The Political Economy of Football V2

The man behind Saudi Arabia’s takeover of boxing wants to buy Derby County.  It is understood that the English Football League and the Independent Football Regulator (IFR) are aware of Turki Al-Sheikh’s interest in the Championship club, but both organisations declined to comment when approached by The Times. Al-Sheikh is an adviser in Saudi Arabia’s royal court and serves as the head of the General Entertainment Authority. The 44-year-old has flooded boxing with unprecedented riches under the “Riyadh Season” banner, staging multiple bouts involving Tyson Fury and Anthony Joshua in the Saudi capital, along with bankrolling stadium fights on British soil. Al-Sheikh will have to demonstrate to the IFR that the source of any takeover’s funding was separate to the Public Investment Fund (PIF), which owns Newcastle United.  Derby finished eighth in the Championship last season, missing out on the play-offs by four points. David Clowes, a property developer and boyhood fan, sp...

It would seem that Arsenal are not particularly popular champions this season because of their style of play.  To me it seems that if set plays win you matches, that's fair enough.  In any event the Gooners are laughing all the way to the bank. Arsenal’s first Premier League title for over two decades is expected to generate almost £200million ($269m) in domestic prize money as payouts to England’s top clubs hit new heights this season.   That is before we talk about the Champions League. Arsenal are expected to earn £198.7 million in broadcast revenues from the Premier League this season, a £27.2m increase on 2024-25 and £23.8m more than Liverpool received for winning the competition a year ago.  Arsenal’s takings are expected to be over £20 million higher than the previous single-season record: Manchester City’s £176.2m in 2022-23. The New York Times estimates that five clubs — Arsenal, City, Manchester United, Aston Villa and Liverpool — have all cleared ...

The authoritative Swiss Ramble swoops like an eagle from his Zurich eyre to review the latest accounts of Crystal Palace.  More detail and analysis are available on his Substack page, but here are some highlights.  Palace’s recent improvement in cup competitions is impressive, but their consistency in the league is also fairly remarkable, especially for a club with relatively limited resources, as they have finished between 10th and 15th thirteen years in a row following promotion to the Premier League in 2012/13 Palace also enjoyed a very successful season off the pitch, as they swung from a £32.9m pre-tax loss to an £8.3m profit, mainly due to a significant increase in profit on player sales from £1.3m to a club record £66.1m. Revenue rose £6.4m (3%) from £190.2m to another club high of £196.6m, though this was more than wiped out by operating expenses, which grew £28.2m (13%) from £210.9m to £239.1m. As a result, the operating loss more than doubled from £20.7m to £42.5...

Politicians and football are a bit of a two-way street.   Clubs are keen to host them at games in the hope of securing influence.   Politicians use football as a means of demonstrating authenticity. Andy Burnham’s passion for football has built him a following across the north of England, according to new data that suggests the Greater Manchester mayor has cultivated a public brand despite trailing media-savvy rivals on TikTok and Instagram. Financial Times analysis of X found 17 per cent of Burnham’s posts so far this year have been about football, more than almost any other topic, helping him build a social media following that extends far beyond his own team, Premier League side Everton. About 15 per cent of Burnham’s followers in the north of England are Liverpool fans and a further 27 per cent support Manchester United or Manchester City, according to audience intelligence platform Pulsar.  Burnham has been a leading advocate of a 'Hillsborough' law. ...

Commiserations to West Ham fans where the club's relegation is largely the result of poor decision-making by the owners.  My father went to the famous first FA Cup final at Wembley to support the Hamers. The club must stand an excellent chance of returning to the Premier League next season, but it needs to be decided who is in charge and what is to be done. Wages have risen as revenues have declined, as a result of the lack of European football. West Ham finished in 14th position in 2024-25, but had the tenth-largest wage bill that campaign, and their underperformance has been even worse this season.  The club’s debt was only £20.8million in May last season, and they owed a net £178.6million on transfer fees. Since then, the debt has increased through a loan facility to more than £110million. It is possible that the main shareholders will put money into the club. West Ham have to comply with the Premier League’s Profitability and Sustainability Rules, which li...

Former player Brad Piercewright has launched a bid for non-league third tier Kettering Town, but the current owner says they are not for sale. Having seen success in IT, Piercewright claims that he is now worth £58m and is prepared to pay £450k cash for the Poppies.  However, he says that its real value is £1 because of alleged debts. The club does not play in the Rose of the Shires but at nearby Burton Latimer having lost their Rockingham Road stadium. Piercewright says his objective is the EFL, but we have heard that before from investors in non -league clubs.  Think AFC Fylde just for starters. Current owner George Akhtar is adamant that the club is not for sale, although it has been suggested that he would accept outside investment.