Who owns association football? The competing claims for how and where it all began, from ancient China to Pharaonic Egypt to the comparatively recent Anglo-Saxon Middle Ages, are well-rehearsed, while FIFA and UEFA continue to battle both each other and their scandals in the quest for supremacy.
Further down the feeding chain, but with direct relevance to every supporter, is the club-ownership battleground: an ever-growing gaggle of investors claiming a tranche of both the perceived wealth on offer and the accompanying kudos.
The corporate attraction is obvious. For example, the English Premier League is launching its domestic TV rights tender for three or four years running from 2025. The target is a significant increase on the current £5
