FSG have always kept an eye out to ensure Liverpool get as many commercial deals as possible but with all these tie-ins, there will always be a murky deal that the fans would want the club to stay away from.
We did have a bit of a problem with our training kit sponsor Bet Victor and now another of our deals has come under the scanner as the Independent reports that a large number of fans have signed a petition, so that the club drops a deal with an ‘unethical’ Tibetan water company.
The report states that the club signed a deal with Tibet Water Resources Limited in July which saw the company become our first “Official Regional Water Partner” in the Asian country of China.
However, close to 27,000 people have signed a petition for us to cancel the deal and the post reads:
“TWRL is only able to take resources from Tibet because the brutal Chinese military occupation allows it to – it owes its profits to the repression, torture and denial of political freedoms that have become commonplace there.
“In turn, its brand – and now Liverpool FC – lend legitimacy to the occupation, creating a cycle of violence and repression.”
Earlier, the club had stated that they were proud to welcome the company to the LFC family and hoped that this would allow them to engage with our fans in the Asian country better.
Many activities, however, claim that China has a history of human rights abuses in Tibet and SumOfUs, which had started the petition to cancel the deal, further went on to add how the Tibetan people are exploited by the Chinese and have no real manner to avoid the exploitation.
There are other voices that want us to cancel the deal such as John Jones, Campaigns and Communications Manager at Free Tibet, who says that our owners would display commitment to the motto “to human rights and ethical conduct is founded on action, not just words,” by cancelling the deal.
While there has been no official word from the Reds, it does seem unlikely that this deal will be cancelled at all. There must have been a lot of due diligence done before signing the contract and it is just another step that FSG have taken to ensure we maximise our revenue from sponsorship deals.
That is the one great thing that our owners have done after taking control of the club. We might have lost a bit of our identity but we are in a great position financially and hopefully this deal will not turn into a sour point for us in the future.
https://youtu.be/nPeb0wf7lgM
