Former Liverpool CEO Peter Moore has described the reports linking the Jeff Bezos to the consortium as “a red herring”.
Former Liverpool CEO Peter Moore has given his thoughts on Jeff Bezos’ potential involvement in the Amit Bhatia consortium.
The consortium has been credited with purchasing a potential stake at Liverpool FC this summer.
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While no agreement has been announced, interest from a consortium led by former Queens Park Rangers co-owner Amit Bhatia has kept the subject firmly in focus as the new season approaches.
The proposed deal centres on the sale of a minority stake rather than a full takeover, with reports indicating the consortium is seeking to acquire up to 30% of the club.
That has naturally prompted debate over what such an investment could mean for Liverpool’s future, both on and off the pitch, even as FSG continue to retain overall control.
Much of the attention has surrounded the possible involvement of Amazon founder Jeff Bezos after reports suggested he had been approached about joining the investment group.
However, questions remain over how significant his role would be, with discussions still at an early stage and no confirmation that he intends to become part of any eventual deal.
Speaking to the Liverpool Echo, former Liverpool chief executive Peter Moore believes the focus on Jeff Bezos has become a distraction from the real story.
Speaking about the speculation, Moore described the reports linking the Amazon founder to the consortium as “a red herring”. He argues that it’s a smokescreen to divert what’s really going on behind the scene – and that Bezos has never demonstrated a genuine commitment to sports ownership despite previous links with several major American franchises:
“Jeff has never shown any interest and even if he did, if he put in one percent of his net worth that he is going to throw in here and he can bring his wife, Lauren Sanchez, to Anfield, where she can come to Anfield and the cameras will be on her and she can have a right great time.
“You don’t want or need that [if you’re FSG], so the Bezos thing to me is a red herring.”
Moore added:
“Look, I live in Silicon Valley, sure someone sends an email to Jeff Bezos and says: ‘Would you be interested in doing this consortium?’ That doesn’t mean Jeff Bezos [will accept], whose never put a penny into sports.
“You also have to look at people’s passions because as much as football or sports is a commercial business and high stakes, you need people who understand the culture, understand the pitfalls and are willing to roll up their sleeves and get their hands dirty.
“And I think that is probably the attraction of Amit Bhatia and the Mittal family generally.
Bhatia spent nearly two decades as a director and co-owner at Queens Park Rangers before stepping away from the Championship club last month. His consortium has expressed interest in acquiring a strategic minority stake in Liverpool, with FSG publicly confirming that discussions are taking place.
Moore also questioned the widespread assumption that Jeff Bezos would play a central role if an agreement is eventually reached.
Instead, Moore believes attention should remain on the investors who have already established themselves within football. He highlighted Bhatia’s experience and the financial resources available through the Mittal family as more relevant to assessing the consortium’s credibility than speculation surrounding Bezos.
Moore was also complimentary about FSG’s stewardship of Liverpool since their takeover in 2010. He credited the ownership group with transforming the club into one of football’s strongest commercial operations while maintaining financial stability.