Foreign Investors in Football

I’ve been following this whole circus surrounding the sale of AS Roma for about a month now, and I can't help but wonder if this is even the right way to go about it. Honestly, I just can't bring myself to believe that their actual motivation is the club's well-being. To me, it looks more like a pure business play designed to squeeze out some profit—or, looking at the Chelsea FC situation, just a massive ego trip for some billionaire tycoon.

For years, the Premier League has been riding this wave of foreign investment, and at the same time, we've seen English clubs absolutely dominate the European stage. But will this kind of thing actually benefit Italy? Or will these historic clubs—even the ones that haven't quite hit that "top tier" status yet—end up losing their soul in the process?

What really eats at me, though, is that we haven't actually seen the finished product of this kind of restructuring anywhere. Can they actually sustain that level of insane spending seen in the Premier League, or is it all going to fall apart like a house of cards, much like how the Italian league eventually crumbled during its own golden era?

Is this seriously what the future of football looks like—just a giant Hollywood production? The gap between the teams is widening by the day; if you don't have mountains of cash being poured in, you basically stand zero chance of competing on any meaningful stage anymore.

What do you guys think?

I guess the English Premier League is just hands down the strongest league in the world right now. They have so much foreign investment flowing in, so maybe other clubs from different leagues see those overseas investors as their only real shot at actually competing with the big English sides...

Hmm, the English Premier League is quite clearly the strongest league in the world, isn't it? It is overwhelmingly dominant. They have such a vast influx of foreign investors, which leads me to wonder... perhaps clubs from other leagues see these international backers as their one real chance to actually compete with the English giants?

I find myself in complete agreement with this sentiment. The Premier League stands head and shoulders above the rest, and honestly, that is largely due to the massive wave of foreign investment poured into these clubs, which immediately attracted high-level sponsors. In my estimation, Serie A is currently in a state of absolute chaos, and a similar infusion of capital would certainly do them a world of good🤷.

Noah Ross7 said:I guess the English Premier League is just hands down the strongest league in the world right now. They have so much foreign investment flowing in, so maybe other clubs from different leagues see those overseas investors as their only real shot at actually competing with the big English sides...

It’s not really about the clubs themselves seeking out foreign owners; it’s more that they’ve realized football is just an incredibly lucrative playground for investment. And honestly, it makes total sense when you look at how much money is being thrown around these days.

The big, underlying question here is actually what happens once the foreign investors move on?

It isn't just about what the immediate impact will be, but what this ultimately means for the club's long-term survival. Right now, we can only speculate since none of these sugar daddies have actually walked away from their teams yet. But if you look at Liverpool FC, it’s clear that having an outside investor doesn't mean "free money." In fact, the Reds are currently stuck in a pretty messy spot because of constant bickering among the owners.
Chasing instant success is a massive gamble. Honestly, only the absolute wealthiest owners—and even then, only those with endless patience—can afford to fail right out of the gate.
Otherwise, a massive decline is almost certain, and we could even be looking at total financial collapse.

Personally, I’ve always been against building "instant" squads, regardless of where the owner comes from.

Carl Mendoza4 said:The big, underlying question here is actually what happens once the foreign investors move on?

It isn't just about what the immediate impact will be, but what this ultimately means for the club's long-term survival. Right now, we can only speculate since none of these sugar daddies have actually walked away from their teams yet. But if you look at Liverpool FC, it’s clear that having an outside investor doesn't mean "free money." In fact, the Reds are currently stuck in a pretty messy spot because of constant bickering among the owners.
Chasing instant success is a massive gamble. Honestly, only the absolute wealthiest owners—and even then, only those with endless patience—can afford to fail right out of the gate.
Otherwise, a massive decline is almost certain, and we could even be looking at total financial collapse.

Personally, I’ve always been against building "instant" squads, regardless of where the owner comes from.

That’s actually one of my biggest gripes too. You have this entire collective that spends years—decades, really—slowly building something up, and then suddenly some new individual or massive corporation swoops in at the top with a completely different vision. The thought of losing that core club identity... it’s honestly terrifying.

Club fans🙂

That Russian billionaire was actually set to acquire Juventus FC, which would have meant the Agnelli family—the folks behind Fiat—losing control of a club that’s been part of their legacy for over 80 years. It looks like they decided to keep it in the family after all, and honestly, thank God for that, because it really makes you wonder if everything in this world truly comes down to just money...

I’m not a huge fan of this stuff, but it doesn't mean it's always bad. Take Chelsea FC, for instance. If Roman Abramovich walked away, the club would change overnight. They’re constantly bleeding cash year after year, so they MIGHT actually have to sell some players—which means buying lower-tier talent later. I say "might" because with these new TV deals, clubs are pulling in massive amounts of money, but they probably wouldn't be able to hand out those insane salaries or go crazy on transfers anymore. The club has historically been managed pretty poorly financially; even before Roman, they were deep in the red. They'd really have to watch their step, and honestly, top players might lose interest in playing for Chelsea.

Then you've got Manchester United. All the debt was shifted over, so yeah, they’re sitting on a mountain of it, but here's the kicker: even while paying off that debt, they’re still turning a profit. So, even if the owners left and that debt stayed (which won't happen, since they'd rather sell the club and cash out), the club could keep its current roster and still run a tight ship. They just MIGHT need to be careful with transfer spending. I'm only flagging transfers as a potential risk because such a huge chunk of their revenue usually goes to wages, but that’s never been an issue for them. Since they keep making money, they can likely drop a solid amount on transfers every single year.

Liverpool FC is an extreme case, but I think it'll work out. Even if they sell, someone will come in who knows how to stabilize things—someone with both the cash and the patience, I bet. These two just messed things up and are wasting the potential of such a massive club. What happens if a club loses its investor? I'm not sure, but the club wouldn't just collapse; they'd probably just tighten the belt on spending and move on.

For the smaller clubs, though, it's a different story. They can't just conjure up cash like the big hitters. But what keeps most teams in the Premier League afloat is that TV deal I mentioned. Just by showing up and playing, they get a massive influx of cash, and once you factor in tournament placements, they can cover a ton of overhead. Some even have money left over, though everyone's been spending like crazy lately.

Most new or potential owners are either businessmen or giant corporations, and their whole vibe is making money—pure profit. When they buy a club, they need a solid plan to generate returns, which is actually good for the club in the long run. They’ll keep reinvesting to drive up profits, which should theoretically level up the team's performance (assuming they hire a decent manager, buy the right players, and the owners stay out of the technical side). Right now, Manchester United is actually a decent example of this; the owners provide as much as they can, and so far, they aren't micromanaging everything like they did during the Alex Ferguson era. Even when things got rocky, they had patience and didn't complain. I just hope it stays that way, fingers crossed.

The real trouble starts when a profit-driven owner buys a club and realizes they aren't actually making any money. They might just bail, leaving the club in a much worse spot than when they found it, making it a nightmare to recover. On the flip side, you have these tycoons who don't care about the money. That's great for clubs that struggle to turn a profit, but the problem is they can get bored easily. Once they're done, they walk away, leaving the club in even deeper trouble. Sure, there's the option to sell off players to recoup funds, but the owner would probably just pocket the cash and vanish.

Ugh, enough from me. I feel like I'm just stating the obvious here. 😁 😁

It just feels like yet another piece of evidence that over the last decade or two, professional soccer has become entirely about chasing profits rather than the pure passion and heart for the game we saw back in the 70s and 80s, when players weren't pulling in those astronomical, eye-watering salaries they see today...

According to the latest intel floating around, there’s some interest from a sheikh or sheikh in the United Arab Emirates regarding AS Roma. The name being tossed around is Saeed Maktoum—which, fun fact, was also the name of the ruler who headed up that country for 32 years until he passed away back in 1990. Basically, we're looking at a descendant who wants to pick up AS Roma as a trophy for his nephew, Mohamed, who apparently has quite the passion for football.😵

Sources:

http://www.ilromanista.it/?section=news&id=11931
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Rashid_...eed_Al_Maktoum

I’m completely against it, but let’s be real—you can’t stop the bleeding. These days, everyone is free to do whatever they want with their cash, so if the club owners decide to play, they can basically run the whole show without anyone stopping them. I remember how Liverpool FC fans used to laugh when Glazer took over Manchester United; there was even a banner in Istanbul during the final against AC Milan that read "Agent Glazer, mission accomplished." Well, that joke came back to haunt them, and it hit hard.

My issue is with these foreign investors who act like tabloid moguls, trying to manipulate the entire market. They try to build a squad through massive, flashy investments by buying the most obvious superstars instead of actually putting money into the foundation—things like youth academies, scouting networks, smart recruitment, and long-term stability. It’s just not sustainable.

Honestly, this whole situation is giving me a massive headache. What’s happening at Liverpool FC right now is a different kind of misery; it’s worse than anything I could have imagined. You’ve got these two idiots bickering in the media—one is backing Parry, while the other is demanding a resignation. They’re just throwing insults back and forth and dragging the club’s reputation through the mud. It’s absolute bottom-of-the-barrel behavior.

If this crisis actually reaches a breaking point—though from what I’m reading, it might not since there are ways to fix things before total collapse—they’ll be forced to sell off names like Fernando Torres, Steven Gerrard, and the rest. If that happens, it’ll be a devastating blow to the club, and we'll be feeling the fallout for the next five years.

Noah Ross7 said:I guess the English Premier League is just hands down the strongest league in the world right now. They have so much foreign investment flowing in, so maybe other clubs from different leagues see those overseas investors as their only real shot at actually competing with the big English sides...

You’re totally mixing up cause and effect here.

Most of these foreign investors aren't jumping in because they want to "balance the scales"—they're being lured in by the massive revenue English clubs generate; they're buying in because there's a huge chance to make a profit. It’s the exact same deal with Agent Glazer, the guys over at Liverpool FC, or even Lerner with Aston Villa.

Roman Abramovich is, obviously, the complete opposite extreme—he poured more cash into Chelsea FC than all these other owners will ever make combined.

Look, if we're talking about clubs as private corporations, it’s perfectly logical that they can be owned by foreigners. Sure, fans might feel a bit stung when their local icon gets bought out by someone from halfway across the globe, but honestly, you should have thought about that before turning the club into a business. Once a club becomes a company, anyone can buy it, and that buyer just happens to be a foreigner—which isn't inherently a bad thing.

In Germany, you don't see this kind of takeover, but it’s not because they have some weird grudge against outsiders. It's because even a German can't take them over! All those clubs are what we call non-profit associations where everything is run democratically by the members. It doesn't matter if you're willing to dump millions into the club; at the annual meeting, you still only get one single vote, just like any regular member who pays their sixty-five bucks in membership fees.

That’s why all this talk about fans taking over Hajduk is absolutely hilarious to me. You could have done that back when they were still a community association! You just walk in, join up, vote for the board, and you've got the right to look at the books. But now? Now they’re talking about having to go out and buy shares like they're trading stocks on Wall Street...

I don't think the whole origin story matters that much—like, whether the investors are foreign or not. Take someone like Mamić; he's a local guy, sure, but he completely trashed Dinamo Chicago and turned the club into this chaotic mess that the high-society types in the city absolutely loathe (and by mess, I mean the vibe, not just the club). On the flip side, maybe some billionaire from New York with the same kind of cash but actual decent management would've handled things way better, kept that classic city spirit alive instead of turning the whole organization into a total fever dream.

What really eats at me about all this is the massive, widening gap between the giants and everyone else. Everyone else—and I’m talking about top-tier clubs that just don't have ultra-wealthy owners breathing down their necks—simply can't compete. How are you supposed to push back against a $120 million offer? It's not like a situation where Manchester United offers $10 million and Blackburn bids $8 million, so the player stays put because his heart is in Blackburn. No, it's more like one side offers $8 million and the other drops $40 or $50 million just because they feel like it. Whatever they want, they get.

The gap between those clubs outside the big five leagues... man, it's huge. Just massive.

wiredfalcon2 said:I don't think the whole origin story matters that much—like, whether the investors are foreign or not. Take someone like Mamić; he's a local guy, sure, but he completely trashed Dinamo Chicago and turned the club into this chaotic mess that the high-society types in the city absolutely loathe (and by mess, I mean the vibe, not just the club). On the flip side, maybe some billionaire from New York with the same kind of cash but actual decent management would've handled things way better, kept that classic city spirit alive instead of turning the whole organization into a total fever dream.

What really eats at me about all this is the massive, widening gap between the giants and everyone else. Everyone else—and I’m talking about top-tier clubs that just don't have ultra-wealthy owners breathing down their necks—simply can't compete. How are you supposed to push back against a $120 million offer? It's not like a situation where Manchester United offers $10 million and Blackburn bids $8 million, so the player stays put because his heart is in Blackburn. No, it's more like one side offers $8 million and the other drops $40 or $50 million just because they feel like it. Whatever they want, they get.

The gap between those clubs outside the big five leagues... man, it's huge. Just massive.

I partially agree, but there's a silver lining for the smaller clubs here. They end up getting more money for players who aren't even worth that much. Even if they lose talent in the process, they gain financial stability. At least they can guarantee the club survives and pay the bills. As ridiculous as it sounds, those clubs basically operate as talent agencies for players; they live off that transfer money, and at the end of the day, that's a crucial part of the business. People moan about losing the "magic" of football and all that sentimental stuff, but that ship sailed a long time ago. The reality is that for us "neutral" viewers, we're actually seeing more high-quality matches and bigger showdowns than ever. I'd love for the romantic version of the sport to exist, but reality is hitting different.

I gotta ask about Serie A too, saw on Eurosport yesterday that George Soros is looking to invest in AS Roma... damn, I used to be on his payroll back in the 90s🤣

Short and sweet—no.

Not in England, not in America, not anywhere!

Any foreign investor is going to bail after maybe one bad season, and then what?
Fire sale of players and the club goes under..

Clubs should be run by club legends, not some foreigner who got the place as a gift from his uncle or some billionaire sheikh...

Honestly, as much as Mamić messes things up, I couldn't stand the idea of someone like an American owning Dinamo...

Microsoft Dinamo... 👍...it wouldn't work... too many bugs.... 👎

I’m totally against it, honestly. In my opinion, the Premier League has completely lost its identity. Sure, they became the richest league on the planet, but it came at the expense of domestic football. Foreign owners bring in foreign managers and foreign players, and the worst part is they sign guys who aren't even needed, which just kills the development of local talent. You can't seriously tell me Chelsea FC needed Smertin or Jarosik, right? We all know why they were brought in—it's the same story as at Manchester City. They aren't there to actually improve the quality. I'm just waiting for when Liverpool FC or Manchester starts grabbing random players from MLS, and then it's game over. Even though the US is where they play their matches, they're already trying to commercialize everything and move rounds abroad to Asia. And that's just the start. Who knows? If it makes them enough money, maybe they'll play five rounds in Japan and five in China. I mean, damn, follow the money, right?

I was really hoping Italy would at least stay pure, but it looks like Sensi might end up selling AS Roma to that Canadian guy. Who knows? Maybe one day alongside Francesco Totti and Daniele De Rossi, we'll see László Zsidai or Tibor Tisza on the pitch, and then the floodgates open for foreigners in Serie A too.

The worst part is what happens next. If these businessmen realize it’s not profitable anymore, they’ll just bail, leaving the club stuck footing the bill for those massive contracts they used to lure players in. Take Chelsea FC, for example—once Roman Abramovich leaves, things are going to get ugly. I'm predicting bankruptcy; I think they'll fall way below where they were before the Abramovich era because they won't be able to pay those insane salaries anymore.

Even though Rosella Sensi basically gave the AS Roma fans her blessing on behalf of her father today, the Italian papers are already reporting that George Soros has backed out of the deal. You can check the details here: goal.com. It’s a pretty wild turn of events—now I'm just sitting here waiting for official confirmation to see if it's actually true...🙂