When Javier Milei, in the midst of his furious rush of measures, referred to the “opening” of football to joint-stock companies -a transformation that would have been very controversial in our country and which has raised many questions since its mention- He alluded to the British “example” on the matter or to Chelsea’s alleged interest.
This is not, in fact, the most flourishing moment of the London franchise nor that of the British Premier League -the most powerful in the world in terms of economic and, today, sporting dimensions- has a point of reference with what happens here. “The system worked in some places, but I don’t know if Argentina and its football are prepared for this.“said Javier Zanetti in a recent interview with Clarion.
The biggest and most recent development in Britain is the sale (in part) of another its traditional franchises, Manchester Unitedfor which Sir Jim Ratcliffe, a petrochemical billionaire, will invest 1.5 billion dollars, He will retain 25% of the club and all sports management.
Ratcliffe, through its Ineos brand, is widely known in the sports environment as it sponsors a major cycling team, as well as interests in rugby, America’s Cup sailing and football in other countries (Lausanne in Switzerland, Nice in France). Five years ago he promoted a strange feat, through which the “king of marathons”, Eliud Kipchoge, became the first man in history to run the legendary distance of less than 2 hours, in the Prater park, in Vienna. An achievement which, in any case, has not had any official recognition nor is it registered in the tables of athletic records…
Manchester United was one of those who pioneered this story of “selling” a social club to a private entrepreneur.. In this case, and two decades ago, it was the American Glazer family who took it, who paid 800 million euros. Now they have received an offer from the Qatari Jassin bin Nad Al Thani: 6 billion. But for the entire franchise, something the Glazers weren’t willing to give up. They were convinced by Ratcliffe that, as part of his investment, committed to renovating the legendary Old Trafford stadiumwhere Estudiantes de Zubeldía won the club world title in 1968. Ratcliffe will have to deposit more than $350 million there.
The truth is Manchester United have not won the British Championship for more than a decade, exactly from the moment Alex Ferguson stepped away from sports driving. And in the same period, neighbors Manchester City, supported by the wallet of the United Arab Emirates, achieved their greatest achievements. Since Josep “Pep” Guardiola took over as City’s technical director, City have won five of the last six editions of the Premier League, as well as their first Champions League and, most recently, the Club World Cup beating Fluminense. The Spaniard’s cycle at the helm of City covers 16 titles, in contrast to Manchester United’s drought. Something that billionaire Ratcliffe promises to reverse with his motto “rigor, professionalism, passion”.
Along the same lines of sporting success by dint of wallet was Chelsea, which the Russian Roman Abramovich had purchased in 2003 and which, since then, has won the Premier League 5 times and the Champions League 3 times. The Russian invasion of Ukraine put Abramovich’s assets in danger and he decided to get rid of, among other things, his club, which in May 2022 was purchased by the Blue Co consortium, led by the American Todd Bohely. This has multiple investments in sports: baseball (Los Angeles Dodgers), basketball (Los Angeles Lakers), football (Strasbourg Racing). In this case they paid 75 million euros and answered questions from fans and club members: “They sell us to investors for whom football is the least of their worries”.
But Chelsea seems the boldest of Bohely’s bets. So far, with terrible results. In three minutes he fired his first manager, Thomas Tuchel, paid 25 million to Brighton for the sacking of Graham Potter, and this too lasted very little. Now the technical guidance has been entrusted to the Argentine Mauricio Pochettino but, at the beginning of 2024, his team is mid-table among the 20 in the championship, after eight defeats in 18 games. In the last two years, Chelsea spent more than $1 billion in the signing of players, including the Argentine Enzo Fernández and the Ecuadorian Moisés Caicedo (237 million dollars in total). To find out with the results, or at least to match the current leaders of the Premier League, Bohely and co will have to wait.
Manchester City, where Argentinians like Tevez and Agüero, and now Julián Alvarez, shone, It is owned by Sheikh Mansour Bin Zayed, from the family that rules the United Arab Emirates. “It is a structure for the future, not just a team of stars,” the sheikh had assured. But from the beginning it was all about pocket money, up to staying with what is now the most sought-after footballer in Europe, the Norwegian Haaland. The Sheikh’s football investments extend to other countries with Melbourne in Australia, Yokohama in Japan and New York in the United States, to South America with a Uruguayan second division team, Troque, and Bahia from Brazil, or the recent revelation of Spain, Girona. : in any case, as sources of player appearance or movement.
The owner of another major Premier League team, Liverpool, is from the United States. In this case it is John Henry, head of his Fennay Sport group, also owner of one of the main baseball franchises in his country (the Boston Red Sox). Since 2010 Henry has been the owner of one of the most followed clubs in the world, of which a few days ago he expressed: “I have no intention of selling”.
Source: Clarin
