Following fresh calls from Tom Hicks to resign, Liverpool chief executive Rick Parry has insisted he will not step down unless requested to by the Anfield board and co-owner George Gillett has ruled out selling his 50 per cent share to his fellow American, claiming he is "saddened" by the latest public spat.

Hicks this morning branded Rick Parry's tenure "a disaster" and warned co-owner George Gillett that the stalemate over the club's future will continue until he agrees to sell his stake. He demanded Parry's resignation and vowed that his top priority if Gillett were to sell to him would be to offer Reds manager Rafael Benitez a one-year extension to his current deal.

Parry, however, says he is going nowhere and remains focused on doing his "best for the club".

"It's for the board to ask me to resign - and they haven't," he told BBC Radio 4's Today programme. "It's clear it's a matter for the board - I'm accountable to the board and this is not something the board has discussed with me.

Parry is a board member himself, along with allies David Moore's, co-owner Gillett and his son Foster. Hicks and his son Tom Jnr complete the six-man panel.

In a statement released this evening, Gillett said he is "saddened at this latest outburst from Tom Hicks.

"If Tom wanted a serious discussion on the issues to help the club move forward, he should bring his views to the board and not to Sky Sports," he added. "Here we are, a few days away from a vital Champions League semi-final match and Tom has once again created turmoil with his public comments.

"Tom should stop. He knows that Rick Parry has my support and that airing his comments in this way will not change my position.

"His failure to discuss this with the board or the management committee is significant."

Hicks told Sky Sports this morning that he plans to rid the club of all debt by heading up a group of financial backers willing to invest in the club.

He also revealed that Gillett and Parry had set-up the meeting with Jurgen Klinsmann that undermined Benitez and blamed the latter for Liverpool's failure to compete commercially with their Premier League rivals.

"Look at what's happened under Rick. It has been a disaster," claimed Hicks. "We have fallen so far behind the other leading clubs. We should have the stadium built by now. We have a few major sponsors when we should have 15.

"We have still got the top brand in the world of football but that's no good if you don't know how to commercialise it. Rick needs to resign from Liverpool FC. He has put his heart into it but it is time for a change.

"You have to be able to work with the manager and Rick has proved he can't do that."