Print

Mail

wiki links

Choose your partner wisely, Liverpool's George Gillett says

Liverpool co-owner George Gillett says he and partner Tom Hicks have some different ideas, the first public indication by Gillett of their split.

"He is a great guy -- but he has just got a different perspective on the media," Gillett said on Wednesday at the World Congress of Sports, a gathering of sports executives.

Gillett, who also owns the NHL's Montreal Canadiens, has been trying to sell his 50 percent stake in the English Premier League club, but he hasn't commented publicly on talks with a wealthy Dubai consortium.

A potential deal with Dubai International Capital (DIC) collapsed on Monday after Hicks invoked his power of veto under his year-old partnership arrangement with Gillett.

Hicks vowed to prevent DIC becoming an equal partner and was willing to allow Gillett to sell only 98 of his stake while planning to buy the remaining stock himself.

Responding to a question on Wednesday, Gillett said he once had heard good advice, which he repeated: "Choose your partner wisely."

Hicks, who also owns baseball's Texas Rangers and the NHL's Dallas Stars, terminated talks with DIC because it wanted the club managed by a committee.

The duo's relationship has broken down since they bought Liverpool for US$431 million in March last year.

The vehicle used to acquire the club was Kop Football, a holding company headed by Hicks and Gillett and named after the famed section of the stands in Anfield. The stadium has witnessed protests from fans -- frustrated at the turmoil -- against the US owners in recent months.
This story has been viewed 528 times.