Column: Buying a professional football team? Ten lessons learned: #1 - Don't underestimate the due diligence process

Alexander Janssen was involved on the ownership side of two clubs, one in Belgium and the other in Spain, where he learned that the football industry is not only extremely competitive but very different to the business environment that he used to work in.

Janssen has written ten columns about the insights he gained from being involved with those two clubs. This is the first.

As a successful consultant with deep knowledge of turnarounds, he inexplicably experienced a sudden disregard of the discipline and long-term mindset that normally characterised his every move.

In this column the Dutchman reflects on the due diligence process when buying a club. Janssen learned the hard way that there are quite a few pitfalls when it comes to structuring such a process.