‘Lot of headlines’ - Liverpool chief confirms FSG plan that’s opposite to Saudi PIF

Liverpool chief executive Billy Hogan has confirmed that Fenway Sports Group (FSG) are not presently interested in owning multiple football clubs.

FSG have been at the helm of the Reds since completing a £300 million purchase in 2010. Liverpool are one of several sports teams owned by the Boston-based group. Major League Baseball team the Boston Red Sox have been under their umbrella for more than 20 years, while they bought National Hockey League outfit the Pittsburgh Penguins in November 2021. They also own 50% of NASCAR’s RFK Racing.

FSG are in ‘growth mode’ having bought a franchise in the new Technology Golf League that is spearheaded by Tiger Woods and Rory McIlroy. President Sam Kennedy also recently confirmed that FSG are open to opportunities that are ‘additive and create more value’.

Owning multiple football clubs is something that is becoming more popular in recent years. Manchester City’s owners created the City Football Group and have completed purchases of the MLS’ New York City and A-League side Melbourne City, as well as stakes in La Liga side Girona and Japanese club Yokohama F. Marinos.

Meanwhile, after purchasing Chelsea in May 2022, Todd Boehly and Clearlake Capital have now added Ligue 1’s Strasbourg to their portfolio while Newcastle United’s owners - the Saudi Arabia Public Investment Fund - are also reportedly exploring the option. They recently took up majority ownership of four clubs in the Gulf state.

Speaking at the SportsPro APAC conference during Liverpool’s pre-season tour of Singapore, Hogan accepted that multi-club ownership makes sense for some. But FSG’s focus is currently on the Reds. He said: “For certain clubs, [multi-club ownership] makes sense. It’s a part of their strategy. I think those strategies actually vary based upon what those clubs might be trying to accomplish.

“There’s been a lot of headlines around what Fifa and Uefa ultimately might look at in terms of multi-club ownership. There’s been some limitations in terms of how much you can own of various clubs or whether they can compete in certain competitions. All of that, as I understand it, is sort of under review. So clearly over the course of the next couple of years, we’ll probably see some changes and some updates in that. But, from our perspective, at the time being we’re focused on what Liverpool is doing.”