Don't blame me! Rafa denies forcing Parry out
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Don't blame me! Rafa denies forcing Parry out of Anfield boardroom
The glums: Rick Parry (left) kept in the background by Rafa Benitez at a match earlier this season
Rafa Benitez denied he had engineered Rick Parry’s Anfield demise on Friday, insisting: ‘I never said I wanted him out.’ Parry’s shock decision to quit as chief executive at the end of the season was widely interpreted as a personal triumph for Benitez in a power struggle that has dominated events at Liverpool all season.
But the Liverpool manager hit back at suggestions he may have been instrumental in it, saying: ‘There are no winners and losers in this and Rick’s position was never an issue in my contract negotiations.’
To back up Benitez’s claims, it has emerged Parry agreed to step aside after accepting that his relationship with co-owner Tom Hicks had reached breaking point and was beyond repair.
Hicks, after failing to unearth any suitable candidates to buy out himself and co-owner George Gillett, is believed to have contacted Parry and put it to him that they could not continue working together.
Parry, though a lifelong Liverpool fan who admitted to feeling ‘proud and privileged’ to have had 12 years in the Anfield boardroom, conceded their differences were irretrievable and agreed to leave at the end of the season ‘by mutual consent’.
Benitez revealed he was ‘very close’ to signing a new four and-a-half year deal but was adamant it had nothing to do with the 54-year-old’s imminent departure.
‘I don’t see why people are making out that I have won in some way,’ he said. If the owners make a decision like this, then someone else will come in and we will carry on working together. ‘I will not have any say in who replaces Rick. My responsibility is football issues, nothing more, and I will carry on with those responsibilities.
'The owners have to choose another person. ‘But if you ask me whether Rick leaving makes it more likely I will agree a new contract, the answer is no, not really. 'I have never said I will not sign a new deal if Rick Parry stays.
'I am surprised people are saying I did, because it has never happened. ‘I know what has gone on in those discussions and it has been entirely to do with football issues. 'We have talked and will continue to, but what has happened with Rick will have no bearing on the outcome.
‘There have been a lot of rumours and text messages flying around, but I only found out about Rick this morning. 'I was told two minutes before training started, so really my thoughts were full of how long Fernando Torres might be out and whether Steven Gerrard might be fit to face Middlesbrough.
‘It is something I cannot control, and I have to think about the rest of the club and what is best for everyone. 'Clearly, there are a lot of important games in the three months left, and I will carry on working positively with Rick during that time.
'After that, I will wish him all the best, but in the meantime, we will work together. ‘I was with Rick in Madrid and we speak every week —maybe two or three times —but our relationship is good and professional.’
Referring to his own immediate future, after one bookmaker suspended betting on Wednesday that he would quit or be sacked, Benitez said: ‘After hearing that I wanted to be absolutely clear that I had no thoughts about leaving, especially at this stage with so much to play for.
As for my contract, I have one year left and there will be more conversations in the next few days. We are very close.’
Commercial director Ian Ayre and finance director Phil Nash are early front runners to succeed Parry, though former FA chief Brian Barwick could also come under consideration.