium that is all.

All of our rivals for European places have a much bigger transfer kitty than ours, and for a club who SHOULD be competing for 5/6th place. We are out gunned in the transfer market by:
Chelsea
Liverpool
Man Utd.
Arsenal
Tottenham
Wigan
Portsmouth
Newcastle
Villa
And around on par if not below Boro and Bolton.

With the main reason for most of these clubs being ahead of us in the market i havin a sugar daddy behind them.
We need the investment, or honestly the 00's and 10's will probably carry on with how the 90's have been.

[Simonutd]

http://newsimg.bbc.co.uk/media/images/42386000/gif/_42386626_takeover270.gif

He looks like a bundle of fun.

he looks like eric cantona

[Caesarius]

Yeah , but the whole idea is you support the club for the club NOT the owner. Your club has not all of a sudden changed because of a new owner coming in. The team isn't moving. I just find it really stupid that you'll stop supporting your club because so kind of foreign investment with money is coming in to better the club. I mean this guys are buying out your clubs debt and improving them. They're not making the game any worse. The title race may be a two horse race, but look at 3-9, they're only seperated by 1 pt. That creates exciting football. I mean, if you enjoy seeing the same 4 teams at the top going to the CL year in/out, then fine. But, seeing a change is a good thing. The league won't become as predictable. Football is a business, and as a business they Owner is going to sell to the highest bidder and not to a local group just because their from the area. Football has become the rich man's game and you're trying to hold onto a past that no longer exist. I understand wanting to hold on to it and the pride, but to stop supporting them because an owner of foreign decent comes in and buys out the club is rubbish. The foreign investors really don't do anything different and let the club be run by the people who actually know how the game works instead of screwing everything up. Foreign investment will bring better players/better managers and make the league better as a whole. I'm telling you right now, your clubs will all be invested by a foreign owner in the next 20 years and though you my protest by not attending, there's someone thats willing to come in and buy your ticket. BtW, Arsenal really doesn't have a sugar daddy, Wenger has a really good eye for talent and doesn't go after the gold diggers. But, Football is about winning, you don't go out there to see your club lose. Fans become frustrated and start getting on their clubs back. You may go out there to enjoy yourself and the atmosphere but you can't say your there to lose. And why does the atmosphere have to cange because foreign investment comes in. Who says it has to. No one has said that you can't do things any different than before. The owner provides the money, it's still YOUR club and nothing will ever change that.