The Premier League, an oasis for millionaires: the top championship where all the clubs are sports companies

Javier Milei admire Margaret Thatcher, the remembered former British Prime Minister of a clearly conservative nature. However, from the State that he managed he had a strong intervention that changed English football and laid the foundations for the creation of the current Premier League, whose 20 clubs belong to private capital. Most come from the United States, but tickets from businessmen, sheikhs and tycoons from the Arab world, Iran, Serbia, the Czech Republic, Greece and even China also count.

In 1989, in Sheffield, there was “The Hillsborough Tragedy”. In a semifinal match of FA Cup in view of Nottingham Forest96 fans died Manchester Unitedmost of them are pressed against wire fences. Oversold tickets, poor police enforcement and an old stadium caused the massacre. Thatcher intervened. He granted loans to clubs to renovate pitches and refinance debts, opened football to television and authorized ticket price increases.

THE thugsmostly unemployed whose only distraction was getting drunk and fighting in the fields, they had no choice but to go to pubs to watch matches.S. Only the rich had access to tickets to attend the recycled stadiums. This foundation has contributed to making football a safe spectacle and clubs to recover their economies. In this context, in 1992, the Premier League was founded and investors began to arrive.

The capital of the Emirates “reinvented” Manchester City. Stan Kroenke is an American owner of the Denver Nuggets, the Colorado Rapids of the MLS and the Rams (NFL) and owner of the Arsenal. Manchester United For years it has been in the hands of the Glazer family, owners of the Tampa Bay Buccaneers (NFL). Liverpool This is Fenway Sports Group, a company led by American billionaire John W. Henry, in turn owner of the Boston Red Sox (MLB). LeBron James also has a stake in this group. Tottenham It comes from English businessmen Joe Lewis and Daniel Levy. It ends there Big Fivebut the list could go on.

Aston Villa It is from the Egyptian Nasef Sawiris, shareholder of Madison Square Garden, and Wesley Eden, owner of Milwaukee Bucks (NBA). Matthew Benham is American, former vice president of Bank of America and manages the Brentford. The Englishman Tony Bloom, owner of the Starlizard betting house, has a Brighton. Russian businessman Maxim Demin has a Bournemouth. Local Steve Parrish and Americans David Blitzer (Real Salt Lake, of the MLS) and Joshua Harris (Sixers) share the Crystal Palace.

Iranian steelmaker Farhad Moshiri owns Everton. The boss of the Jaguars (NFL) is the American of Pakistani origins Sahid Khan who controls the team Fulham. Luton Cityrecently promoted, it is led by the British Rob Stringer, CEO of Sony Music. Burnley, meanwhile, is managed by ALK Capital, owned by former Lehman Brothers Alan Pace. The avenger Newcastle Since last year, it has been owned by the Public Investment Fund of Saudi Arabia.

The historic Nottingham belongs to the Greek entrepreneur Evangelos Marinakis. Southampton is owned by Serbian billionaire Dragan Solak. Since two years ago West Ham It is dominated by the Czech tycoon Daniel Kretinsky. And Wolverhampton belongs to the Chinese consortium Fosun International.

The man who pioneered private investment was the Russian oil tycoon Roman Abramovich, who was forced to sell Chelsea in the midst of the war with Ukraine. It was bought by American Todd Bohely, co-founder, president, CEO and controlling member of Eldridge Industries, which has everything from media to clubs in its portfolio of businesses.

There aren’t many secrets to the success of the Premier League. Full stadiums, sponsors, sports marketing and 75% of the TV rights distributed among the 20 clubs that have just signed a three-year contract worth 8.45 billion dollars. The FA is responsible for the national team and organizes the League Cup.

And the rest of the world?

Germany, on the other hand, has a hybrid system and the 50+1 rule according to which half plus one of the voting rights must be in the hands of the club and its members. In Spain only Real Madrid, Barcelona and Athletic Bilbao are Argentine-style clubs. All the others are joint-stock companies. Elche belongs to the Argentine Cristian Bragarnik. In Italy the clubs have been private since 1966 with the figure SPA (joint-stock company) but only Juventus, Roma and Lazio are listed on the stock exchange. In Brazil and Mexico there is a mixed system: they can be SAD or not. In Chile, 42 of the 45 clubs in the three categories are.

With any legal entity, it all depends on how it is administered. Marcelo Tinelli failed Badajoz. Rum raisinprivatized, it fell to Third. Logronos AND Salamanca They ceased to exist as SA. AND Parma He was on the verge of disappearing when Calisto Tanzi’s Parmalat went bankrupt.