Exploring the ban on multi-club ownership in Italy, historical complexities of MCO in football, fan perceptions and monetization, impact on player contracts and team competitiveness, balance between fan ownership and financial investment, and recent FIGC decision to ban MCO in Italy.
Multi-club ownership in football (MCO) impacts fan perceptions and player dynamics.
Regulations on MCO vary globally, with concerns over conflicts of interest and competition integrity.
Deep dives
Exploring Multi-Club Ownership in Football
Multi-club ownership, known as MCO, involves entities owning shares in multiple football clubs. The phenomenon is not new, with historical cases like Parmalat owning clubs in different countries. Research reveals about 50 MCO organizations globally, with varying regulations among football associations to prevent competition integrity issues.
Regulatory Challenges and Fragmented Landscape
Regulation of MCO varies widely across countries and confederations, with FIFA's regulations mostly addressing integrity concerns. Countries like Germany enforce the '50 plus one' rule to limit investment and maintain competition fairness. The fragmented regulatory landscape lacks uniformity and FIFA's direct regulation on MCO remains limited.
Fan and Player Perspectives on Multi-Club Ownership
Research indicates high fan awareness of MCO, impacting club ownership perceptions. Some fans identify as supporters of MCO groups, influencing cross-club support. Player mobility and employment dynamics evolve within MCOs, potentially altering traditional player-club relationships.
The Future of Multi-Club Ownership and Potential Regulation
The future of MCO raises questions about potential conflicts of interest, especially in player transfers and competition integrity. Proposed regulations aim to prevent MCO conflicts, but diverging opinions exist regarding the balance between investment encouragement and fair competition. The ongoing evolution of MCO in football reflects a complex and evolving landscape.
In this episode Rhys looks at the Transnational phenomenon of multi club ownership in football with a particular segment on current affairs regarding multi club ownership in Italy. With the help of guests Lorenzo Cavallari and Giacomo Galardini.
Lorenzo has recently completed a first of its kind study on Multi Club Ownership for the FIFA Master of Management Law and Humanities, with colleagues Hossamedin BEDIER, Zeina HAMARSHA and Charlotte NYANGERI.
Giacomo contributes to Forbes on all things football and business and is the Senior Content Editor for the Italian desk at Onefootball.