The Political Economy of Football V2

Aston Villa’s board comprises three of the club’s stakeholders.   Wes Edens and Nassef Sawiris took full ownership in 2019 and sit on the board as Villa’s statutory directors.  Sawiris is more involved on the football side, regularly updated by manager Unai Emery’s senior aides, including director of football operations, Damian Vidagany, with Edens based in North America. In December 2023, V Sports — the ownership group led by Sawiris and Edens — entered into an agreement with investment company Atairos to become a partner, its interest headed by Michael J Angelakis.   The relationship meant V Sports would initially continue to own 100 per cent of Villa and remain in control of all club-related decisions, but the deal with Atairos would see it become a minority partner and Angelakis come in alongside Sawiris and Edens. Shortly after Atairos’ partnership was ratified, four new directors were confirmed on Villa’s board, joining Edens and Sawiris: the Atairos chairm...

Most of the football business news these days seem to be about legal actions or the possibility of them. David Sullivan, the West Ham United co-owner, is suing the BBC for £150 million ($197.8m) over a Panorama documentary in which he was accused of sexual misconduct.   Sullivan is seeking damages after issuing a High Court defamation claim over the programme, ‘Predator: The Billionaire Football Boss’, which aired on June 8. The documentary, made by the BBC with The Times, featured allegations made by seven women about Sullivan’s conduct during the 1980s and 1990s.  Sullivan has denied any wrongdoing. As well as £150m in damages, Sullivan is seeking a court order requiring the removal of the show from BBC platforms and preventing further publication of the allegations — in line with section 13 of the United Kingdom’s 2013 Defamation Act. The BBC declined to comment when asked by The Athletic.   In Sullivan’s claim, which has been seen by The Athletic , he contends...

There has been considerable speculation about the consequences of the findings against Manchester City both for the club and football more generally.   The one confident prediction I am prepared to make is that lawyers, and particularly sports lawyers, can look forward to several years' lucrative work. The Swiss Ramble has undertaken his usual forensic analysis of the financial consequences for City, although until we know what the sanctions are going to be, this is necessarily speculative.   However, he covers a range of scenarios on his Substack page. He also looks at some of the possibilities for law suits.  As he admits, it is not clear which clubs might actually pursue a claim against City.  Only four clubs have preserved their right to compensation under the Premier League rulebook’s section W, namely Arsenal, Liverpool, Manchester United and Tottenham, If these four clubs go ahead, they would be relying on the same rule under which Burnley made a s...

Prime minister Andy Burnham has said he would be “really concerned” to lose Manchester City’s owners as a result of the club being found guilty of more than 100 breaches of Premier League rules. The new Independent Football Regulator (IFR) has the power to oblige an owner to sell the club if they are found guilty of serious wrongdoing. It is also possible that Sheikh Mansour, the vice-president of the United Arab Emirates who is the owner of City, could decide to sell as a result of the scandal. City’s owners invested heavily in Manchester, where Burnham was mayor before becoming prime minister, and he told BBC News: “I would be really concerned to lose them [City’s owners]. They’ve been such a huge partner in the building of modern Manchester. Obviously, the building of Manchester City into the global force that it is. “I can’t intervene more in the process. It would be wrong for me to do that. It would be wrong, I think, to jump to a conclusion before having really studied all ...

The number of potential litigants in the wake of the Manchester City judgment increases every day, confirming my view that the real winners are top rank lawyers. Etihad Airways has said it is considering legal action against the Premier League, claiming the judgment published this week against Manchester City incorrectly suggests the club’s principal sponsor has been “involved in improper commercial arrangements”.  In a statement issued to The Times, Etihad “categorically rejects” that claim, complaining that at no point did “the Premier League reach out to or engage with Etihad” as part of the process.  Etihad, which is Abu Dhabi’s state-owned airline and is valued at about £4billion, has been City’s principal sponsor since 2009, with the deal worth hundreds of millions to the club. In a strongly worded statement on Wednesday, it said: “Etihad Airways has reviewed the Premier League Commission’s published opinion relating to the disciplinary proceedings involving Manche...

Manchester City’s Emirati chair was granted diplomatic immunity six years ago in a move that could complicate any legal action resulting from findings that the Premier League club artificially inflated its finances by more than £900mn.  Khaldoon al-Mubarak, a senior Abu Dhabi official who has chaired City since 2008, was placed on the UK’s official list of approved diplomats in 2020. This automatically confers immunity from any criminal investigation and in most cases shields the person from civil proceedings on UK soil.  City strongly denies the charges made against it and will appeal against the decision.  The findings, if upheld, could open the door to further legal proceedings, which has been a source of concern for City, according to two people familiar with the situation. This could include civil action from other Premier League clubs that believe they have lost out on the pitch as a result of City’s actions. There is also the potential for criminal investigations...