Alex Webb, Columnist

Soccer Fans Show Private Equity the Red Card

After the European Super League disaster, teams have hardened against corporate investors.

May 24, 2021 at 5:00 AM UTC

Alex Webb is a correspondent for Bloomberg Quicktake. He previously covered the technology, telecoms and media industries in London, San Francisco and Munich.

Ouch.
Photographer: Alexander Hassenstein/Getty Images Europe

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The fallout from the ill-fated European Super League has been so comprehensive that even those who weren’t involved are suffering. The latest casualty is the private equity industry, which is now struggling to make headway on its grand plan of investing in sporting competitions.

Spain’s La Liga, Italy’s Serie A and Germany’s Bundesliga, the top domestic soccer leagues in each country, were all exploring the option of selling stakes to private equity investors. Now both the Bundesliga and Serie A have rejected the idea.