LOS ANGELES - The American owners of Liverpool said Wednesday a Texas court had granted a temporary restraining order stopping the proposed takeover of the English football giants by the owners of baseball's Boston Red Sox.

A statement from Tom Hicks and George Gillett came hours after a High Court ruling in Britain, in which Justice Christopher Floyd ruled in favour of the club's board, which had agreed a deal for the club with New England Sports Ventures (NESV).

Lawyers for Gillett and Hicks had argued for more time to find a better offer than the 300-million-pound (475-million-dollar) bid tabled by NESV, claiming the boardroom manoeuvring which led to the deal was illegal.