Topic: Gillett & Hicks invited to parliamentary inquiry

[Manila Kop]

Foreign owners to appear before Parliament
Wednesday, 18 June 2008

LONDON (AP) - Liverpool’s feuding American owners have been invited to appear before a British parliamentary inquiry.

Co-owners Tom Hicks and George Gillett Jr., along with Manchester City’s Thaksin Shinawatra, have been asked to appear before the All Party Parliamentary Football Group. The British lawmakers are investigating problems involving how English Premier League teams are being run, particularly fans’ concerns over foreign owners and their increasing influence.

Hicks and Gillett could use one of the hearings in the fall to air their grievances with each other since taking over Liverpool last year.

Liverpool goalkeeper Pepe Reina echoed fans’ concerns Tuesday about the club’s financial situation, including substantial debts.

“Things aren’t especially good (economically),” Reina said at Spain’s training camp at the European Championship. “You hope that everything comes into order (off the field), but there is little to say since we can do little.”

Accounts released earlier this month showed that the American owners, who gained control of Liverpool in March 2007, had net losses of $67 million by July 31, 2007. The team’s chief executive Rick Parry, whose resignation was demanded by Hicks in defiance of Gillett, also was invited to testify.

Alan Keen, the inquiry’s chairman, is concerned that the feud has overshadowed the team on the field.

Thaksin had a smooth first year in charge at Manchester City until removing manager Sven-Goran Eriksson earlier this month in what he admitted was a “ruthless” action after only one season. The club finished ninth in the EPL.

Thaksin, who was accused of human rights abuses before being ousted as Thai prime minister, would be subjected to questions relating to the Premier League’s “fit and proper person” stipulation.

While Hicks, Gillett and Thaksin have been the source of fans’ fury, Aston Villa fans have embraced Randy Lerner, who also owns the Cleveland Browns and has been invited to tell his success story.

The 13 legislators and peers also want Inter Milan coach Jose Mourinho to discuss his relationship with Chelsea owner Roman Abramovich. Mourinho left Chelsea last September after his relationship with the Russian billionaire deteriorated.

FIFA president Sepp Blatter and his UEFA counterpart Michel Platini have also received invitations.

AP Sports Writer Paul Logothetis contributed to this report from Neustift, Austria. (Reporting by Rob Harris)

[Liverbird 2010]

Hicks and Gillett could use one of the hearings in the fall to air their grievances with each other since taking over Liverpool last year.

Oh great another soap opera on the horizon 

[It's Jimmy Corkhill]

Wash some more dirty fucking laundry in public you useless pair of Yank c*nts.

[Manila Kop]

Hmm, I thought the reaction to this would be more positive.  It might force some transparency on what those two fuckers are actually planning on doing with the club.  Can they be compelled to attend by Parliament or is an invitation just an invitation?

[royhendo]

well said pepe

[matthew45]

Hicks and Gillett could use one of the hearings in the fall to air their grievances with each other since taking over Liverpool last year.[/B

It's more likely that they politely decline the invitation, frankly.

[Rafa The Gaffer]

Hicks to Lerner "How do you keep the fans on your side?"

Lerner "Don't tell lies or make promises I can't keep"

Hicks "But I'm a business man, that's my job"

Lerner "Touche"

[red68]

 
well, wonder they'd be coming up with next.. have a feeling though that they'd put up a massively united front for this meeting, dont see them jeapordising future deals.. gut feeling is that this would not be very good for us as they kiss and make up.. long turbulent road ahead...

[PaislyShankley]

Blair didn't turn up to parliament much, why should they bother?

[nm83]

invited ... liklihood of them turning up?

[anfield]

invited ... liklihood of them turning up?

Hicks will probably turn up. He would love the attention it would get.

[pragmatic]

Hmm, I thought the reaction to this would be more positive.  It might force some transparency on what those two fuckers are actually planning on doing with the club.  Can they be compelled to attend by Parliament or is an invitation just an invitation?

As far as I am aware they are not legally bound to attend as they have not been given notice, only invited. However I agree with your comments about this being "positive". As some have said it should bring a little more light to a very dark picture, and if the trio of incompetant twats do decide to attend, Im sure the viewing figures for the BBC parliment channel will treble overnight, as Im pretty sure it would be televised on there.

[PaislyShankley]

I wouldn't think, as American citizens, that they can be obliged to turn up.

[jonnygeeart]

couldn't they just be kidnapped in the middle of the night, flown over against their will and kept in a cell until they are to be interrogated sorry questioned

[RED-EAZY]

this can surly be nothing but good news, it shows that it is not just us liverpool fans who are up in arms about what they have been up to since they bought our club and i mean bought as they are not custodians not in there eye's.
its not more dirty laundry washed in public for the club its there dirty laundry being shown for all to see,
if paliment have picked up on it and have seen how they have messed things up and how badly they have ran there business, good news all around
what would of been perfect if they had been ordered to go, not sure about all this crap but to like a business council or something like that to explain there bad dealings,

[jonnygeeart]

only trouble with parliament is  it's a building full of Parrys

[Commie Bobbie]

Think they should be forced to come over.

The c*nts.

[SP]

only trouble with parliament is  it's a building full of Parrys

He is despite his flaws, really a Liverpool fan. I always thought that on football matters Parliament was full of the likes of David Mellor and Jeff Banks.

[Manila Kop]

I wouldn't think, as American citizens, that they can be obliged to turn up.

As pragmatic pointed out there's a difference between notice and invitation - I'm guessing if they're served notice and they don't turn up, they'll be found in contempt of Parliament and fined/thrown into jail the next time they come over to England?  The Senate here can do that, although that's a different system altogether.

[SP]

Take a look at the committee:

http://www.allpartyfootball.com/index.htm

They also appear to listen to Mihir Bose:

http://www.allpartyfootball.com/oralEvidenceSession1Part1.htm

This is an All Party Parliamentary Group - they appear to have no legal powers at all. It is a society for MPs. It is not a select committee.

Browse the other groups:
http://www.publications.parliament.uk/pa/cm/cmallparty/register/memi01.htm

[jonnygeeart]

He is despite his flaws, really a Liverpool fan. 

as they say with friends like that who needs enemies

[SP]

as they say with friends like that who needs enemies

It is a redeeming feature that the Mellors of this world lack.

[Manila Kop]

Take a look at the committee:

http://www.allpartyfootball.com/index.htm

They also appear to listen to Mihir Bose:

http://www.allpartyfootball.com/oralEvidenceSession1Part1.htm

This is an All Party Parliamentary Group - they appear to have no legal powers at all. It is a society for MPs. It is not a select committee.

Browse the other groups:
http://www.publications.parliament.uk/pa/cm/cmallparty/register/memi01.htm

Toothless then.  There goes that idea...

[SP]

Toothless then.  There goes that idea...

It has the same status as the Parliamentary Football Club, which is dedicated to arranging games against other Parliaments.  They're screwed now they have lost the tough tackling midfield tyro Boris.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=iWIUp19bBoA

[Jay_Mc]

Having just seen this thread, I have contacted the All Party Parliamentary Group on behalf of SOS, and they have told me that Hicks and Gillett have indeed been written to and invited, and they have also suggested we send information relating to our grievances with the owners and what we are trying to do.

So thanks to the original poster for drawing our attention to it.

[HarryLabrador]

Having just seen this thread, I have contacted the All Party Parliamentary Group on behalf of SOS, and they have told me that Hicks and Gillett have indeed been written to and invited, and they have also suggested we send information relating to our grievances with the owners and what we are trying to do.

So thanks to the original poster for drawing our attention to it.

Excellent.

[Liverbird 2010]

Having just seen this thread, I have contacted the All Party Parliamentary Group on behalf of SOS, and they have told me that Hicks and Gillett have indeed been written to and invited, and they have also suggested we send information relating to our grievances with the owners and what we are trying to do.

So thanks to the original poster for drawing our attention to it.

Nice one Jay.

[will2003]

Well in SOS and manilla Kop! Hope this gets some much needed answers out! Also well done Pepe, at least some of our players care about the club enough to be worried about the situation even if it is because they pay their wages!

Would we need to go through all this again tho if DIC or Shiek Mo buys us?

[LukeD]

Excellent.

Ditto!  Excellent news.

[No666]

In theory the inquiry may be toothless but in practice this is good news, because if the Parliamentary Inquiry reports that Twit and Twat are venal bastard vampires, leeching the true red lifeblood from a great club, then a] it will get to them (much more seriously than us mere fans saying it) and b] it will be further bad publicity to shake the banks' confidence in Twit and Twat as good bets for repaying loans. So now we need to influence that inquiry. Do we just leave this to SoS or do a lot of us get involved in a (reasoned, cogent and well-spelt) mass letter writing?

[Jay_Mc]

In theory the inquiry may be toothless but in practice this is good news, because if the Parliamentary Inquiry reports that Twit and Twat are venal bastard vampires, leeching the true red lifeblood from a great club, then a] it will get to them (much more seriously than us mere fans saying it) and b] it will be further bad publicity to shake the banks' confidence in Twit and Twat as good bets for repaying loans. So now we need to influence that inquiry. Do we just leave this to SoS or do a lot of us get involved in a (reasoned, cogent and well-spelt) mass letter writing?

It is likely we can lobby those involved about our cause. Something we will let you know about soon as we have details.

But there is nothing to stop individuals emailing MP's involved. I would though suggestnot yet. Lets not piss them off until we have an in.

[No666]

Cheers. Please keep us informed.

[Manila Kop]

The funny thing was, I saw this on a Philippine soccer website.  Hasn't appeared on any of the British broadsheets' websites.  Perhaps someone with connections to the Liverpool dailies should show them the article?  Deserves more publicity I think.

Oh and to the mods - sorry for posting it on the main LFC board, I didn't notice there was an Off The Pitch section. 

[pragmatic]

only trouble with parliament is  it's a building full of Parrys

 
Your not far wrong there my friend I can tell you that

[lfctitch]

Having just seen this thread, I have contacted the All Party Parliamentary Group on behalf of SOS, and they have told me that Hicks and Gillett have indeed been written to and invited, and they have also suggested we send information relating to our grievances with the owners and what we are trying to do.

So thanks to the original poster for drawing our attention to it.

Good one chief.

I would suggest now is the time for a press release; it has to be a press release which includes logos from all major Liverpool forum websites; with there acceptance; that we want the Americans out. Also the SoS name would also have to be included.

If we the Liverpool supporters (included about 15-20 fan websites; and SOS in this; we could really put some public pressure on these 2.

All I would want in this press release is why supporters are angry; nothing like Hicks is a twat or whatever. But a release with why we are annoyed with Hicks and Gilletts.

The Lies over the stadium; lies over transfers; etc.

It would show Sky Sports for example that Rafa hasn't been given this unlimited pot of money to spend; as they seem to suggest.

If we dressed this up correctly we could really make a good case to show why football clubs are owned by there fans; not by there owners.

Anyway perhaps we need to resurrect an old thread; or start a new one. Anyone with contacts in Local papers; or national papers if you think we had a chance at a fan press release; and anyone on other boards we could try this press release once more??

[Jay_Mc]

Mate, not wanting to piss on your parade or anything, but he have been told by someone within the media who we trust alot, there is a media fatigue about this story. Nothing much has changed, so they aren't arsed.

An extreme example - look at Madeleine McCann. Missing, major news story. Then it goes from front page every day, to first few pages, then the odd page here and there, then the odd column, to pretty much nothing now. And she is still missing. Same when someone is murdered etc. This is what we are up against.

The media know we want him out. The Americans know they aren't wanted.

Writing it down wouldn't do anything. We do press releases for all our protests. Only a very small handful show an interest. And thats in the protest, not in the press release.

We need different routes to get them out. Like we are currently looking at ideas that don't just pressure them, but pressure those who financially support him

[west_london_red]

As i said on another post, Alan Keen is my local MP, so i will be writing to him, or better still visit him during a 'surgery' or whatever they cal it.....

[Daniel Cabbaggio]

heard about the inquiry a while back, good to hear that there is some sort of substance to it, Foreign ownership has got an easy ride for too long. 

[SP]

heard about the inquiry a while back, good to hear that there is some sort of substance to it, Foreign ownership has got an easy ride for too long.  

Foreign Bad ownership has got an easy ride for too long.  
Doesn't matter where they are from (see Leeds). 

[Maggie May]

Obviously there's nothing stopping anyone writing to whomever they want, but my view is that we wait for guidance from SOS when they have had a chance to consider the matter, and put forward their views to the All Parliamentary Committee, as they have been invited to do.