Footnotes #12: The Crown Prince, the fake competitions, and an American ride

Welcome back to Footnotes, where I'll share my perspective on the events and stories shaping the football industry. Click subscribe above to be notified of each edition.

Here is my starting eleven:

1️⃣ The government arrived in English football

2️⃣ Problems arising from the players' fight

3️⃣ PSG still refuses to pay Mbappé

4️⃣ Women stand against Aramco

5️⃣ Is Newcastle independent from the Crown Prince?

6️⃣ Saudi Arabia in talks with the neighbour's broadcaster

7️⃣ Finally, BeIN Sports paid Ligue 1

8️⃣ Fake competitions involving minors for betting

9️⃣ Arsenal plans an expanded stadium

1️⃣0️⃣ An American ride for the Big 5?

1️⃣1️⃣ The Dutch, Danish and Swedish media rights

1️⃣ The government arrived in English football

On the pitch, we are witnessing a few surprises in the Premier League—an improved Chelsea, a Manchester United that finds itself in an even deeper hole (that led to Ten Hag's dismissal), and an unrecognizable Wolverhampton. But in the title race, Manchester City and Liverpool are maintaining business as usual, alongside Arsenal and Aston Villa.

Off the pitch, however, the Premier League is entangled in legal affairs and regulatory fights, with no winners in sight. What else is coming?

This time, the British government stepped in, updating a bill to create an independent football regulator with authority over England’s top five tiers. The Premier League isn’t pleased, but the English Football League—which oversees the Championship, League One, and League Two—is on board.

The new entity will have the power to analyze the financial distribution among clubs, and a big part of the discussion is about 'parachute payments'—an English mechanism that allows relegated Premier League clubs to 'land' smoothly in the Championship, bridging the substantial financial gap between the two leagues.

If a 'systemic risk' is identified or the leagues cannot agree, the new regulator can modify that mechanism—but not dismantle it. In the conservative government's proposal earlier this year, before Rishi Sunak resigned, parachute payments were being eliminated.

So, what is the problem with parachute payments? The government is concerned they might "cause wage inflation and increase clubs’ debts," while the EFL argues that these payments distort competition in the Championship.

The Premier League, on the other hand, is concerned that promoted clubs may hesitate to invest substantially in their squads without a guarantee of a financial safety net in the event of relegation.

The new bill, expected to receive final approval by May of next year, also "explicitly requires clubs to provide effective engagement" with fans when they want to change ticket prices or relocate their stadiums.

Moreover, the approval of club takeover deals no longer depends on the government’s foreign and trade policies—yes, that clause exists.

You can read more on the BBC (by Dan Roan), The Times (by Martyn Ziegler), The Athletic (by Matt Slater) or SportsPro.

2️⃣ Problems arising from the players' fight

No one knows how far the conflict between players and FIFA will escalate over the congested calendar, with the new Club World Cup being a tipping point. However, The Athletic reports that this struggle has already some effects.

In recent years, FIFPro, the players' union, and world football's governing body have worked together on the FIFA Fund for Football Players, created in 2020 to help players owed money by bankrupt clubs or involved in legal disputes.

Over 1,000 players have received partial compensation packages, but €4.6 million remains unpaid, leaving over 400 players awaiting resolution.

The recent tensions—marked by strike threats and a legal complaint filed in European courts by FIFPro, alongside the English Professional Footballers' Association and the European Leagues, which represent approximately 1,000 clubs across 31 countries [BBC]—are exacerbating the situation, according to The Athletic.

You can also read about this row in The Times (by Martyn Ziegler).

3️⃣ PSG still refuses to pay Mbappé

The clash between PSG and Kylian Mbappé is far from settled. The French league's appeals commission has ruled that, yes, the Parisian club must pay €55 million to Mbappé—the final three months of salary and bonuses—following an earlier decision by Ligue 1. However, PSG maintains that Mbappé waived this amount in 2023 and is standing firm in its refusal to pay, according to a source quoted by AFP. For more details, visit France 24.

4️⃣ Women stand against Aramco

At this time, you might be overwhelmed by the many recent confrontations off the pitch, but here is another important story from last week.

Over 100 female footballers from 24 countries have written an open letter to FIFA urging football's governing body to end its sponsorship deal with Saudi oil company Aramco.

This agreement, confirmed by FIFA in April, covers both the 2026 Men’s World Cup and the 2027 Women’s World Cup and has faced criticism from various sectors, including human rights organizations.

Check out the BBC (by Katie Gornall) and SportsPro (by Arif Islam) for more information.

5️⃣ Is Newcastle independent from the Crown Prince?

Has Saudi Arabia’s Crown Prince Mohammed bin Salman been involved in the Newcastle United takeover?

Leaked WhatsApp messages from former minority co-owner Amanda Staveley suggest that there was indeed significant involvement [The Guardian (by Louise Taylor)].

However, the Premier League maintains its stance on the £305 million (€366 million) deal from 2021. According to The Guardian, the Premier League remains convinced that the Saudi state is not interfering in Newcastle’s management.

6️⃣ Saudi Arabia in talks with the neighbour's broadcaster

Shortly after Saudi Arabia’s Public Investment Fund purchased Newcastle, the country began talks to acquire BeIN Sports, the Qatari broadcaster holding the Premier League TV rights for the Middle East, Africa, and Turkey, according to The Telegraph (by Tom Morgan).

You can also read it on SportsPro (by Josh Sim).

7️⃣ Finally, BeIN Sports paid Ligue 1

Ligue 1 can take a breath of relief after finally securing the first payment for this season's TV rights, due in August. The French governing body obtained nearly €20 million last week.

This is not the first time delays have occurred, reported Sportcal (by Alex Donaldson).

8️⃣ Fake competitions involving minors for betting

Now, prepare yourself for an ‘odd’ one: 1XBet is hosting and streaming hundreds of thousands of fake competitions, some involving minors, to profit from bets on these events, according to a joint investigation by Josimar and Bellingcat.

The official betting sponsor of FC Barcelona and PSG—already entangled in several controversies—even invents competitions like the futsal spinoff “short football” (which features over 1,000 matches streamed daily) and “subsoccer,” where players aim to put a ball into a hole.

It's worth reading this investigation by Philippe Auclair, Andy Brown, Jack Kerr, Sam Kunti and Steve Menary in collaboration with Bellingcat.

9️⃣ Arsenal plans an expanded stadium

Have you noticed the number of English clubs planning to expand their stadiums? Well, you can add another to the list, as Arsenal aims to make the most of the high ticket demand, according to The Times (by Gary Jacob). Currently, the Emirates Stadium has a capacity of 60,000.

1️⃣0️⃣ An American ride for the Big 5?

Everyone is eager to take advantage of the American enthusiasm for (the other) football these days. Some 'Big 5' leagues and clubs want to play matches across the Atlantic. But who truly benefits? Rob Draper advises in Footbiz that “in England especially, clubs will need to tread carefully and pick their battles wisely.”

1️⃣1️⃣ The Dutch, Danish and Swedish media rights

There were several updates regarding TV rights last week.

In the Netherlands, IMG has secured the Eredivisie's international broadcasting rights for another five years [SportBusiness (by Martin Ross, Jonathan Rest and Callum McCarthy)]

In Sweden, TV4 Media will become the exclusive broadcaster for Allsvenskan and Superettan (the first and second tiers of Swedish football) for the 2026-2031 period. [SportBusiness (by Jonathan Rest)]

And Spring Media is selling international rights to the Danish Superliga. [SportBusiness (by Jonathan Rest)]

Thank you for reading!

Vítor Rodrigues Oliveira