The Political Economy of Football V2

I have always been sceptical of the viability of the fan ownership model in professional football and the recent experience of AFC Wimbledon and Exeter City confirms this.  Exeter City badly need external investment to survive and flourish:  https://www.devonlive.com/sport/football/football-news/exeter-city-external-investment-necessity-10940501

Yasir Al-Rumayyan will lead a 25-strong delegation of PIF officials flying in for Newcastle United’s board-level meetings in Northumberland this week. The club’s chairman and governor of Saudi Arabia’s Public Investment Fund (PIF), Newcastle’s 85 per cent owners, will hear from senior figures throughout the club, including Eddie Howe, the head coach, and David Hopkinson, the CEO, during an annual ‘off-siting’ conference at Matfen Hall, the luxury country hotel 16 miles west of Newcastle, on Wednesday and Thursday. Hopkinson has confirmed that Newcastle’s plans for their stadium — with a decision to be made on whether to expand St James’ Park or build a new ground nearby — and their training ground, with a site identified at Woolsington near Newcastle International Airport, will be on the agenda, as will his already approved plan to turn the club into one of the world’s best by 2030. Around 25 PIF officials, according to Hopkinson, will be joined by Jamie Reuben, the minority owne...

 Andrea Agnelli, one of the architects of European football’s controversial Super League, is launching a comeback as a sports investor. Five years after his failed attempt to upend the continent’s footballing landscape, Agnelli has established Gamma Waves Partners, an investment firm that will target opportunities in innovative sports competitions and formats, as well as teams and athletes. Based in Amsterdam, where Agnelli now lives, Gamma Waves will manage money invested by the former Juventus boss and co-founders including Rocco Benetton of the eponymous fashion dynasty and former Italian football captain Giorgio Chiellini.  Agnelli acted as vice-chair of the European Super League, a closed league for the continent’s biggest clubs. The project collapsed in 2021 within days of becoming public knowledge after a backlash from supporters and politicians forced clubs to pull out. His new venture will take minority stakes in businesses seeking to boost fan engagement with s...

After multiple bankruptcies and a 21-year absence from Italy’s uppermost football league, Serie A, Como 1907 now finds itself near the top of the ranks as the season closes. Just two years after it rejoined the league, a lucrative Champions League place lies within reach. Yet for some, the most striking part of Como’s recent turnaround lies beyond goals on the pitch. Club executives have been positioning it less as a conventional football team dependent on match-day successes and more as a global lifestyle brand that has Lake Como — and fashion — at its heart.   Under the club’s chief brand officer Rhuigi Villaseñor, a seasoned fashion industry creative director and club shareholder appointed in 2024, Como works with four high-profile brands on lines for fans, including Brioni for formalwear, Rhude on casual and streetwear, Hublot on luxury timepieces and Adidas on its technical kits, including a sailing collection called Lago di Como. The team also offers luxury lake experienc...

One branch of my family now lives in Spain, but unfortunately none of them are interested in football.   That would be a lot to ask of my great-granddaughter who is three, but I have watched the older pupils from her school (boys and girls) enjoying a kick about in the village square. From his Zurich fastness, the Swiss Ramble has been casting his eye over the finances of Atlético Madrid.    Much more detail and analysis are available on his Substack page.   Some highlights follow. Private equity firm Apollo Sports Capital became majority shareholder in Atlético Madrid last November, buying a reported 55% stake. Following this deal, Quantum Pacific, founded by Israeli billionaire Idan Ofer, is the second largest shareholder with a stake of roughly 25%, while American investment firm Ares Management now has 5%. Gil Marin has seen his stake reduce to 10%, though he will remain as CEO, while club president Enrique Cerezo is down to 3%. Apollo’s investmen...

Football finance guru Kieran Maguire is relatively positive about Burnley's financial position after relegation as the Clartes have future proofed themselves against the eventuality, although some players may have to be sold:  https://www.burnleyexpress.net/sport/football/kieran-maguire-discusses-financial-impact-of-burnleys-relegation-from-the-premier-league-7449247 Maguire reckons that the real challenge is to make good use of the parachute payments and not suffer the fate of teams like Charlton and Stoke after they each had several years in the top flight.