Sports miniter backs fans take over of Liverpool

Britain's sports minister criticized English Premier League players for a lack of long-term commitment to their clubs and backed Liverpool fans hoping to oust the club's American owners.

Andy Burnham said he witnessed a completely different level of passion at the Beijing Olympics, where Britain enjoyed its most successful summer games in a century.

"The sport out there felt like real sport, real passion, real competition," Burnham told Wednesday's meeting of the Share Liverpool FC group, which wants to regain control of the club from Tom Hicks and George Gillett Jr.

"Sometimes when I watch the Premier League, I think it's becoming - what is it becoming? Does it really mean as much to the people who are playing? ... I think that today's players don't have that same level of emotional attachment to the clubs they represent."

Burnham later told The Associated Press that the Premier League has become "a little bit detached and a bit unreal." "With so much money involved, does it mean as much to the individuals in it?" he said.

Despite being a fan of crosstown rival Everton, Burnham was speaking at the relaunch of a longshot member-share scheme being masterminded by Liverpool supporters and former players, including John Barnes and Phil Thompson.

Burnham urged them "to take the club back from within" and set an example for the rest of football.

"My worry long term is if the Premier League becomes a league table of individual wealth for the 20 wealthiest individuals around the world, what will that mean?" the culture, media and sports secretary said.

"It won't mean a great deal at all - and that will mean we have lost something incredibly precious, which is institutions like Liverpool that inspire local pride.

"Clubs have drifted too far from their supporter base in recent times and they need to come back to their roots." Liverpool fans have been infuriated by Hicks and Gillett burdening the 18-time English champion with debt since their 2007 takeover and failing to sufficiently support manager Rafa Benitez in the transfer market.

Burnham wouldn't directly criticize the American owners by name, but was outspoken about the recent trend of billionaire businessmen taking over clubs.

"Football finances are very fragile and we have seen examples in the past where clubs have overreached themselves and it has had devastating consequences for the supporters more than anybody," Burnham told the AP.

"There has been concern in recent times about the way in which some clubs have been taken over ... the debts are just guaranteed and there isn't a great deal of new money coming into the clubs."

Drawing inspiration from FC Barcelona's model, Share Liverpool FC hopes to get 100,000 fans to each contribute up to 5,000 pounds (US$9,200; €6,240), but has attracted interest from less than 30,000 since launching in January.

Stockholders would be limited to a single share, with each member having one vote. Key decisions, such as managerial changes, will be made by an executive board elected for a minimum three-year term.

"Clubs should never be in the hands of one person, who can do different things at a whim," Burnham said.

"Football clubs in my view should be democratic institutions, they are built by the fans, who should control the future of the clubs."

Sapa-AP