Business of Sports
Super-Rich English Premier League Risks Sleepwalking Into Chaos
The Premier League is seen as a big spending competition with global reach. Off the pitch, owners and politicians are railing against how it’s managed.
Everton supporters hold protest banners in the stands prior to a Premier League match.
Photographer: Peter Powell/AFP/Getty ImagesThis article is for subscribers only.
UK Chancellor of the Exchequer Jeremy Hunt praised the English Premier League in a report earlier this year for helping British sport “stand tall on the world stage.”
Yet within months, one of the league’s most famous clubs is struggling to remain in business. Everton FC has held talks with restructuring advisers after its proposed takeover by Miami-based 777 Partners stalled, a deal that the Premier League declared it was “minded to approve” only a few weeks ago.