'Repentant sinners' Liverpool praised for European…

'Repentant sinners' Liverpool praised for European Super League reaction

The chief executive of the Football Supporters' Association has hailed Liverpool for the pace at which they have enforced changes at board level following the debacle of the European Super League.

In April 2021, the Reds were one of six Premier League clubs convinced by Real Madrid president Florentino Perez to become a founding member of a European breakaway league. The 75-year-old successfully persuaded his counterparts at eleven elite-level European clubs to sign up for the project in an attempt to reach never-before-seen financial heights, which he insisted UEFA were preventing clubs from achieving.

Such plans for Premier League clubs were short-lived though as a wave of fan demonstrations across England - beginning with Liverpool's trip to Elland Road - saw the disgraced half-dozen top-flight clubs swiftly ditch Perez's scheme.

Despite the withdrawal of the Premier League's 'big six' from the proposal, the willingness from the clubs to turn their back on the domestic game alerted those in government and led to Conservative MP Tracy Crouch commissioning a comprehensive, independent fan-led review of how football is managed in England. The 162-page document outlined 10 key recommendations to protect the game.

Next week marks the one-year anniversary of the findings being made public, but an array of leadership changes within the Conservative party have slowed down any implementations, leaving many supporters dissatisfied.

However, that has not been the case on Merseyside as Liverpool have since collaborated with the supporters' union Spirit of Shankly [SOS] - a 16-man union, led by elected chair Joe Blott - to sign a legally-binding agreement that guarantees their part in key dialogues with Anfield officials to ensure mishaps like the disgraced ESL never happen again. The agreement was embedded into the club's Articles of Association in August of this year, ensuring that SOS would have the opportunity to vote on existential issues at the club.

Speaking to an audience of stakeholders at an All Party Parliamentary Group for Football Supporters event at the House of Lords, FSA chief executive Kevin Miles applauded Anfield officials for the speed at which they have enshrined their supporters' union into the club's fabric.

"We have some clubs who have moved an incredible distance and in the right direction in terms of their supporter engagement," said Miles. "Interestingly enough, some repentant sinners are among those clubs, in terms of the ones who were involved in the conspiracy for the breakaway.

"I think people have either genuinely learned their lesson, we don't have a 'sinnerometer' to measure the sincerity of those clubs, but they either genuinely regret what they've done or realise they have some way to go to redress their image. We have clubs who have come a long way to establishing clear lines of communication, genuine supporter engagement."

Miles added: "We have seen the full range there as we monitor what is going on at the various different clubs We've seen some of the best practice, some of the worst practice and an absence of any practice.

"Despite the best efforts of the executive staff at the various different leagues, as long as it's the clubs who are making those decisions for themselves about what rules they want to be subjected to, then you are not going to get the lifting of the standards everywhere."

It was only last week that SOS informed Liverpool's owners Fenway Sports Group that they expected to be consulted about any potential sale of the club, just hours after reports emerged that the American group were open to a full sale of the club they purchased in 2010.

A statement released by the fan group last week read: "Following today’s reports, Monday 7 November, that FSG have put Liverpool FC up for sale, Spirit of Shankly and the Supporters Board contacted the club.

"They told us that it is known that FSG have said in the past under the right terms they would consider new shareholders. This remains their position.

"The Supporters Board and SOS, as the recognised Supporters Trust, have an ongoing dialogue with the club and LFC have confirmed their commitment to this.

"This is an evolving story and the club have assured us that they will keep us updated, but at this point they have nothing to add to the FSG statement issued this morning.

"We will continue to keep you updated."

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