Liverpool owners shackled by bank

liverpool: The Royal Bank of Scotland has obtained an injunction preventing Liverpool owners Tom Hicks and George Gillett from sacking independent chairman Martin Broughton or any other board members ahead of today's court case.

By The Newsroom

Published 11th Oct 2010, 18:57 BST

Updated 11th Oct 2010, 22:50 BST

RBS is the club’s main creditor, having lent Americans Hicks and Gillett the money to buy the club in March 2007, and is claiming in the High Court that the pair breached their agreement by trying to replace managing director Christian Purslow and commercial director Ian Ayres on the board last week.

The outcome of the case should decide Liverpool’s immediate future, with the club’s board having agreed to a 300m offer from New England Sports Venture, against the wishes of Hicks and Gillett.

Meanwhile, the Singapore-based consortium also interested in Liverpool have emerged as being led by billionaire Peter Lim.

Lim is said to be still interested in taking over the club but will only be able to do so if Hicks and Gillett win the court case.

Lim owns several Manchester United-themed bars in Asia and according to Forbes magazine is said to have a 1bn fortune.