A defiant Rick Parry has made it clear he is going nowhere after refusing Liverpool co-owner Tom Hicks' demand that he resign.
The club's chief executive hit back on another astonishing day of boardroom turmoil at Anfield.
It was revealed on Thursday Hicks had sent a three-page letter to Parry insisting he
tender his resignation, as the battle for control at the club reached a new
level of embarrassment for British football's most successful club.
Parry, chief executive for more than 10 years, will formally refuse to quit by
return of post.
It is also believed he is seeking legal advice over his concern Hicks' demand
had not been discussed at board level first.
There is also disquiet over claims Hicks' son, Tom Jnr. is alleged to have
been sending texts to fans' groups over the issue of Parry's continued
involvement at the club, and that could also be part of the legal discussions.
In a statement Parry made it clear he is prepared to
take on Texan co-owner Hicks, saying: ``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.''
Parry clearly believes he has the backing of the club's other co-owner George
Gillett, and it is known potential buyers Dubai International Capital have no
plans to oust the man responsible for the day-to-day running of the club if they
eventually buyout the Americans.
In a further development on Thursday, DIC chief executive Sameer Al Ansari said the
consortium would ``still love to own'' the club.
Sources close to Al Ansari also insisted he did not tell an Arabian business
magazine DIC were prepared to pull out of negotiations.
Hicks' letter to Parry arrived at Anfield just 48 hours after the club's
triumphant passage into the Champions League semi-finals.
Parry was in London at a Football Association hearing which rejected Javier
Mascherano's appeal over an extra two-match suspension following his red card at
Manchester United.
Parry was made aware of the letter waiting for him on his desk.
It is reported to be critical of his relationship with manager Rafael Benitez
and the commercial aspect of the club.
This shock move from Liverpool's Dallas-based co-owner is just the latest
chapter in the saga over control of the club, which reached a peak last month
when talks between Hicks and DIC broke down.
The relationship between Hicks and Gillett has deteriorated beyond repair,
with the latter believed to have a verbal agreement with DIC to part with his
stake, but he will not sell any to his partner.
Gillett made that announcement last week and re-iterated his feelings to club officials at Anfield on Tuesday.
Parry has found himself in the middle of the feud at times, trying to run the
club effectively.
Hicks' camp clearly believe Parry is siding with Gillett as the uproar rumbles
on, prompting the request for his resignation.
Hicks was in London last week and attended both the Liverpool matches against
Arsenal at Emirates Stadium.
But during Tuesday's match Anfield, he was back in Dallas watching his Texas
Rangers' baseball team, while Gillett sat next to Parry in the Liverpool
directors' box.
They were watching Benitez's team beat the Gunners 4-2 to progress into
another Champions League semi-final showdown with Chelsea later this month.
Thursday's developments do nothing for the stability of the club ahead of
Benitez's attempts to reach a third European Cup final in four years.
Gillett's son Foster was also in attendance on Tuesday, as was Hicks' son Tom
Jnr, both of whom are directors of the club.
With the ownership split 50-50 between the two Americans, Hicks would not be
able to have secured approval for Parry's dismissal, hence the letter received
at Anfield on Thursday.
Hicks was believed to have been enraged by Parry's interview recently on BBC
Radio Five Live in which the chief executive pleaded with the co-owners to end
the war between them and come to an agreement that would allow the club to move
forward.
It was Parry who was largely involved Gillett's arrival at Anfield 18 months
ago, with the American bringing in Hicks for financial muscle to get the deal
through.
At that point, DIC believed they were on the brink of buying former chairman
David Moores' majority holding, only for the deal to collapse at the last minute
when Moores - now life vice-president and still a board member - changed his
mind.
Since then, DIC have patiently worked towards a deal to buy out both
Americans.
However, Hicks spent time last week in London trying to raise capital to buy
Gillett's shares and to re-finance loans on his own sports empire. He has also
been searching the US market for funds, all, it is believed, to no avail.
And he will soon be expected to come up with further loans to fund the
building of Liverpool's new stadium.
