Football ‘families’ ruin game

By Jackson Clucas

Nothing comes before family, right? However true this statement may be in day-to-day life, a large portion of football fans would argue this very concept is causing irreversible damage to the game they love.

Multi-club ownership is a concept that has existed since the 90s with the football investment boom. The first recognised multi-club owner was The ENIC Group, which acquired shares in Tottenham Hotspur, Glasgow Rangers, Slavia Prague, AEK Athens, Vicenza Calcio and FC Basel in the late 90s.

Nowadays multi-club ownership is deep-rooted throughout the footballing world. The most significant example of this is the City Football Group.

Emirati royal Sheikh Mansour acquired a majority stake in Manchester City Football Club In August 2008. His consortium Abu Dhabi United Group invested billions in turning historically mediocre Man City into a footballing super club. This success motivated Mansour to form the City Football Group, with the Manchester club as its flagship team.

Since its formation in 2013, City Group has acquired clubs in every corner of the globe. From Melbourne to Mumbai, New York to Girona, Troyes to Tokyo. These clubs all receive the financial benefits of being owned by an Emirati billionaire. However, fans are slowly coming to the realisation that these big, happy, football families may be ruining the game that we love.

On July 18 this year Manchester City unveiled their sparkling new Brazilian star-boy Savinho. However, underneath all the confetti lay a controversial scandal within the signing.

In 2022, fellow CFG club ESTAC Troyes had purchased the then 17-year-old Savinho from Atletico Mineiro. What most of the footballing world didn’t notice is that the layout of the contract did more harm to Troyes than good.

Technically, Savinho was purchased by The City Group and was only assigned to Troyes, meaning the French club had no say over the usage of their new player. Although Troyes were struggling in Ligue Un with relegation looming, they were ordered to send Savinho on loan to PSV Eindhoven in The Netherlands for the entire season.

The following season City Group forced Troyes to send Savinho on loan once more, this time to Spanish side Girona.

While Savinho was grabbing headlines with dazzling performances in Spain, Troyes finished 17th in the second tier of French football. And if it wasn’t for an administrative relegation to Bordeaux, Troyes would’ve been relegated to the third tier of French football.

This year Troyes were made to sell Savinho to the flagship City Group team Manchester City. The Brazilian never made an appearance for Troyes in the two years he was contracted to the club.

It’s clear CFG had a plan, Savinho was always going to use Troyes as a stepping stone to get to Manchester City.

French football fans are outraged with the mistreatment of Troyes, with former France star Jerome Rothen demanding CFG’s exit from French football.

“I just want to say to the City Group: ‘Get out, French football doesn’t need you’. I’m not ashamed to say it, we don’t need them. It makes me angry,” he told Diario AS.

But what do you think? Is professional football a business?

Or is the culture and story of each club worth more than a portion of a billionaire’s pocket money.

Featured image: Manchester City’s Etihad Stadium. Photo: Arne Müseler/CC/Wikimedia Commons

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