Former Liverpool Chairman Will Sue Hicks for Defamation

The takeover of Liverpool F.C. may be complete, but the key players in the drama continue to squabble.

On Thursday, Sir Martin Broughton, the former chairman of the club, said that he would sue the team’s former owners, Tom Hicks and George Gillett Jr., for defamation. Hicks and Gillett claimed that the sale of the club, which Broughton helped orchestrate in October, amounted to an “epic swindle” because the team’s directors had abdicated their fiduciary responsibilities.

Broughton told The Times of London that he was not seeking monetary damages but was trying to clear his name and recover his court costs. “They made accusations of fraud and conspiracy which were wholly unfounded,” Broughton, who is chairman of British Airways, told the newspaper. “I am not losing any sleep. I know I acted properly.”

Broughton’s comments stem from the roughly $480 million sale of the Liverpool soccer team to New England Sports Ventures, the owners of the Boston Red Sox. Hicks and Gillett contend the club was sold for far less than it was worth, and wanted other bidders considered. On Friday, Hicks said that he had no comment on the matter.

Hicks and Gillett lost a High Court battle in Britain, where they sued for at least $1.6 billion in damages. Their appeal was also rejected. Previously, they tried unsuccessfully to block the sale of the team in a Texas court. On Thursday, a British judge prohibited Hicks and Gillett from suing the team outside the European Union.

In a statement, Liverpool said that there was “no basis to challenge the propriety or validity of any actions” in the sale of the team taken by Broughton, New England Sports Ventures, or the Royal Bank of Scotland, a lender to the team. “They will continue to take all steps necessary to defend vigorously any litigation threatened or commenced by the Club’s former owners.”

The New York Times Company owns about a 16.6 percent share of New England Sports Ventures, which is now named Fenway Sports Group.