Liverpool owner posts a grovelling apology video after club withdraws from theEuropean Super League .- The Reds opted out of the controversial competition after fierce backlash from fans and players.
- "I alone am responsible for the unnecessary negativity brought forward," John Henry said.
Liverpool owner John W. Henry has issued a grovelling video apologizing to the club's supporters for the "unnecessary negativity" caused by the proposed European Super League.
Liverpool, alongside five other English Premier League clubs, withdrew from the breakaway competition on Tuesday night, just two days after the teams announced that they had agreed to join.
Sunday's initial announcement prompted huge backlash from across the world of
"I want to apologise to all the fans and supporters of Liverpool Football Club for the disruption I caused over the past 48 hours," Henry, whose Fenway
"It goes without saying but should be said that the project put forward was never going to stand without the support of the fans. No-one ever thought differently in England. Over these 48 hours you were very clear that it would not stand. We heard you. I heard you."
Henry went on to apologise to manager Jurgen Klopp and the Liverpool players, who had not been informed of the club's plans to join the ESL.
"They have absolutely no responsibility for this disruption," he said. "They were the most disrupted and unfairly so. This is what hurts most. They love your club and work to make you proud every single day."
"I alone am responsible for the unnecessary negativity brought forward over the past couple of days," he added. "It's something I won't forget. And shows the power the fans have today and will rightly continue to have."
Of the 12 teams originally confirmed to have joined the ESL, nine - Liverpool, AC Milan, Arsenal, Atletico Madrid, Chelsea, Inter Milan, Manchester United, Manchester City, and Tottenham - have now withdrawn.
Only FC Barcelona, Juventus, and Real Madrid are yet to do so.