Shareholders from various clubs convened on Tuesday to discuss and vote on the motion, which aimed to prevent clubs under the same ownership from signing players on loan from each other. The proposed ban was seen as a measure to protect the integrity of the competition while a permanent solution was being sought.
Although the Premier League supported the implementation of the ban, it did not receive the necessary support from two-thirds of the clubs to pass the motion. As a result, the current rules allowing such loan moves will remain in place for the upcoming January transfer window. At present, there are no restrictions on players securing loans from foreign teams under the same ownership as their Premier League club, as long as the deal is valued at fair market value. This means that clubs can still engage in related-party loan transactions with foreign teams.
According to The Times’ Martyn Ziegler, Liverpool was one of the 12 clubs that voted in favor of passing the motion to block loan moves between teams under the same ownership. However, its vote did not secure enough support to enforce the temporary ban. The clubs that opposed the ban are said to have been Newcastle United, Sheffield United, Manchester City, Chelsea, Everton, Wolverhampton Wanderers, Nottingham Forest, and Burnley.
It is worth noting that Liverpool’s owners, Fenway Sports Group, do not have any direct ownership of elite football clubs apart from Liverpool itself. They have financial interests in other sports such as baseball, golf, and ice hockey. Therefore, Liverpool would not be directly affected by a ban on related-party loans. In addition to the loan move issue, seven clubs also voted against stricter rules on associated party transactions. The details of these transactions were not specified in the report.
Liverpool was reportedly one of the sides that made a significant vote in favor of temporarily blocking related-party loans in the Premier League.
