The Political Economy of Football V2

The governance arrangements in the Bundesliga have long drawn rather uncritical admiration from fan groups in the UK, but I take a more sceptical view of the German Sonderweg in my book Political Football.  (The publisher has now gone out of business but cheap pre loved – or not – copies are relatively available, or I can send an electronic copy free). Looking at Bayern Munich, the authoritative Swiss Ramble notes that Bundesliga clubs are actually less transparent than their counterparts elsewhere.    Polite requests from his Zurich fastness for more information have produced little response. What follows are the main points from the Swiss Ramble’s analysis of Bayern, much more analysis is available on his Substack page. Unlike many other clubs, which rack up enormous losses in the pursuit of sporting success, Bayern have also performed very well off the pitch, so this article will delve into their finances to try to understand what drives their “Bavarian model”. ...

At all levels of football lawyers are the key players these days and Morecambe are taking legal advice before responding to a censure notice issued by the independent football regulator, the first of its kind under the new regulatory regime The IFR claims that two of the club's directors, Katjie Singh Morni and Harjit Singh, are in breach of Section 65 of the Football Governance Act. It is stated that they responded to requests for information about the running of the club a month late and without fully addressing the questions asked. The club's response is here:  https://morecambefc.com/news/independent-football-regulator-warning-notice-1784232143191

What lay ahead?   Jude and his brother in Leamington kit where his police sergeant father was a star part-time striker, although the family came from Stourbridge. Never mind brand Beckham – although he has been doing well with a range of television adverts in the World Cup.    It’s the lad from Stourbridge who is attracting the attention of the world’s top brands. There are few things that unite LVMH and McDonald’s. But the luxury goods group and the fast-food giant have both turned to the same man to promote their brands: Jude Bellingham. The England midfielder has been one of the standout players at the World Cup. Bellingham, 23, is among a generation of young superstars, alongside Erling Haaland and Lamine Yamal, taking up the mantle from Lionel Messi and Cristiano Ronaldo in a sport where younger fans increasingly follow individual players rather than teams. Sports business website Sportico estimates that Bellingham is the ninth highest-paid player at the World ...

While our attention has been focused on the World Cup, the Premier League transfer market has been heating up with plenty of cash to splash. Tottenham Hotspur are tired of fighting relegation. The Lewis family has injected cash. Spurs have spent €267mn on players so far this window, higher than any other club, according to data tracker Transfermarkt. Manchester City haven’t won the league for two seasons straight. That won’t do for Khaldoon Al Mubarak, who chairs the club and leads UAE sovereign investor Mubadala. City has a new manager, Enzo Maresca, who joined after a messy exit from Chelsea. The club has spent €175.20 mn, including the signing of England midfielder Elliott Anderson from Nottingham Forest for £116mn (€136mn). Spurs have recouped almost €70mn from selling players, City around €23mn, but neither has sold quite like Newcastle and Chelsea, who have moved on €188mn and €132mn of players respectively. Having missed out on the Champions League, private equity-ow...

The bromance between Fifa boss Infantino and President Trump has attracted lots of attention, not least because Trump was able to get a US red card rescinded, the only one in the tournament.   But more fundamental Americanisation of the beautiful game is taking place with Fifa's compliance. In search of every last US dollar, Fifa is leaving no stone unturned. Ahead of Sunday’s final, football’s governing body is somehow still finding new ways to reach into fans’ wallets. Those who simply cannot get enough of the World Cup final have been offered the chance to attend the pre-match press conference in New York. The privilege that has until been reserved for, well, members of the press, is now open to attendees of Fanatics Fest — a four-day jamboree organised by Michael Rubin’s sports merchandise and memorabilia company. A one-day pass will set you back $80. But it doesn’t stop there. Diehards can buy one of the 1,996 “championship rings” available after the game (price still...

Increasingly the most important people in any football club are not the accountants, but the lawyers.  A career as a sports lawyer offers good prospects and is more interesting than many branches of the legal profession. Leeds United have opened legal proceedings and served a statement of claim against Leicester City after being denied automatic promotion in 2023-24, when the latter broke financial rules.    This follows Burnley’s recent successful action against Everton. A statement of claim sets out why the claimant is taking action against a respondent. In this case, Leeds have included specific losses, but also requested an assessment of damages as a result of Leicester’s PSR breach. As it stands, the hearing is not set to take place until next summer.   It is always possible that it will be settled out of court. Last month, it was revealed Everton had been ordered to pay Burnley £35m in compensation and interest. In 2021-22, the Lancashire club were rel...