05-12-2006, 09:26 PM
December 05, 2006 Edition 2
LONDON: He is one of a handful of people who could challenge Roman Abramovich in a bidding war and he just happens to be heading for one of Chelsea's fiercest rivals.
Horse racing may be the abiding passion of Sheik Mohammed bin Rashid al-Maktoum, but his sporting horizons are about to broaden following confirmation from Liverpool yesterday that they are in the throes of a takeover by his investment group, Dubai International Capital.
While the Sheik's lawyers and accountants began scrutinising Anfield's finances in preparation for a boardroom coup that will cost around £450 million, those looking on from the sidelines could not help wondering about the implications of another Premiership club falling into foreign hands. Not just any club, either, but one of the bastions of the English game.
Traditions die hard, particularly on Merseyside, but any sceptics will surely be swept along by the obvious benefits of Rafael Benitez being able to dip into even a modest chunk of Sheik Mohammed's estimated £7 billion fortune.
The would-be new owners are renowned for launching ventures with the aim of leaving rivals in their wake and the Sheik will be committed to making sure Liverpool are first past the Premiership post.
It all points to Liverpool being ready to compete on an equal footing with Abram-ovich's Chelsea as the ruler of Dubai prepares to underwrite a £200m move to a new 60,000-seater stadium in Stanley Park, pay £170m for a controlling stake and devote £80m to debts.
If that does not state his intent clearly enough, he will follow up with a promise of transfer funds that Benitez sees as essential for taking his side to the next level. The Liverpool manager feels he is fighting Chelsea and Manchester United with one hand tied behind his back but has never been one to complain in public.
He hardly needs to, ahead of tonight's return to the Ataturk Stadium, scene of Liverpool's Champions' League triumph over AC Milan in May 2005. Events in the intervening 18 months do the job for him.
While Benitez can recall looking round Istanbul's Olympic venue and feeling every bit as elated as any Liverpool player or fan, he can also remember the bigger picture being nothing like as cheering.
Players needed replacing, even as they clutched their winners' medals, but the Anfield budget was never likely to stretch to the candidates he had in mind to step in for Jerzy Dudek, Vladimir Smicer, Didi Hamann and Milan Baros.
Dudek, Liverpool's penalty shoot-our hero that night, has been granted a rare appearance tonight but knows it is merely for sentimental reasons.
He said: "After this game I will be speaking to Rafa about my future because I don't think I can remain in this situation much longer. I want to be a professional player, not a professional supporter."
For Dudek and the club, the European Cup proved a false dawn and, though it yielded £20m, it did little to correct the financial imbalance between Liverpool and their rivals.
At last, the tide may be about to turn and those who may be alarmed at seeing the Moores dynasty ended after decades of Liverpool being a family-owned club will surely end up embracing 21st Century methods to make their team a major power once more.
Outgoing majority shareholder David Moores may stay on as life-president, with Dubai International Corporation chief executive Sameer Al Ansari, a Liverpool fan and regular Anfield visitor of late, tipped to be chairman.
Whatever the boardroom machinations, Benitez could allow himself a quiet smile as he supervised training at the Ataturk and prepared to send out a weakened side against Galatasaray, having already ensured first place in Group C.
He is finally ready to join Mourinho as a transfer big hitter and, after two-and-a-half years of spending £6m here and £7m there on the likes of Jermaine Pennant and Peter Crouch, he fully intends to make it count.
LONDON: He is one of a handful of people who could challenge Roman Abramovich in a bidding war and he just happens to be heading for one of Chelsea's fiercest rivals.
Horse racing may be the abiding passion of Sheik Mohammed bin Rashid al-Maktoum, but his sporting horizons are about to broaden following confirmation from Liverpool yesterday that they are in the throes of a takeover by his investment group, Dubai International Capital.
While the Sheik's lawyers and accountants began scrutinising Anfield's finances in preparation for a boardroom coup that will cost around £450 million, those looking on from the sidelines could not help wondering about the implications of another Premiership club falling into foreign hands. Not just any club, either, but one of the bastions of the English game.
Traditions die hard, particularly on Merseyside, but any sceptics will surely be swept along by the obvious benefits of Rafael Benitez being able to dip into even a modest chunk of Sheik Mohammed's estimated £7 billion fortune.
The would-be new owners are renowned for launching ventures with the aim of leaving rivals in their wake and the Sheik will be committed to making sure Liverpool are first past the Premiership post.
It all points to Liverpool being ready to compete on an equal footing with Abram-ovich's Chelsea as the ruler of Dubai prepares to underwrite a £200m move to a new 60,000-seater stadium in Stanley Park, pay £170m for a controlling stake and devote £80m to debts.
If that does not state his intent clearly enough, he will follow up with a promise of transfer funds that Benitez sees as essential for taking his side to the next level. The Liverpool manager feels he is fighting Chelsea and Manchester United with one hand tied behind his back but has never been one to complain in public.
He hardly needs to, ahead of tonight's return to the Ataturk Stadium, scene of Liverpool's Champions' League triumph over AC Milan in May 2005. Events in the intervening 18 months do the job for him.
While Benitez can recall looking round Istanbul's Olympic venue and feeling every bit as elated as any Liverpool player or fan, he can also remember the bigger picture being nothing like as cheering.
Players needed replacing, even as they clutched their winners' medals, but the Anfield budget was never likely to stretch to the candidates he had in mind to step in for Jerzy Dudek, Vladimir Smicer, Didi Hamann and Milan Baros.
Dudek, Liverpool's penalty shoot-our hero that night, has been granted a rare appearance tonight but knows it is merely for sentimental reasons.
He said: "After this game I will be speaking to Rafa about my future because I don't think I can remain in this situation much longer. I want to be a professional player, not a professional supporter."
For Dudek and the club, the European Cup proved a false dawn and, though it yielded £20m, it did little to correct the financial imbalance between Liverpool and their rivals.
At last, the tide may be about to turn and those who may be alarmed at seeing the Moores dynasty ended after decades of Liverpool being a family-owned club will surely end up embracing 21st Century methods to make their team a major power once more.
Outgoing majority shareholder David Moores may stay on as life-president, with Dubai International Corporation chief executive Sameer Al Ansari, a Liverpool fan and regular Anfield visitor of late, tipped to be chairman.
Whatever the boardroom machinations, Benitez could allow himself a quiet smile as he supervised training at the Ataturk and prepared to send out a weakened side against Galatasaray, having already ensured first place in Group C.
He is finally ready to join Mourinho as a transfer big hitter and, after two-and-a-half years of spending £6m here and £7m there on the likes of Jermaine Pennant and Peter Crouch, he fully intends to make it count.
