Liverpool’s season of boardroom turmoil took another turn on Thursday when co-owner Tom Hicks asked for the resignation of chief executive Rick Parry.
Hicks has written to Parry to ask him to stand down although he has no power to sanction that without the agreement of co-owner George Gillett.
Parry is currently in London at a Premier League meeting but he has responded to the demand saying he has no plans to quit.
“It is my intention to remain focused on the job of serving Liverpool Football Club to the best of my abilities at this very important time of our season,” said Parry in a statement.
Hicks was believed to have been infuriated by an interview given by Parry in which he pleaded with both co-owners to end the war of words between them and reach an amicable agreement over the club’s future.
It was Parry who was largely involved in bringing Gillett to the club 18 months ago, with the American bringing in Hicks for added financial muscle to get the deal through.
The news comes on a day when Dubai International Capital reportedly ended their interest in buying the club.
DIC chief executive Sameer Al Ansari admitted the consortium would “still love to own” Liverpool and will “continue to be interested” in the club. But, in an interview with Arabian Business magazine, to be published this Sunday, he said: “You have two partners who do not see eye to eye. And we decided that we pull out completely. Let them sort out their problems.
“We will continue to be interested and would love to own the club but we are not going to put ourselves in a difficult situation where we make the investment but we have no control over the destiny of the club and we cannot influence the success of the club.Unfortunately, the terms that have been put on the table do not allow us to do that.”
