Special report: Supporter unrest poses challenge to multi club ownership model
Alamy
Multi club ownership has become increasingly popular in recent seasons, with investors taking on stables of several clubs to promote cost savings and knowledge sharing; more than 150 clubs worldwide are now part of MCO groups
Growing supporter unrest has posed a challenge to these takeover sprees as seen with City Football Group’s failure to add Dutch club to portfolio.
Why it matters: Italian and Danish FA’s have already tightened ownership rules, and legislators in Britain are doing the same after fan protests. Could protests challenge football’s growing MCO trend?
The perspective: The phenomenon raises new questions of governance for everyone from international football federations to clubs, players, and fans. And if regulated what would then happen to the increasing interest in European football from US investors.
12 May 2022 - 2:47 PM
To football’s new cadre of owners – increasingly rich and global in outlook – it is the logical next step. Multi club ownership (MCO) notionally offers a broad array of benefits: cost-savings, knowledge sharing, player development.
To its opponents MCO is an assault on club heritage and traditions, poses huge questions about sporting heritage and even makes clubs “slaves” to bigger interests.
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