Liverpool chairman Tom Werner has admitted he is “determined” to play Premier League games abroad, but chief owner John Henry doesn’t feel the same way.
Werner, who is chairman of Liverpool and owner of FSG, has admitted his determination to play Premier League games outside England and Wales.
He said Financial Times: “I am determined to one day play a Premier League game in New York.”
“I even have this crazy idea that there will be a day when we play one game in Tokyo, one game a few hours later in Los Angeles, one game a few hours later in Rio, one game a few hours later in Riyadh and let that be the day celebrate football, where the Premier League is celebrated.”
One of the many problems with this would be that loyal local fans would not be able to attend.
He responded by telling journalist Sarah Germano: “Let’s figure out a way to offer them very cheap travel (and) accommodation, so if Liverpool play Nottingham Forest, we’ll support the fans coming to New York.”
“(Let’s) make this attractive for the fans as well.”
FSG’s principal owner, John Henry, was not on the same page, saying: “It’s not something I’m advocating or particularly interested in.”
Although Liverpool fans know that the owners of FSG are capable of completely ignoring the fans, it is still quite shocking to hear the club chairman’s thoughts so clearly stated.
Werner tried to justify his ambitions somewhat, adding: “It’s a very competitive business.
“I think 20 years ago there was a lot more low-hanging fruit, where Theo Epstein was able to find success on a path that other people weren’t looking at. But sports are big business now, aren’t they?
“Teams even in the NBA go for over 3 billion pounds. I don’t think we have any secret sauce, that’s what I’m trying to say.”
FSG bought Liverpool in 2010 for around £300m. The club is now worth over 14 times that – £4.2 billion according to Forbes.
There have been plenty of positives and plenty of negatives scattered throughout the reign of the current owners. They have recently stayed out of the news and have been favored by some supporters.
However, these latest comments from Liverpool chairman Werner can only damage the relationship between the owners and the fans.
Bill Shankly once said: “There is a holy trinity in a football club – the players, the manager and the fans.
“The directors don’t get into it. They’re just there to sign checks.”
Werner would do well to remember that.
