The founder of Amazon first poured money into football, when he and a group of investors bought shares in Liverpool.
On August 10, many media agencies reported that a group of investors, including Amazon founder Jeff Bezos, was close to an agreement to buy about a third of the shares of Liverpool football club (UK).
This will be the first time the billionaire pours money into football. In the UK, Amazon once held the rights to broadcast live 20 Premier League matches each season for 6 seasons. This group also currently broadcasts the UEFA Champions League in several European countries and owns the rights to broadcast the NFL football tournament in the US.
Bezos founded Amazon in 1994 and held the position of CEO until July 2021, then moved to chairman to focus on other projects. In addition to Amazon, Bezos also owns aerospace company Blue Origin and the Washington Post. He is currently the third richest person in the world with 283 billion USD.
The above news agencies also said that among the group of investors buying Liverpool shares is also Facebook co-founder Eduardo Saverin. According to Sky News, this group is led by Amit Bhatia. He is the son-in-law of steel billionaire Lakshmi Mittal (India), and was once a shareholder of Queens Park Rangers – a football club playing in the English First Division. Liverpool owner Fenway Sports Group (FSG) could announce the deal as soon as this week.
The investment would value Liverpool at £4.4 billion ($5.9 billion). This is one of the highest valuations ever recorded in a deal involving a football club.
FSG bought Liverpool in 2010. In recent years, they have sought outside investment but still maintain control of the club. If the deal is carried out at the above valuation, Liverpool’s value will increase significantly during the 16 years of ownership by FSG. Both Liverpool and FSG have not commented on the above information.
Liverpool is the Premier League champion in 2025. Michael Edwards, who is considered to have contributed greatly to building the squad that helped Liverpool win its first championship in 30 years in 2020, left his position as director of football at Fenway Sports Group last month.