[lfc-news] Parry: Win was about trophies, not money - Echo

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Liverpool Echo, 5 May 2005
Win was about trophies, not money - Parry
By Chris Bascombe, Liverpool Echo

ON and off the pitch, the significance of Liverpool's semi-final victory
over Chelsea is immeasurable.

Anfield chief executive Rick Parry today underlined the passionate
pursuit of glory as the most enduring consequence of a triumphant evening.

But he also knows there are far reaching consequences which will help
stabilise a club which has faced an uncertain future in the board-room
for the last two years.

No figures will be released to spell out how much Liverpool's triumphant
European run is worth until next year, but last season Chelsea earned a
figure approaching £30m simply for reaching the last four.

Should the Reds command a similar fee, they've effectively earned as
much as they would for qualifying for the competition two years on the run.

With participation next year still in the balance, Rafa Benitez's
success is sure to aid his recruitment drive this summer.

UEFA's prize fund can be worth as much as £15m to the winner, but it's
the television rights which represent a major additional pot of gold.

During the group stages and quarter-finals, Liverpool shared England's
revenue provided by television with their three fellow competitors from
the Premiership.

Sky and ITV pay £80m a year for the rights to screen games, with 75 per
cent of this fund contributing to an overall 'market pool' of £141m.

In England, a percentage was shared among Arsenal, Liverpool, Chelsea
and Manchester United depending on how far each side progressed and also
taking into account where each club finished in the Premiership last season.

It's a complicated process which means Liverpool received less than
Chelsea from English broadcasters for the semi-final because the
Londoners finished second to the Reds' fourth in 2004.

By this stage, however, it wasn't just English crews who paid for the
rights to screen Liverpool's game.

In Istanbul, every football loving nation in the world will be tuning
in, with the two finalists certain of further lucrative payments.

Liverpool are also in the middle of a quest for new sponsorship ahead of
next season and exposure in the final of one of the world's Premier
events could not have been timed better.

Their current deal with Carlsberg expires and isn't likely to be
renewed, but so far finding a company to pay the Reds the going rate to
have their logo on the club jersey has proved elusive.

One suspects the prospect of a commercial partnership with the Champions
League finalists will prove more attractive.

And finally, there's the eternal question of Steven Gerrard's future.

Tuesday's game could be looked on in black and white terms. Defeat would
have given Gerrard yet another difficult summer contemplating his future
and no doubt worrying if he'd mistakenly remained at Anfield this year.

Now, his decision to stay 12 months ago is fully vindicated and he's
started making the right noises about a potential contract extension.

Naturally, Liverpool wish to focus solely on the footballing rather than
financial consequences, even if both are inextricably linked.

"I haven't even looked at the financial figures," stressed Parry, who
headed to Istanbul for a pre-final briefing today.

"This was about the game, nothing else. Tuesday night showed what this
club is all about and why we're here. Tuesday wasn't about money, it was
about clutching trophies.

"If Tuesday showed anything it was that it's not about money. I'm sure
when Roman Abramovich reflects on what happened he'll recognise there
are some things which money just can't buy. You can't buy an occasion
like that.

"For me, Tuesday ranked on a par to anything Anfield has experienced
before. In fact, I don't think I've ever known a night like that. The
fans, Rafa and the players did everything they could to make it such a
special occasion.

"People talk about St Etienne in 1977, but that was as much about the
circumstances of the game as the atmosphere itself. The way events
unfolded made 1977 so dramatic.

"This time, I felt as though the buildup began on Tuesday afternoon. I
can't remember such intensity before.

"Perhaps the most suitable comparison is with Inter Milan in 1965 when
these kinds of nights were new.

"Bill Shankly hyped everyone up into a frenzy that night. For a lot of
supporters this was a similarly new experience and, of course, like then
this was a European Cup semi-final."

Liverpool have been underdogs every step of the way this season, but
Parry says he's not surprised by the speed at which Benitez has made his
mark.

"I think it would be wrong to say this is beyond our wildest dreams," he
said.

"We've never been in the competition simply to go through the motions.

"We've been confident from the beginning that in Rafa we had a manager
who would take us forward. Now we're as pleased as it's possible to be
with his progress. He deserves the success.

Liverpool will receive 20,000 tickets for the final on May 25. Selling
arrangements will be confirmed next week.

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