Huge blow for Liverpool

Liverpool’s main sponsor, Standard Chartered, faces serious allegations of facilitating billions of dollars in transactions for entities linked to terrorist organizations. The bank, a significant player in the UK financial sector and Liverpool’s shirt sponsor since 2010, renewed its contract in 2020, set to run until the end of the 2026/27 season with an annual value exceeding £50 million.

According to a New York court filing, whistleblowers Julian Knight and Robert Marcellus, assisted by forensic investigator David Scantling, claimed that Standard Chartered managed over $100 billion in transactions for Iran-linked entities and terrorist groups between 2008 and 2013. The court documents reveal hidden transactions involving $9.6 billion with individuals and companies designated by the US government as funding groups like Hezbollah, Hamas, al-Qaeda, and the Taliban.

Standard Chartered has firmly denied these allegations, asserting that the claims have been “thoroughly discredited” by US authorities. In a statement, the bank declared: “This filing is another attempt to use claims against the bank, following previous unsuccessful attempts. The false allegations underpinning it have been thoroughly discredited by the US authorities who undertook a comprehensive investigation into the claims and said they were ‘meritless’ and did not show any violations of US sanctions. We are confident the courts will reject these claims, as they have already done repeatedly.”

The controversy casts a shadow over Liverpool’s sponsorship as the legal battle unfolds.