The Political Economy of Football V2

The EFL has never done much to enforce its financial fair play rules that would serve as a warning to other clubs.  In part this is because it knows that the whole FFP structure is open to a legal challenge as a breach of competition law. One exception was the fine imposed on QPR.   Now that QPR's chief executive Lee Hoos has sent a letter to Championship clubs asking for the fine to be cut. Kieran Maguire of the PriceofFootball reckons that the fine wasn't £42m as £20m was a debt to equity swap of loans that would never be repaid.  £3m was legal fees and the remainder was not to be repaid until 2028 so Maguire prices its current value at about £9.5m - still a lot of money at that level. Hoos believes that the punishment was too harsh and refers to the impact of Covid-19.  What the reaction of other clubs was is open to debate:  https://www.dailymail.co.uk/sport/football/article-9165339/QPR-CEO-Lee-Hoos-sends-letter-fellow-Championship-clubs-request-cut-42m...

Tranmere Rovers fans are angry about the 'monstrous injustice' of the club's relegation from League One on a points per game basis. The owner, Mark Palios, is considering the possibility of legal action against the EFL, although he says that he would prefer to settle the matter by discussion:  https://www.skysports.com/football/news/11733/12007526/mark-palios-says-tranmere-rovers-considering-legal-action-over-relegation-from-league-one I can understand why the club and its fans think they have become the victims of rough justice.  I greatly enjoyed my one visit there. However, I am doubtful whether a legal action would succeed.  The owner points to similar actions in France, Belgium and Scotland succeeding.  Some of the circumstances may be different and, in any case, these are different legal jurisdictions. Palios seems to think that one proceed on the basis of anti-competitive behaviour and unfair prejudice.  I don't recall the latter in law, but there might b...

Some restraint has been shown in prices for away fans in the Premier League after the 'twenty is plenty' campaign, but Championship prices can still be very high. Some Brentford fans were deterred by having to pay as much as £44 for a seat for the away game at Leeds. Add on travel costs etc. and you wouldn't have much change out of £100. Nevertheless, away attendances in the EFL continue to rise. A health warning: these figures relate to last season when Newcastle United's Toon Army were on the march (73,380 away visits during the season). It's a far cry from the 73 Morecambe fans who travelled to Wycombe Wanderers last Saturday to see their team pull off a surprise 4-2 win featuring a 39-year old striker (Kevin Ellison) who scored twice. The average number of away fans at EFL games last season was just under one thousand, a rise of six per cent. In the Championship the average was 1,571; in League One it was 799; and in League Two 484. Sheffield United had ...