A Niche London Firm Outplayed JPMorgan in Super League Battle
- London-based Centricus is negotiating financing with UEFA
- Offer emerged amid plans for a breakaway soccer league
Chelsea supporters protest outside Stamford Bridge stadium in London on April 20.
Photographer: Rob Pinney/Getty Images
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The fight for the future of European soccer was also a battle between two very different types of financial players.
On one side stood the venerable Wall Street giant JPMorgan Chase & Co., bankrolling a debt-driven, multi-billion euro plan to form a breakaway European Super League. Lining up against them was a boutique financial firm with links to some of the world’s richest and most liquid investors and a proposal to invest in a revamped UEFA Champions League soccer tournament.