English Football Club Owner Explains Why Jeff Bezos May Be Blocked From Buying Liverpool
A consortium which includes Amazon founder Jeff Bezos is closing in on completing a deal to buy a one-third stake in Liverpool.
FSG to sell stake in Liverpool
Led by Amit Bhatia, the son-in-law of steel billionaire Lakshmi Mittal and a former shareholder in Championship club Queens Park Rangers, Bezos will be joined in an investor group by Eduardo Saverin, one of the co-founders of Facebook, with FSG preparing to make a statement shortly.
The deal is expected to be completed and announced by next week at the latest and it will see some of the world’s richest figures take their place at Liverpool. The investment of Bezos, Bhatia and Saverin is set to take the value of the club to an eye-watering $6bn, which makes it one of the richest sports deals of all time.
|
Networth of Liverpool’s potential new investors |
|
|---|---|
|
Jeff Bezos |
$280bn |
|
Eduardo Saverin |
$32bn+ |
|
Amit Bhatia |
$22bn+ |
The deal is for a minority stake, with FSG still owning the majority of Liverpool, but the money invested could go a long way to establishing the Anfield club as the best in the world.
Not everyone is convinced, though. Peterborough United owner Darragh MacAnthony has fired a warning that something could still stand in the way of Bezos’ part in the consortium.
Liverpool takeover could face TV right issues
Speaking on talkSPORT, MacAnthony revealed that there could be issues over Amazon’s pursuit of television rights to the Premier League.
The Portsmouth owner explained that if Amazon ever want to rival Sky and TNT Sport for those rights, having previously picked up several games across a season, that might not be allowed after Bezos’ deal.
“One thing I’d question is, if Amazon ever want to rival Sky for the TV rights they have for the Premier League, that could become an issue. That might not be allowed because their main shareholder of Liverpool.”
MacAnthony’s response throws up some interesting questions. Amazon are expected to show Premier League games until at least the end of the 2028/29 season, but could Bezos’ Liverpool stake change that?
Will Jeff Bezos be blocked from buying Liverpool?
The short answer is no, Bezos will not be blocked from buying Liverpool because of his part in Amazon. The 62-year-old will be part of a consortium – Amazon itself is not buying a stake in the Merseyside club. It’s also worth noting that whilst Bezos is the founder, he is no longer Amazon’s CEO. There would be a clear distinction between his personal investment and Amazon’s corporate ownership.
There is currently no Premier League rule which states that an owner of a club cannot also have an interest in a broadcaster. There would only be issues if Amazon, rather than Bezos, acquired control of Liverpool. That, however, is not something currently in the pipeline.
So, although MacAnthony has his concerns, it looks like Bezos’ part in a major consortium to buy Liverpool will remain intact and looks set to become official sooner rather than later.
