Signing players past their peak is one of the mistakes made by a debt-ridden club who fear a relegation they cannot affordIt will be of no consolation to Everton fans to reflect that their plight is, looked at in a certain light, an indicator of the health of English football. Or at least is a healthy aspect of English football. Everton were one of the Big Five who led the breakaway to set up the Premier League in 1992. In the previous decade they had won two league titles, the FA Cup and the Cup Winners’ Cup. They are still the fourth-most successful team in English top-flight football (level with Manchester City on nine league titles but with more second-place...
Fifa has a point in asking broadcasters to pay more for the tournament but the game needs a quick solution If a tree falls in the woods, does it make a sound? If a World Cup kicks off on the other side of the world but no one can watch it, does it really happen?We are 43 days out from the Women’s World Cup starting in Australia and New Zealand but, with Fifa threatening a blackout because of low offers for the broadcast rights from the biggest European footballing countries, you wouldn’t know it. There are no adverts, no references to coverage and there is no buildup. Instead, prospective viewers and existing fans in those countries have been left in...
Whatever you think of Manchester City’s wealth or Newcastle’s or PSG’s owners, football’s regulatory framework has never been fit for purposeIn 2008 Speedo introduced the LZR Racer, a body-length swimsuit lined with stiff polyurethane plastic panels that dramatically reduced drag in the water. Essentially it turned the swimmer into a smooth aerodynamic tube, trapping little pockets of air to improve buoyancy. The technology was introduced in time for the Beijing Olympics, where 23 world records were set by swimmers wearing the LZR.The impact on the sport was cataclysmic. Athletes who enjoyed the benefits of the new “super suit” described the sensation as like flying. Those who had signed deals with other manufacturers were faced with the choice of breaking their...
La Liga president’s battle to rein in spending is on soft ground because England’s top flight is still on a firm financial footingThere is a telling moment in Apple TV+’s punchy new documentary, Super League: the War for Football, in which the head of La Liga, Javier Tebas, gives a withering assessment of those who seek to control the modern game. “You have to keep up the fight,” he growls. “Money is not everything. Far from it. The rich don’t have the same ethical standards. There’s lots of liars and fakes. Betrayals happen all the time. Loyalty is practically nonexistent. I’ve never trusted anyone.”Tebas has a lawyer’s mind and a pugilist’s love of a ruck. It is a healthy combination,...
It is hard not to conclude that this – and Liverpool being up for sale – is related to failure of the European Super LeagueHow can you sell something you never actually paid for? How is it possible to make profit without risk or jeopardy, or indeed any sign of expertise along the way? What is this miracle commodity, this blend of metal, plastic, turf and other people’s monetised joy?Welcome to football capitalism 101 and the metaphysical puzzle of the Glazer ownership of Manchester United. No wonder they call leveraged buy-outs the beautiful game. It is, in the end, one you just can’t lose. Continue reading...