The Political Economy of Football V2

Football finance guru Kieran Maguire reckons that Rotherham United are one of the best run clubs in the EFL, but they will nevertheless be hit hard by relegation to League Two,  It's only recently that they were in te Championship and the financial gap between the two divisions has become wider:  https://www.rotherhamadvertiser.co.uk/sport/football/rotherham-united/words-of-caution-for-rotherham-united-from-one-of-footballs-top-finance-voices-8545580

Hull City could be the losers from the 'Spygate' crisis and the lawyers could be the winners. If the EFL decides that Southampton can stay in the play off final, Boro are likely to sue given the sums that are at stake.  And if the EFL removes them, the Saints will call in their lawyers. Meanwhile Hull City do not know who they are going to face and when they will face them.   This makes it particularly difficult for their disabled supporters who need to book transport and accommodation. One thing that surprised me is how open Boro's training ground is.   I live near Coventry City's training ground and once they started to be a serious club again, big screens were erected.

Problems on the pitch and in the dressing room in Madrid are feeding into the boardroom. This week Florentino Pérez, the club’s all-powerful president,  said  he would call an election, even though his current term runs for another three years. He vowed not to resign, and lashed out at his various critics, who he blamed for trying to destabilise the club. “Why do they want to get rid of me? Just because a few people are saying they want to stand for election? Let them stand”, he said. It’s not that long ago that Pérez was touting his plan to reorganise Real Madrid in order to raise money from investors. The idea was to allow an outside party — perhaps a private equity firm — to buy a stake of 5 to 10 per cent. The proposal is controversial, to say the least, for a club owned by its 100,000 members. The Spanish club has the highest revenue in football, at more than €1bn a year. Sportico reckons the club is worth $7.7bn; Football Benchmark has a slightly lower figure of aro...

  Daniel Levy’s sudden dismissal last September put the Lewis family in the spotlight like never before. Without Levy there to run the club and act as the lightning rod for criticism, more questions have been asked of the Lewis family regarding their long-term plans. Throughout, the Lewis family have been very clear that they do not want to sell up.  A consortium did express interest last September , which led to a source close to the Lewis family dismissing it as “unsolicited and unnecessary interest”. But whatever happens over the last two games of this season, the question of the Lewis family’s long-term intentions for Tottenham Hotspur won’t go away for long. Especially with fans aghast at the struggles of the club this season, facing the fear of their first relegation for 50 years. The Lewis family’s position, that the club is not for sale, is steadfast, regardless of which division Spurs are playing in next season. There is another potential factor regarding the ownershi...

Arsenal fans are facing a 10-fold increase in flight and hotel costs to travel to Budapest for the club’s first Champions League final in 20 years. The Gunners, who beat Atlético Madrid earlier this week, will now take on defending champions Paris Saint-Germain on May 30 in a match to crown the best team in Europe. Declan Rice, who captained the team during the winning match, called for 200,000 fans to support the team in the Hungarian capital, a number that far exceeds the 61,400 capacity set for the game at the Puskás Aréna, which will host Uefa’s flagship event. Airline prices to fly the day before the game from London to Budapest on Wizz Air have reached as high as £650, more than 10 times the fare normally offered by the Hungarian budget carrier. Wizz Air has promised to double capacity ahead of the event, operating eight flights from Luton and Gatwick on May 29 and another six on May 30.  Outbound Wizz Air flights shot up to £646.99 earlier this week, according to prici...

 Aston Villa’s ownership group, V Sports, are advancing in talks to acquire a controlling stake in French second-division club, FC Annecy.  Villa were leaning on the V Sports group, led by Wes Edens and Nassef Sawiris, to integrate Annecy into its multi-club umbrella, which included Japanese club Vissel Kobe and Real Union of Spain. V Sports’ director of global football development, Matthew Kidson, was tasked with connecting the clubs together, even if the partnership, at the time, was informal. However, V Sports is closing in on acquiring a controlling stake in Annecy, having held discussions and intending to finalise the agreement in recent months. V Sports have also been looking at other clubs in Europe. A formal investment would help to accelerate plans with Villa and other clubs in its stable. This will include a continuation of young Villa players moving to France, either on loan or permanently, plus improvements to Annecy’s facilities and possibly its 15,600-capac...