Premier League: Ordinary is the new super sport

Boris Johnson, the UK’s pro-populist prime minister, says the fan is “at the heart” of his inspection of football on the island. On the basis of the status report (“Fan Led Review”) published in November, the British government on Prime Minister Johnson agreed in part with the leading recommendations in it on Monday. This includes tightening up previously lax owner-manager tests in the Premier League and the legal introduction of a supervisory authority separate from football operations. This supervisory body must be authorized to issue instructions and penalties to clubs.

However, Johnson is eager for the welcome move to curb the excesses of neo-capitalism for professional football at least as much as the football public. Because with this unprecedented state intervention, the populist Johnson wants to ensure no such joke is repeated after a year of trying to create the European Premier League (with six English clubs as founding members). The Premier League would jeopardize the existence of the Premier League much more than the existence of football. And dwarfing the English export hit would likely cost Johnson dearly – it would cost him votes.

We are looking for: Owners who stay out of club policies and don’t want to make money, just give them

This account now leads Johnson to an unplayed field, where he clearly knows less of what he wants than he doesn’t. After the new controversies around the Chelsea club, whose oligarchic owner Roman Abramovich was expelled from the country due to his links with Russian President Vladimir Putin, the British government no longer wants the owners of the club who have acquaintances with undesirable people. From now on, it seems that club owners such as the Saudi sovereign wealth fund at Newcastle United, which are linked to the so-called sports, are no longer welcome.

For all the wealthy who earned and paid taxes on their wealth in a perfectly legal way, their capital from the elite players, coaches and new stadiums is gladly taken – but only as long as the gargantuan sums of money do not jeopardize the balance of the league. In addition, the owners of the club will have to stay completely away from the commercial affairs of their clubs, respect the traditions that apply there and, in particular, promise that they do not want to gain anything from their investments. Only: Who aligns with this requirement profile?

Perhaps the owner who only gives money but takes nothing should be invented first. After all, Boris Johnson would later want to get something in return (vote votes!) for his football firefighting mission. So, it’s possible that Johnson won’t find anything in his search for the super-owner at first – and may end up with fans, who, according to his own statement, launched the campaign in the first place. However, it is feared, for historical reasons, that fans in England – unlike Germany – have no fundamental interest in having a say in their clubs. Because the majority of Premier League fans still want one thing above all: sporting success. Unfortunately at any cost.