Fantasy Football

Cash-strapped football clubs tried floating rumours that Indian billionaires were interested in owning them

Having been pampered lapdogs of some of the richest men in the world, top-flight football clubs in the greed-is-good world of English Premier League football clearly can’t come to grips with the idea of recession. And desperation is making them do funny things.

Cash-strapped clubs such as Newcastle United and Everton tried floating rumours that Indian billionaires (Anil Ambani, most notably) were interested in owning them. Now, News of The World reports that the GMR group (think Delhi airport and IPL’s Delhi Daredevils) is keen to buy England’s second most storied club Liverpool for more than Rs 3,000 crore. Apparently, GMR Chairman GM Rao was spotted with one of the owners at Anfield. A GMR spokesperson swiftly rubbished the report. Liverpudlians should know that the downturn coupled with expensive overseas acquisitions leaves the company with very little for such a splurge. But then, fantasy football is fab time pass.

English Premier LeaguefootballNewcastle Unitedsoccer