On hearing of Elon Musk’s ‘possible’ interest in buying Liverpool Football Club (LFC), via his equally deluded father, Errol, (apple and tree come to mind) and being a lifelong Liverpool supporter – I couldn’t be more enraged, and distraught at the very thought of it.
Being a Liverpool fan runs in the family
I’m a Londoner, but I’m no plastic LFC fan.
My father who was Guyanese, and like most of the black Caribbean/South American Windrush generation communities, chose an English team to support pretty much upon arrival on these shores in the late 1940s, as there were obviously no league or national football teams from where they came.
Liverpool FC was the obvious choice
Liverpool was an obvious pick for my father for many reasons.
Liverpool has always been known as a more tolerant, multicultural city. So much so, it’s always felt to me that it almost doesn’t belong in England. It is so multicultural, it is difficult to imagine it is part of only one country.
It is still one of the only cities in the UK with a museum dedicated to remembrance of the history and impact of the slave trade. Many slaves came into England via the Liverpool port.
Liverpool’s docks were also used for ship building, they built 26% of the total UK shipping involved in the slave trade, a total of 2,120 ships between 1701 and 1810. In comparison, the next two biggest slave ports, London and Bristol, combined, built less than half of the slave ships built in Liverpool.
And later after freedom came, many black men worked in the docks.
Musk senior’s interview
So seeing the interview with Musk senior rambling on about his increasingly demagogic and megalomaniacal billionaire son who grew up in South Africa, at a time when racism and apartheid was normal there, literally caused me to let out a small scream.
His son, the wealthiest man in the world, appears to be trying to undermine democracy in the UK via his posts on X, suggesting America ’liberate’ us from our democratically chosen government, simply because he doesn’t share their values. My own father will definitely be turning in his grave at the thought of what Musk is suggesting.
Supporters already expressing their unhappiness at the idea
The only small delight in any attempt by Musk to purchase LFC, is the huge pushback he would face from the fans and the city.
This has already been beautifully, and humorously expressed all over social media, and at a recent game, with justifiably caustic banners trolling Musk’s supposed incoming bid for ownership of the club.
Not to mention the city’s history with Musk’s oligarchic ally, Rupert Murdoch, and the boycott of The Sun newspaper following the Hillsborough disaster. It’s a mark of civic pride for many Liverpudlians that you still can’t buy the tabloid easily in Liverpool – the only UK city where most newsagents boycott it.
I love the city, as much as I love the club.
No Elon, just no
My dad taught me to love Anfield, the home of Liverpool Football Club and its proud supporters.
So no Elon. Just no. You will forever walk alone.
