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Showing posts with the label Relevent Sports

Globalisation versus regulation in top flight football

As I argued in my book Political Football globalisation may have halted in other sectors of the economy, but it is still flourishing in football.   Prestige plays as important a part as financial gain (which doesn't happen that often, at least for clubs and their owners: agents and other internediaries are anoher issue, as are the players).    Will La Liga or the Premier League be the first to stage an official league match in the US?   This is the latest challenge to traditional formats to emerge once again. The Times has a long article today from the chief executive of the Premier League warning against government plans to create a regulatory framework and hoping at least that the legislation might be delayed (although a Labour Government might be more resistant to Premier League lobbying).    His argument can be reduced to one sentence: don’t kill the goose that laid the golden egg.    He wants light touch regulation, but some of us...

Barcelona hopes to play league match in US

Staging Premier League matches abroad was an unfulfilled ambition of outgoing Premier League chief executive Richard Scudamore. However, La Liga is seeking permission from the Spanish Football Federation to move the January 26th fixture between Girona and FC Barcelona to Miami's Hard Rock stadium, home of the Miami Dolphins NFL team. They has thus got ahead of the Premier League in taking a further symbolic step along the road towards the globalisation of football. The plan to play La Liga games overseas forms part of a joint venture between La Liga and Relevent Sports, a US promoter backed by Stephen Ross, the billionaire owner of the Dolphins. The objective is to increase La Liga's revenue from sponsorship and media rights in North America. The presence of a large population of Hispanic origin in Miami makes it a particularly suitable venue for the first game in the US. Qatar-based beIN Sports is paying $60m dollars a season for the US broadcast rights to La Liga. Howe...