Football's Magic Money Tree

[Chester Perry]

The Athletic takes a look at the recent proliferation of Bond schemes for fans in football

‘If the club goes under, you don’t get money back’ – Examining fans’ bond schemes
https://archive.is/omdog

[Chester Perry]

It is always interesting to see how different leagues mange their Financial rules - we have heard plenty about La Liga - courtesy of the shenanigans at Barcelona (and indeed both Atletico and Real Madrid), many may have forgotten that the French can be equally as demanding

JOHN TEXTOR HAS 14 DAYS TO FIND €60M FOR LYON OR FACE PUNISHMENT FROM THE DNCG
https://archive.is/73kcN

[Chester Perry]

and speaking of financial rules, how they are applied and La Liga - Javier Tebas has been speaking about it and foreign investment and the grail of financial sustainability - I am still far from convinced that La Liga have got it right (think Barcelona effectively having to pay 4 year contracts over anything up to to 9 years as a result of the annual variable spend limits, a number of these players have either retired or moved on but are still being paid for years to come, effectively further compressing the available budget for the playing squad

Javier Tebas interview: Tough rules, foreign investment and making La Liga sustainable
https://archive.is/

[Chester Perry]

This is essentially a counterpoint to the Tebas/La Liga approach and in may ways Khaldoon al Murbarak is correct in the statements he is making about the current situation at Manchester City/City Football Group - the problem (and this may never be officially proved one way or another - even after the pending hearings and judgments by an independent panel on behalf of the Premier League - is that rules were likely broken to enable the hugely accelerated path to get to their current position

Manchester City charges do not taint treble, insists chairman Mubarak
Mubarak promises to air ‘very strong views’ when case is over
He tells critics they should ‘get the facts’ on City’s spending
https://www.theguardian.com/football/20 ... s-spending
https://archive.is/qSpNC

[Chester Perry]

while we are on the subject of Chelsea, this story from April is coming back into focus

Chelsea’s ‘transfer deadline’ for domestic sales — and why it really matters
https://archive.is/t5il4

as the Saudi Football investment boom really starts to move through the gears - there is an investment group (which owns 60% of Chelsea that is doing a lot of the legwork for PiF on this

https://twitter.com/JacobsBen/status/16 ... 8425193474

So why would Pif do that considering the Chelsea connection? you know beyond targeting some of the Chelsea players

oh yes that's right Pif (90% owners of Newcastle United) are major investors in other ClearLake activities

REVEALED: Newcastle's Saudi owners Public Investment Fund are major investors in Chelsea's new majority shareholder Clearlake Capital... as the Blues insist the group had no involvement in their £4.25bn takeover
- Saudi Arabia's Public Investment Fund purchased Newcastle for £350m in 2021
- They have also invested billions in assets managed by Clearlake Capital
- Clearlake bought 60 per cent of Chelsea in the club's £4.25 billion takeover
- Chelsea insist there was no Saudi involvement in Clearlake's purchase
https://archive.is/TomFX

thankyou to Philippe Auclair for the reminder

https://twitter.com/PhilippeAuclair/sta ... 0976525314

This Saudi investment in it's own - very well established and supported - League is causing much angst

from the Telegraph

European rivals of Chelsea and Wolves call for inquiry into Saudi spending spree
Exclusive: Saudi Pro League officials are in London this week to discuss deals with both clubs who are trying to meet FFP rules

though some of the issues are bigger - from the Independent

Saudi Arabia can help Chelsea solve headache — but talks raise more questions than answers
The Blues could sell a number of unwanted players to Saudi clubs to boost FFP concerns and help one of the most ambitious plans in football
https://archive.is/r6rf5

but what does this 'disruptor influence' it actually mean for football in Saudi and globally - from The Athletic

Bubble or boom: Is the Saudi Pro League a new Chinese Super League… or a new IPL?
https://archive.is/SLg5h

and as I have been posting for years now - particularly in this thread it is about bigger issues than just football or even sport which are in essence just the outwardly visible signs of a much more serious change in geo-politics

https://twitter.com/Prof_Chadwick/statu ... 4127256578

There is also the thought that we have still to see the biggest of the Middle East's public wealth funds get involved in sport the way we have seen from Abu Dhabi, Qatar and Saudi Arabia - there was a time when Kuwait led in sport within that region.

https://twitter.com/Prof_Chadwick/statu ... 4014868481

[Chester Perry]

of course Kuwait appears to have its own problems in football at the moment

https://twitter.com/NZ_Football/status/ ... 8877300755

Michael Boxall was racially abused during the first half of the game by a Qatari player.

No official action was taken so the team have agreed not to come out for the second half of the match.


https://twitter.com/IrelandFootball/sta ... 8855707648

The FAI regrets to announce that today’s U21 international against Kuwait has been abandoned after a racist remark was made by a Kuwaiti player towards one of our substitutes.

New Zealand FA urges Fifa to do more after walk-off against Qatar over alleged racism
Two games abandoned in one day amid racism allegations
Fifa says it has ‘zero tolerance’ approach to racism
https://www.theguardian.com/football/20 ... cism-qatar
https://archive.is/wZYBD

[Colburn_Claret]

They should rename the Saudi Football League as the Elephants Graveyard.
It has absolutely zero interest from me, as I'm sure it does to most people around the globe. The big historical clubs have already bought the affections of a global fan base.

The links between Boehly and these Arabian funds needs watching closely, but unless they start paying far more than a player is worth, then I can't see how you can object, no matter how much it stinks.
When they start paying 60 mill, for players no one else has offered 30 mill for, that's the time to cry foul.

[Chester Perry]

They should rename the Saudi Football League as the Elephants Graveyard.
It has absolutely zero interest from me, as I'm sure it does to most people around the globe. The big historical clubs have already bought the affections of a global fan base.

The links between Boehly and these Arabian funds needs watching closely, but unless they start paying far more than a player is worth, then I can't see how you can object, no matter how much it stinks.
When they start paying 60 mill, for players no one else has offered 30 mill for, that's the time to cry foul.

That is the crux of the issue, particularly where Chelsea and other indirectly connected teams are concerned - and we have not seen that yet even with the reported £47m for Neves (the connection there is Saudi/Chinese relations and the possible partnerships between PiF and Fosun along the direct and indirect relationships with a certain Jorge Mendes who is likely to be doing very well out of this

[GodIsADeeJay81]

This has actually happened, he's been dropped back down to youth team and removed from their senior squad courtesy of the Spanish FA.
He can move for free in the summer if the situation isn't resolved by then, my money is on City to work with Pep if he meets migration rules

He's finally been registered and will stay at Barca.

Barcelona finally register Gavi as a first-team player with LaLiga https://mol.im/a/12215529 via https://dailym.ai/android

[Chester Perry]

This Saudi investment in it's own - very well established and supported - League is causing much angst

from the Telegraph

European rivals of Chelsea and Wolves call for inquiry into Saudi spending spree
Exclusive: Saudi Pro League officials are in London this week to discuss deals with both clubs who are trying to meet FFP rules

though some of the issues are bigger - from the Independent

Saudi Arabia can help Chelsea solve headache — but talks raise more questions than answers
The Blues could sell a number of unwanted players to Saudi clubs to boost FFP concerns and help one of the most ambitious plans in football
https://archive.is/r6rf5

but what does this 'disruptor influence' it actually mean for football in Saudi and globally - from The Athletic

Bubble or boom: Is the Saudi Pro League a new Chinese Super League… or a new IPL?
https://archive.is/SLg5h

and as I have been posting for years now - particularly in this thread it is about bigger issues than just football or even sport which are in essence just the outwardly visible signs of a much more serious change in geo-politics

https://twitter.com/Prof_Chadwick/statu ... 4127256578

There is also the thought that we have still to see the biggest of the Middle East's public wealth funds get involved in sport the way we have seen from Abu Dhabi, Qatar and Saudi Arabia - there was a time when Kuwait led in sport within that region.

https://twitter.com/Prof_Chadwick/statu ... 4014868481

Matt Slater has been digging into the relationship between Clearlake and PiF for The Athletic

Is Saudi Arabia funding Chelsea?
https://archive.is/78jbU

[Chester Perry]

This is essentially a counterpoint to the Tebas/La Liga approach and in may ways Khaldoon al Murbarak is correct in the statements he is making about the current situation at Manchester City/City Football Group - the problem (and this may never be officially proved one way or another - even after the pending hearings and judgments by an independent panel on behalf of the Premier League - is that rules were likely broken to enable the hugely accelerated path to get to their current position

Manchester City charges do not taint treble, insists chairman Mubarak
Mubarak promises to air ‘very strong views’ when case is over
He tells critics they should ‘get the facts’ on City’s spending
https://www.theguardian.com/football/20 ... s-spending
https://archive.is/qSpNC

Richard Jolly in The Independent making broadly similar points to mine in an excellent summing up of the situation at Manchester City/City Football Group

Football’s biggest brand? Only one thing can stop the Man City ‘machine’ now
Chairman Khaldoon Al Mubarak is bullish about City’s future and has dismissed perceptions about the European champions
https://archive.is/0EJKC

[Chester Perry]

this could be an intriguing discussion - I hope it is recorded

Easy Cities to Buy – Sportswashing the Authoritarian Regime
Examining the impact on local democracy in Manchester and Newcastle when the UAE and Saudi Arabia bought their local football clubs.

Starts on Fri, 23 Jun 2023 17:30 BST
Blackfriars House Saint Marys Parsonage Manchester M3 2JA
https://www.eventbrite.co.uk/e/easy-cit ... 0902355467

the blurb

In 2008, Abu Dhabi United Group took control of Manchester City, just a few months before the global financial crisis that led to a decade of austerity politics in the UK. Fast forward thirteen years, Saudi Arabia's Public Investment Fund sealed the deal to claim Newcastle United.

Why did Gulf States start buying northern football clubs? Why were these takeovers so easy? And what has been the impact on local democracy?

Join us as we explore how and why the UAE and Saudi Arabia laundered their international reputations through the practice of 'sportwashing' – and why Manchester and Newcastle were, in the words of one commentator, so 'easy to buy'.

In this event, we will talk you through our comparative study of the takeovers. We will outline the historical, political and economic contexts in which these takeovers took place, to help better understand why an authoritarian regime like the UAE or Saudi Arabia could takeover an English Premier League football club so effortlessly, the uniquely important cultural and economic significance of football clubs in these cities' social fabrics, and the impacts the takeovers had on local culture, media and politics.

The event is being organised by FairSquare. It will consist of a talk by the team of researchers Nick McGeehan and Alex King, followed by a Q&A.

[Chester Perry]

for all its entertaining rhetoric, and sounding like a conversation you overhear in a pub or view on a messageboard like this, this article from Football 365 makes a key point

Fans too divided to stop PIF, Qatar, private equity from conquering football’s soul…
https://archive.is/U0A6Q

[Chester Perry]

Kieran Maguire has been producing an overview of the Premier League financial picture in the 2021/22 season - the picture just underlines how poorly the club performed on the revenues front - it has been quite some time since we were so low and so distant from similarly typed clubs

https://twitter.com/KieranMaguire/statu ... 3375627265



many thought I was unfair in being particularly critical of the clubs commercial performance, but was I really - this was our 4th consecutive season at that level and an area identified by the owners as one that could be better exploited - they went backwards



and of course some figures can be misleading if you don't look under the covers as it were - take net debt, we would be between Watford and Crystal Palace if it wasn't for the fact that ALK/VSL owe the club £114.8m

[Chester Perry]

Kieran Maguire has been producing an overview of the Premier League financial picture in the 2021/22 season - the picture just underlines how poorly the club performed on the revenues front - it has been quite some time since we were so low and so distant from similarly typed clubs

https://twitter.com/KieranMaguire/statu ... 3375627265

many thought I was unfair in being particularly critical of the clubs commercial performance, but was I really - this was our 4th consecutive season at that level and an area identified by the owners as one that could be better exploited - they went backwards



and of course some figures can be misleading if you don't look under the covers as it were - take net debt, we would be between Watford and Crystal Palace if it wasn't for the fact that ALK/VSL owe the club £114.8m

that commercial Income picture

[Vegas Claret]

plenty of scope for growth then

[Chester Perry]

plenty of scope for growth then

Which is what I have been saying - though I would replace 'scope' with 'necessity' and it needs to be from more than matchday fans and the local community - which are being hugely squeezed

- the price rises I am hearing of on the non match-day catering side under Levy the new caterers are eye-watering - I know of one group who meet regularly at the club have been given a 50%+ price increase - which equates to nearly 200% in the last two years or so - bar prices are going up again too

[ClaretLoup]

Leicester could be in some serious difficulty if they don’t go up at the first time of asking. I would imagine that they will have made a loss last season as they didn’t sell anyone and their wage bill was in the top half of the EPL was it not?

[Vegas Claret]

Which is what I have been saying - though I would replace 'scope' with 'necessity' and it needs to be from more than matchday fans and the local community - which are being hugely squeezed

- the price rises I am hearing of on the non match-day catering side under Levy the new caterers are eye-watering - I know of one group who meet regularly at the club have been given a 50%+ price increase - which equates to nearly 200% in the last two years or so - bar prices are going up again too

yeah all good if you get a ground half full of tourists but for regulars and locals that will be too steep imho. It will be interesting to see what happens, over here Americans just accept the scandalously high pricing at entertainment events and gladly stick it all on a credit card, very different mindset !

[Chester Perry]

Matt Slater has been digging into the relationship between Clearlake and PiF for The Athletic

Is Saudi Arabia funding Chelsea?
https://archive.is/78jbU

As people start to move on from the notion that PiF are funding Chelsea - the real issue of the disruption in the transfer market that Saudi Clubs are creating (legitimately by the rules of their league and continental federation).

Saudi Arabia money has turned transfers into ‘chaos’ — will it last?
The ambition and wealth of the Saudi Pro League has disrupted the transfer market and created a window like no other - is it a sign of things to come?
https://archive.is/kWeS4

[Chester Perry]

Season Ticket (and Matchday Ticket) prices have been rising all across the game - in the Premier League Burnley are still on the bottom rung when it comes to actual prices - but as we enter a third such season of price rises (which are getting bigger) we are far from the bottom in that particular league - The Athletic takes a look at Premier League Season Ticket prices

Premier League season ticket survey: 17 clubs raise prices for 2023-24
https://archive.is/0SNlL

[Chester Perry]

The FA confirms that the Women's Super League will be run independently alongside the women's championship (not by the Premier League or the FA) from the summer of 2024 - the takeover is by the clubs themselves (most of which are affiliated to Premier League clubs

WSL takeover: What are key decisions before next year's takeover completion?
https://www.bbc.co.uk/sport/football/65289779

It may explain why ALK/VSL are keen to see Burnley FC Women promoted to the Women's Championship next season

[elwaclaret]

I see football insider stating that Newcastle are looking to loan Neves from Al H next season…
Surely alarm bells are ringing loud and clear were this Saudi aim to take football.

https://www.bbc.co.uk/sport/live/football/65982507

[Chester Perry]

I see football insider stating that Newcastle are looking to loan Neves from Al H next season…
Surely alarm bells are ringing loud and clear were this Saudi aim to take football.

https://www.bbc.co.uk/sport/live/football/65982507

But how is this any different to Watford and Nottingham Forest? - we may not like it but the precedent has been established - barn door and all that

[elwaclaret]

But how is this any different to Watford and Nottingham Forest? - we may not like it but the precedent has been established - barn door and all that

I don’t disagree, but this is beyond club manipulation, this is now becoming state intervention.

[Chester Perry]

I don’t disagree, but this is beyond club manipulation, this is now becoming state intervention.

It is really one for FIFA and the federations like UEFA -it is something a lot of multi-club operations do

I have been saying that there are huge issues with the multi-club operations for years and that FIFA. UEFA et al have been sleepwalking on the issue - you cannot now attack PiF for something that has been allowed for years.

Those authorities can change the rules going forward but not for this window and I don't expect they will anytime soon unless Newcastle get a few players this way and do well in both League and Champions League this season, and qualify for the Champions League next season as well (which is their biggest challenge)

[Chester Perry]

Chelsea join the multi-club model as they buy almost total control of Strasbourg

Chelsea launch multi-club project with deal to buy majority stake in Strasbourg
Chelsea paying £65m for close to 100% stake in French side
Boehly has been looking for suitable clubs since last summer
https://www.theguardian.com/football/20 ... ub-project
https://archive.is/mEltO

[Chester Perry]

I am not surprised by this except for the fact it has come out into the public domain

Premier League demanded extra assurances Chelsea are not owned by Saudi Arabia
Exclusive: New owners provided detailed information to Premier League who are satisfied there is no conflict of interest
https://12ft.io/proxy?q=https%3A%2F%2Fw ... -arabia%2F

[Chester Perry]

Anyone who has watched the Everton situation since the arrival of Moshri will not be surprised by this revelation - to many observers including a number of fans at Goodison the influence of Usmanov on proceedings was always apparent -

Questions mount over Alisher Usmanov’s links with Everton FC
Sources claim five football managers held talks over top job in presence of now-sanctioned oligarch
https://www.theguardian.com/football/20 ... everton-fc

Is Moshri a proxy? - the investigation really needs to start in the Isle of Man and where the money for most of Moshri's spending at Everton comes from - Blue Heaven Holdings

of course we have been here before
Paradise Papers: Who is in control of Everton?
https://www.bbc.co.uk/news/uk-41878954

And another link that suggests Alisher Usmanov had a much more than sponsorship role at Everton

Carlo Ancelotti held talks over Everton bonus fund with Alisher Usmanov
Everton’s former manager and oligarch sponsor held discussions
Issue may be behind Ancelotti’s high court case against Everton
https://www.theguardian.com/football/20 ... are_btn_tw
https://archive.is/4uDZo

[Tricky Trevor]

From Daily Telegraph. Apologies if discussed previously but as they are all over out training tops I wondered what is the problem?

IMG_3521.jpeg (53.45 KiB) Viewed 1973 times

[Chester Perry]

From Daily Telegraph. Apologies if discussed previously but as they are all over out training tops I wondered what is the problem?
IMG_3521.jpeg

This is the Telegraph article in full - the title gives you the general gist

Aston Villa accused of ‘dangerous’ new shirt sponsorship deal with ‘misogynist’ betting company BK8
Villa's new shirt partner was previously dropped by Norwich due to its sexualised adverts with young women
https://12ft.io/proxy?q=https%3A%2F%2Fw ... ing-ban%2F

there is this from this thread

It feels like we have been here before with Philippe Auclair and an investigative series in the football journal Josimar a couple of years back during the first Covid Lockdown I think

Warning it features our sponsors BK8 - from the Daily Mail

MPs call for investigation into extraordinary story of 10 Premier League clubs with eight online betting partners targeting Asia, all linked to one company in the Isle of Man - and its mysterious ties to Chinese 'triad' who's just been jailed for 18 years
- Chinese billionaire Alvin Chau was recently sentenced to 18 years in prison
- Chau has ties with a British tech company working with clubs' betting partners
- The Premier League have faced calls from MPs for these links to be investigated
https://12ft.io/proxy?q=https%3A%2F%2Fw ... tners.html

there was this thread when the partnership was announced with our club

http://www.uptheclarets.com/messageboar ... 8#p1880450

the original Norwich cancelation story - also in this thread

Norwich City: Premier League club says sorry and cancels controversial sponsor deal - https://www.bbc.co.uk/sport/football/57424206

Didn't like the suggestive /lewd adverts of its sponsor apparently

[Chester Perry]

So this is moving forward - kind of

Everton stadium deal: MSP Sports Capital wants 25% stake in club and seats on board
this from Matt Slater in The Athletic

Matt Slater is part of the discussion in this podcast from today, with our friend The Esk challenging some of the details of the deal

https://theresultsbusiness.substack.com ... pisode-45a


https://archive.is/3FEC8

MSP raise $165m for investment in Everton - 13 partners in MSP EFC Investment L.P. a group that MSP will lead

https://twitter.com/theesk/status/1672129905700532227

the SEC document that confirms this is rather complex

https://www.sec.gov/Archives/edgar/data ... ry_doc.xml

[Chester Perry]

Meanwhile at Everton this is astonishing

Bill Kenwright stays as Everton chairman despite fan vows over protests
Farhad Moshiri asks him to continue in ‘period of transition’
Fans have said protests will intensify if Kenwright continues
https://www.theguardian.com/football/20 ... n-protests
https://archive.is/THCuO

[Chester Perry]

that Everton statement about Kenwright

https://www.evertonfc.com/news/3550045

[Chester Perry]

As people start to move on from the notion that PiF are funding Chelsea - the real issue of the disruption in the transfer market that Saudi Clubs are creating (legitimately by the rules of their league and continental federation).

Saudi Arabia money has turned transfers into ‘chaos’ — will it last?
The ambition and wealth of the Saudi Pro League has disrupted the transfer market and created a window like no other - is it a sign of things to come?
https://archive.is/kWeS4

Comments from Gary Neville and Jamie Carragher in the last few days re Saudi investment in football have been laughable - these are moves we have seen repeatedly in football - across Europe as various clubs exercised their financial might and the Premier League - as its revenues soared has don as a league - This from The Athletic is the first article to actually acknowledge some of the hypocrisy

Complaints about the Saudi Pro League bring a danger of sounding hypocritical
https://archive.is/NCWkW

[Chester Perry]

The FA confirms that the Women's Super League will be run independently alongside the women's championship (not by the Premier League or the FA) from the summer of 2024 - the takeover is by the clubs themselves (most of which are affiliated to Premier League clubs

WSL takeover: What are key decisions before next year's takeover completion?
https://www.bbc.co.uk/sport/football/65289779

It may explain why ALK/VSL are keen to see Burnley FC Women promoted to the Women's Championship next season

Newcastle United make Burnley's promotion ambitions to the Women's Championship that much harder

‘Historic’: Newcastle Women become third tier’s only fully professional club
Promoted team want to reach WSL and Champions League
Manager Becky Langley describes it as ‘monumental moment’
https://www.theguardian.com/football/20 ... -only-club

[Chester Perry]

This could be an interesting legal development to look out for in the future with footballs commercial relationships

#20 The changing landscape of UK consumer law and what it means for the entire entertainment industry
This week, we look at the recent publication of the Digital Markets, Competition and Consumers Bill (DMCCB) and what this means for stakeholders across the entertainment industry.
https://sheridanssport.substack.com/p/2 ... dium=email

[Chester Perry]

something of a surprising move but makes sense in terms of media interest and as a test event for the following years World Cup - not that such a tournament should actually exist

FIFA Council appoints United States as host of new and expanded FIFA Club World Cup
https://www.fifa.com/about-fifa/organis ... -world-cup

[Chester Perry]

On the subject of Newcastle, long time suitor Amanda Staveley has an expensive legal bill to pay following her failed attempt to get the courts to force a £600m introduction fee from Barclays - that sum would have paid for the 10% stake in Newcastle United that she thought she was going to get last year when fronting the Saudi bid - even then it was believed she could only afford that stake with the proceeds from a court win

https://www.dailymail.co.uk/news/articl ... attle.html

Seems like Amanda Staveley who si said to own 10% of Newcastle United is about to get involved in a new legal drama

Newcastle United owner Amanda Staveley plunged into bankruptcy row
Financier is fighting legal action brought by Greek shipping magnate
https://12ft.io/proxy?q=https%3A%2F%2Fw ... tcy-row%2F

[bfcjg]

Football is getting murkier and murkier as more money pours in.

[Chester Perry]

Football is getting murkier and murkier as more money pours in.

That is the nature of money - unfortunately

[bfcjg]

I really enjoy reading this thread, your input and knowledge are really enlightening.

[Chester Perry]

the Telegraph with some background on the recruitment going on for the Saudi Pro League - naturally Jorge Mendes is involved

The agents pulling strings as Saudi Arabia aim to become footballing superpower
Agents eager to tempt top players with vast riches as those behind Saudi Pro League say it will not go the way of Chinese Super League
https://12ft.io/proxy?q=https%3A%2F%2Fw ... -agents%2F

[Chester Perry]

One of the upsides of relegation - beyond the hope of winning more games - is the chance to reconnect with times past when hope and fresh faced optimism still existed rather than the weary pragmatic (seemingly eternal) fight against those with much more resources than you

one of the symbols of that for us last season was this special edition shirt



Southampton are no doubt hoping for some positives to flow from the nostalgia of the return of an old shirt sponsor from happier times - just a shame it is for the back of shirt not front

https://www.drapertools.com/official-pa ... hampton-fc

[Chester Perry]

this could be an intriguing discussion - I hope it is recorded

Easy Cities to Buy – Sportswashing the Authoritarian Regime
Examining the impact on local democracy in Manchester and Newcastle when the UAE and Saudi Arabia bought their local football clubs.

Starts on Fri, 23 Jun 2023 17:30 BST
Blackfriars House Saint Marys Parsonage Manchester M3 2JA
https://www.eventbrite.co.uk/e/easy-cit ... 0902355467

the blurb

In 2008, Abu Dhabi United Group took control of Manchester City, just a few months before the global financial crisis that led to a decade of austerity politics in the UK. Fast forward thirteen years, Saudi Arabia's Public Investment Fund sealed the deal to claim Newcastle United.

Why did Gulf States start buying northern football clubs? Why were these takeovers so easy? And what has been the impact on local democracy?

Join us as we explore how and why the UAE and Saudi Arabia laundered their international reputations through the practice of 'sportwashing' – and why Manchester and Newcastle were, in the words of one commentator, so 'easy to buy'.

In this event, we will talk you through our comparative study of the takeovers. We will outline the historical, political and economic contexts in which these takeovers took place, to help better understand why an authoritarian regime like the UAE or Saudi Arabia could takeover an English Premier League football club so effortlessly, the uniquely important cultural and economic significance of football clubs in these cities' social fabrics, and the impacts the takeovers had on local culture, media and politics.

The event is being organised by FairSquare. It will consist of a talk by the team of researchers Nick McGeehan and Alex King, followed by a Q&A.

So There is a report attached to this presentation

Easy Cities to buy
https://fairsq.org/wp-content/uploads/2 ... IGITAL.pdf

this media report on it is much shorter but gives a fair overview of the contents

Sportswashing: Manchester, Newcastle 'easy' targets — report
https://www.dw.com/en/sportswashing-man ... a-66017238
https://archive.is/46hCS

Andy Burnham - governing Mayor of Manchester has helpfully proved the reports case in a podcast

https://twitter.com/NcGeehan/status/167 ... HkgbYuAAAA

[Chester Perry]

Comments from Gary Neville and Jamie Carragher in the last few days re Saudi investment in football have been laughable - these are moves we have seen repeatedly in football - across Europe as various clubs exercised their financial might and the Premier League - as its revenues soared has don as a league - This from The Athletic is the first article to actually acknowledge some of the hypocrisy

Complaints about the Saudi Pro League bring a danger of sounding hypocritical
https://archive.is/NCWkW

An interesting read - and a point a few were already beginning to understand - it feels like another case of multi-polarisation - From AlArabiya News - it is always important to understand other perspectives

Secular white Westerners misunderstand the Saudi football league
https://archive.is/tnwRt

[Chester Perry]

I really enjoy reading this thread, your input and knowledge are really enlightening.

That is good to know, there are times when I think I am doing this just for myself and the Google bot's

[Chester Perry]

The situation at Crawley Town is beyond bizarre - I wouldn't say it is because the owners are American, rather more that they have a very different mindset to life and having made their money quick and young, may believe that they know all the answers

from the Guardian

Crypto chaos: how Crawley crumbled under owners’ reckless leadership
The League Two club are in serious trouble thanks to an owner in the dugout, a 32-day managerial reign and a bizarre bonus
https://www.theguardian.com/football/20 ... leadership

FourFourTwo looks at the the mess that is the ownership of Crawley Town

The inside story of Crawley Town’s crypto consortium nightmare
Crawley have already had five permanent managers in the 15 months since new owners came into power - but there's plenty of other issues involving the club
https://archive.is/wCWnD

[Chester Perry]

you may have gathered from this thread that thee has been something quietly significant going on in Manchester the last few says

http://www.uptheclarets.com/messageboar ... =2&t=70371

It was the Football Supporters Europe BGM combined with the Football Supporters Association AGM, the guest speakers were significant - as were some of the side events - don't think the release of the Easy Cities to buy report (and presentation) in Manchester on Friday was a coincidence

This statement by The Minister for sport was greatly welcomed

"The independent football regulator will have the power to block clubs from joining closed shop leagues," says @StuartAndrew

https://twitter.com/WeAreTheFSA/status/ ... HynLYuAAAA

I am not actually convinced that such a thing is legally/politically possible if say, FIFA was to back a Saudi financed global club league -as was touted in the years prior to Covid and Super League

[Chester Perry]

A long piece from the Times about the investment from the Gulf and in particularly Saudi in Sport

How the Middle Eastern superpowers have taken over sport
https://archive.is/QRtEt