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Jun 4, 2010
Liverpool fans burn US flag
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Liverpool soccer club fans protest against the American owners outside Anfield, Liverpool. -- PHOTO: AP
<!-- story content : start --> LONDON - OVER 500 angry Liverpool fans marched on the club's Anfield ground on Thursday and burned the US flag in protest at the English giants' American owners, the Daily Telegraph reported. Five-time European champions Liverpool have been saddled with 351 million pounds (S$723 million) of debt since American businessmen Tom Hicks and George Gillett took over the club in February 2007.
Spanish coach Rafael Benitez was sacked on Thursday after a season that saw Liverpool finish seventh in the Premier League and crash out of the Champions League at the group stage. The protest had already been organised prior to confirmation of Benitez's dismissal, however, with fans invited to join a march to the stadium on social networking sites Twitter and Facebook, according to the Telegraph.
'This is another example of how this club has become the biggest farce in town. In a sense, Benitez is just collateral damage. When you look at Liverpool in a general manner, who will want to take the club on?' said Paul Rice, of the supporters' group Spirit of Shankly, quoted by the paper. Fans also called for the dismissal of managing director Christian Purslow, who was brought in to secure new investment in the club but has so far failed to do so.
Photographs on the Telegraph's website showed Liverpool fans carrying banners that read 'Thanks Rafa. Purslow and Yanks Get Out Now' and 'Tom and George Tell Lies'. Another picture showed them burning a hole in the American flag. -- AFP
