Liverpool's official supporters' group, Spirit of Shankly, has called on the club's ownership to provide greater transparency regarding a proposed minority investment deal that includes Amazon founder Jeff Bezos among its backers.
The group has written to the club stressing that questions of governance and stewardship remain central concerns for the fanbase as a consortium moves closer to finalising an agreement to purchase a significant minority stake in Liverpool.
Bezos, one of the three wealthiest people on the planet with an estimated personal fortune of £210billion, has no track record investing in sports organisations, though he has previously shown interest in acquiring NFL franchises the Washington Commanders and Seattle Seahawks. Beyond his fortune, he also owns The Washington Post newspaper and space company Blue Origin. Despite having more than enough wealth to buy Liverpool in its entirety, Bezos is instead joining forces with others as a minority partner in the bid.
The consortium is spearheaded by Amit Bhatia, son-in-law of Indian steel tycoon Lakshmi Mittal, and also features Facebook co-founder Eduardo Saverin. Of the group, only Bhatia brings direct experience in football, having recently ended an 18-year association with QPR as co-owner and director last month.
In its correspondence with the club, Spirit of Shankly underlined that the identity and approach of those controlling Liverpool has always mattered deeply to supporters, referencing the circumstances that led to Fenway Sports Group's original takeover.
"We reiterated that, given the events that led to FSG's purchase of the club, who owns it and how they control it – putting the interests of LFC and its supporters first – is fundamental to us all," the group said in a statement. They added: "The latest report of a 30 per cent sale and the consortium set up to buy it is significant. The ownership and custodianship of our club is paramount to SoS and all supporters."
The fans' organisation also pointed to cautionary examples elsewhere in football, noting instances where new ownership stakes have led to substantial shifts in a club's direction and decision-making that supporters did not welcome. "We have witnessed similar sales at other clubs resulting in notable changes in the running of that club and football operations, leading to decisions and behaviours that many would not want to see at Liverpool," the statement continued.
FSG has generally kept the door open to outside investment since taking charge of Liverpool in 2010 for around £300million, a valuation that has since swelled to approximately £4.5billion. In 2023, investment firm Dynasty Equity bought a roughly three per cent stake in the club for about £120million.
Liverpool chief executive Billy Hogan addressed the matter last month in comments to The Athletic, explaining principal owner John Henry's stance on the issue. "John Henry has been very up front about the fact that if there ever was an opportunity for investment that would help the club, then they would seriously consider it," Hogan said. "In this case a consortium led, managed and represented by Amit Bhatia has come forward to make a minority investment in the club. That's kind of it."
Fenway Sports Group's most recent public statement on the matter, issued last month, confirmed only that Bhatia's group "has expressed interest in making a strategic minority investment in Liverpool." Spirit of Shankly is now seeking specifics from the club about what powers any new investors might gain, including whether they would secure board representation or influence over footballing and commercial decisions. Representatives for Bhatia's consortium have declined to comment further, and FSG has not issued any additional statements since.
Based on reporting from The Independent.