Supporters’ group Spirit of Shankly has written to Liverpool to emphasise that governance and stewardship remains “fundamental to us all”, as Amazon founder Jeff Bezos forms part of a consortium nearing a deal to acquire a significant minority stake in the club.
Although Bezos ranks among the world’s three richest individuals, he has no prior background in sports franchise investment, despite previous interest in potential takeovers of NFL teams the Washington Commanders and Seattle Seahawks.
With a personal net worth estimated at £210billion — alongside his ownership of The Washington Post and space exploration firm Blue Origin — Bezos possesses sufficient funds to purchase Liverpool outright. However, he is participating as part of an investment group that includes Facebook co-founder Eduardo Saverin and is led by Amit Bhatia, the son-in-law of Indian steel magnate Lakshmi Mittal.
Bhatia is the sole member of the group with operational experience in sports, having stepped down as co-owner and director of QPR last month following an 18-year involvement.
SoS has written to Liverpool requesting further clarity and a meeting to address the prospective changes.
“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,” a statement from the fans’ group read.
“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.
“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.”
Liverpool’s parent company, Fenway Sports Group, has consistently remained open to external investment, having watched the club’s value rise from £300million at the time of its 2010 purchase to roughly £4.5bn today.
Dynasty Equity acquired a stake of approximately three per cent for around £120m in 2023. Speaking to The Athletic last month, Liverpool chief executive Billy Hogan said: “John Henry (FSG principal owner) 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.
“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.”
SoS has sought details from Liverpool regarding what influence the new investors would hold, including board seats and involvement in running operations on and off the pitch.
FSG has issued no public comment since a statement last month which read: “An investment consortium led, managed, and represented by Amit Bhatia has expressed interest in making a strategic minority investment in Liverpool.”
A spokesman representing Bhatia’s consortium also declined to comment.
