The Political Economy of Football V2

Former Real Madrid and Spain defender Sergio Ramos is leading a €400million (£348.2m; $469.2m) alongside foreign investors to purchase his boyhood club Sevilla.Ramos was born in the Province of Seville and came through the club’s academy before signing for Madrid in 2005, and had a second spell with the team in the 2023-24 season. Ramos would not be the largest investor in any takeover but is spearheading the bid as its public face. According to sources briefed on the process, speaking on the condition of anonymity to the New York Times , an American fund is involved in the bid. The proposal would be for 100 per cent of the club, but is subject to an exact valuation of the club’s debt — which could be around €180m according to club sources — pending an external audit commissioned by the bidders. Club sources believe that the uncertainty over the valuation of the debt lies in whether the loan made to them by CVC Capital Partners (which was provided to other La Liga clubs as part o...

The conflict between Catalonia and Spain has spilled over on to the football pitch. Last Sunday’s game against Las Palmas was played behind closed doors at the Nou Camp. Even so, two members of the Barcelona board quit in protest, saying that the game should not have been played at all as violence raged outside. Barcelona is an important symbol of Catalan identity and their rivalry with Real Madrid is legendary. Real had historical associations with the Franco regime and the Spanish royal family. The Spanish king Felipe took a hard line in his address to the nation this week. I was quite surprised by this as he struck me as moderate and well-informed when I met him as Crown Prince in 2012, but I suppose that Spanish unity is his priority. Catalonia’s sports minister has said that Barcelona may apply to join the Premier League if his country becomes independent, along with other Catalan teams in La Liga such as Espanyol and Girona. Alternatively, they might apply to join the Fr...