Liverpool considering fan representation on club board amid European Super League fallout
Having been one of the most successful
clubs of the last three years, you would assume that Liverpool owners FSG could
walk on water. However, numerous mis-steps over the years have left many fans
with a weary approach when it comes to club ownership. Part of this stems from
their early decision to hire – and then unceremoniously sack – club legend
Kenny Dalglish. Others remain bitter about the mistake with ticket pricing
which led to a walkout. Other issues have existed in recent years which have
driven some fans to turn against Fenway. However, the most recent issue was the
European Super League.
Reds fans have watched since 2015 as Jurgen
Klopp turned around a confused, ramshackle operation to become a genuine
juggernaut once again. They watched as Klopp won European honours again,
reached Finals, and won the 30-year Premier League trophy that had waited for
so long. How, then, did Fenway feel that justified a move into an ESL-type
competition?
How could just six years of success after
more than three decades of mostly-mediocrity possibly give Liverpool the right
to attend such a competition? And why would they want to be part of it to begin
with?
For some fans, this was the final straw. In
a bid to try and win back a clearly raging support, Fenway have announced
considerations for a fan representative to be on the board of the club. It
would likely be someone from Liverpool fans group Spirit of Shankly, who have played
a major role in club matters in the past.
What happens next?
At the moment, the hope is that Fenway
commit to the fan model and have some kind of ‘normal’ person on the board.
While fans were excited by recent news that LeBron James, NBA megastar and
walking brand, had increased his ownership stake in Fenway. However, clearly
more work will be needed if they wish to turn around the money-first thinking
that has dominated the sports group for so many years.
Liverpool were, pre-Klopp, believed to be
looking at the model operated by Arsenal as the way to go forward. With a few
years of earned success, though, they soon wished to operate along the model of
a team like Real Madrid. What has often made Liverpool attractive is the
anti-establishment credential; that they, and the wider city, do things
differently.
To see Fenway to happy to join up with the
likes of Manchester United and Madrid was a kick in the teeth for Liverpool
fans worldwide. Adding a fan rep to the club board might, in future, help the
people at the top of Liverpool realise just when they are making a PR disaster
mistake.
Because while FSG have done much good since
they arrived at Anfield, there have been numerous missteps that really would
damn most owners. If there is to be fan representation, it has to be a genuine representation
and not a token mouthpiece position.