Why Americans Are Buying Football Clubs 🇺🇸
Plus: Adidas upsets Ronaldo & Sebastian Vettel is becoming an Alpaca farmer
Welcome to Athletic Interest.
Did you know that almost 50% of Premier League teams now have American owners?
This list includes some of the biggest names in football:
🔵 - Chelsea
🔴 - Manchester United
🔵 - Man City (10% stake)
🔴 - Liverpool
🔵 - Crystal Palace
🔴 - Arsenal
⚪️ - Fulham
🟣 - Aston Villa
⚪️ - Leeds United (44% stake)
In fact, there are now more American owners (14*) than American players (7) in England’s top division.
Why the sudden interest in a sport that some even condemned as communist?
Well, American investors seem to think they have spotted an undervalued market ripe for the taking. But is it really?
Watch our latest video to find out why their strategy might be flawed - and what China has to do with it.
* There are 9 clubs with a total of 14 American investors combined.
🍎 Sports Business Bites
💰 While the U.S. investors face the possibility of losing out, there is one group of Americans that are guaranteed a massive payday from football - The Women’s National Team.
The USWNT is not even competing at the current World Cup in Qatar (for obvious reasons) but is set to receive at least $6.5 million in prize money.
How? Well, with the Men’s team reaching the last 16 of the World Cup, the U.S. Federation will pocket $13 million in prize money.
The USMNT is entitled to half of the pot thanks to a settlement reached with the U.S. federation in February stipulating that all prize money earned by the men’s and women’s teams at their respective competitions will be split 50/50.
This payout alone is more money than the Women’s team received for lifting the World Cup in 2015 and 2019 combined. The final figure could rise further to $8.5 million if the Men’s team triumphs over the Netherlands on Saturday.
🇵🇹 Another team that is doing well at the World Cup is Portugal. ‘Os Navegadores’ qualified for the last 16 with one game to spare after defeating Uruguay 2-0 on Monday.
While most of Portugal was celebrating after the game, there was one notable exception.
Cristiano Ronaldo was initially credited as the scorer of the game’s first goal. From the camera angle on TV, and the subsequent celebration from Ronaldo, it appeared as if he got a slight touch with his head on a Bruno Fernandes cross to send the ball past the Uruguay keeper.
Just moments later, FIFA decided to give the goal credit to Bruno Fernandes, suggesting that Ronaldo had not touched the ball before it went into the net.
Ronaldo was not happy with the decision and remained adamant that he had made contact with the ball. He even took the time to text Piers Morgan to express his frustrations.
With people debating the goal on social media, Adidas decided to clear things up once and for all.
The company released the data from a sensor inside the Adidas match ball, which appears to confirm that Ronaldo made no connection with the ball.
These balls are actually pretty cool. The motion sensor was initially added to assist VAR with offside decisions. While the technology has been rigorously tested and is said to be incredibly precise, they only contain small batteries that need to be recharged before every match.
🇮🇹 While Cristiano Ronaldo recovers from this ordeal he may want to spare a thought for his former club Juventus.
The football world was shocked earlier this week when the entire board of directors of Juventus decided to collectively resign.
This includes President Andrea Agnelli, who is probably now best known for spearheading the doomed Super League project.
So why have they all decided to quit?
Well, this is a reaction to the news that the Turin Public Prosecutors Office is investigating the club for fraudulent accounting and hidden payments.
Let’s quickly break down the two elements at play here.
The first allegation centers on hidden payments. During the pandemic, Juventus announced that they had agreed with the players to reduce their salaries for four months to help cover costs. Prosecutors believe that Juventus only reduced their salaries for one month and then paid the full amounts to the players for the remaining three months through secret agreements. This reportedly allowed Juventus and its players to avoid millions in taxes.
Then there is the allegation that Juventus has spent several years cashing in illegal commissions from the transfer and loan of players. It is not entirely clear what exactly constitutes an ‘illegal commission’ but it can’t be good. To make matters worse, the club is also being investigated for creating fake invoices to help balance the books.
Juventus vehemently deny the allegations and claim that their accounts are all correct. If the prosecutor finds evidence to the contrary, Juventus, and potentially the former directors, could be facing criminal charges, a huge fine, a points deduction or even relegation.
🦙 Finding a new career path after retirement from sports can be incredibly difficult. Some turn to television work, others to business ventures, and then there is Sebastian Vettel…The Alpaca farmer?
Vettel has already stated that he is looking forward to spending his retirement with his family on his farm in Switzerland, and Sky Sports Germany wanted to help him settle in with a unique gift.
Just before the last race in Abu Dhabi, the German F1 broadcaster gave retiring driver Sebastian Vettel some Alpacas as a farewell present.
German readers, or anyone with a VPN, can watch the video here
For everyone else, we will try and describe what happened.
Vettel was in an interview with Sky Germany when the broadcaster revealed that, if he accepted, they would send ‘several’ Alpacas to live on his farm.
Vettel appears a little shocked by the announcement but decides to accept two Alpacas and jokes that he hopes they don’t spit on him.
Apparently, Sky Germany chose Alpacas as a gift because they are brilliant companions that are known to follow their owners on long hikes through the mountains, perfect for Vettel as he retreats to his Swiss farm during retirement.
🎤 While Vettel seems content with a life of Alpaca farming, what is next for former Liverpool striker Daniel Sturridge?
Sturridge has had some time to think about his options after being released from Perth Glory in June, and it appears he has settled on singing as his new career.
He even decided to spontaneously break into a song in the middle of a recent interview:
When’s the album coming out Daniel?
🇦🇷 We end today’s newsletter with something heartwarming.
A video has gone viral on social media showing a young blind fan celebrating the Messi goal against Mexico after his father took him through the action using a special game board.
The influencer, Sebastian Filorama, has explained that he wants to use social media to help raise awareness of how football could have greater accessibility for blind fans.