Dubai International Capital (DIC) is an investment arm of the Dubai Government and its ruling king. As such, it has an almost bottomless pit of cash at its disposal.

The group is one of the largest sovereign wealth funds that are topping the headlines at the moment after coming to the rescue of the big American banks that need propping up in the wake of the global credit crunch.

The company is best known in Britain for its acquisition of the Madame Tussauds, the waxworks museum, which merged last year with Merlin Entertainments Group, although Dubai still owns 20 per cent of the combined company. It also owns Travelodge, the budget hotel chain, which it acquired for £675 million in August 2006, and Doncasters, the UK industrials company.

The investment arm of DIC is the same as any other private equity firm, such as Blackstone, KKR, or Permira, which ran into trouble last year over its acquisition of the AA. Private equity firms acquire companies using small amounts of their own cash and lots of debt. They then push through a restructuring or refocusing of the company and pay themselves a dividend once the company’s fortunes have turned around. After an investment period of about three to five years, private equity firms then sell or float the company if it is private.

Typically, their interest in companies is financially driven, but in this case, it is believed that Sameer Al Ansari, the head of DIC, is leading from the heart, not the head.

Having been educated at Liverpool University School of Law, Al Ansari is a big Liverpool fan and goes to Anfield several times a season, in the same way that Malcolm Glazer’s son, Joel, had a passion for Manchester United. How better to satisfy that passion than buying the club? It worked for Glazer and Al Ansari thinks it can work for him, too.

Like Glazer, Al Ansari knows the marketing power of Liverpool is huge and he wants to find a way to turn that appeal into profits. George Gillett Jr, the Liverpool co-owner, said in February 2007 that the Liverpool “brand” needed to be promoted in the Far East. “Liverpool is the No 1 brand in Europe. If you go to the Far East, Man Utd has historically been the No 1 brand, Chelsea has recently become popular,” he said.

In 2005, LiverpoolFC.tv, the digital media arm of the club, signed a partnership with China.com Inc to launch a Chinese language website and wireless service and spread the popularity of the brand in China. The global online membership of LiverpoolFC.tv stands at 28 million.

When Dubai’s first attempt to buy Liverpool failed last year, Al Ansari gave an unusually emotional response in a DIC press release. He said: “Liverpool is the most successful football club in English football history. It exists to win things for its supporters. It deserves to be in the hands of people who support it, who understand its history and legend and who share the enthusiasm and passion of its fans.

“I am sure I will be back at Anfield with my family soon to support my team, as I have done so in the last 30-plus years. In the meantime, I wish the manager, the players and everyone connected with the club the best of fortune for the challenges ahead and will make sure that I am there the day they lift the Premiership trophy.”