This 4 owners are about to form a cartel’ in the Premier League
- Newcastle United rivals’ vote at meeting speaks volumes but ‘cartel’ truth told
Newcastle United opposed changes to sponsorship rules waved through by all but one of the American owners in the Premier League last November
American owners are not about to ‘form a cartel’ in the Premier League – even if all but one of them approved changes to sponsorship rules opposed by Newcastle United.
That is the view of football finance expert Kieran Maguire, who has been speaking a few weeks after Chelsea owner Todd Boehly stressed that ‘we’re very focused on making sure we maintain the culture’of the English game.
Boehly made those comments after Leeds United and Burnley were promoted to the Premier League, which means that more than half of the top-flight’s 20 clubs now have investors from the U.S.
Chelsea, Manchester United, Liverpool and Arsenal are among the influential clubs with American backers while Aston Villa, Crystal Palace, Bournemouth, Fulham and Everton also have custodians from the U.S.
Fourteen votes are needed to pass any rule changes at meetings of Premier League shareholders and it was just a few months ago that Aston Villa were the only club with an American investor to join Newcastle, Manchester City and Nottingham Forest in opposing amendments to sponsorship regulations, which were originally introduced in the immediate aftermath of Newcastle’s takeover in 2021.
In a new Football Daily podcast – the American Dream: How & why American owners continue to infiltrate British football – Kelly Cates asked Maguire if U.S. backers could ‘form a cartel of votes’. However, the football finance expert was ‘not convinced’.
