Reuters Soccer Blog
World Soccer views and news
Should fans have the right to buy into their clubs?
Interesting story in the Guardian this morning, saying Britain’s Labour government, if re-elected, are ready to unleash plans to give fans the right to buy their clubs when they come up for sale, and to insist that current club owners give up a stake as high as 25 percent to their supporters.
If we can leave the politics aside (there is an election on the way, and the opposition Conservatives have said acting now, after 13 years in power, makes it a pre-vote gimmick) do you think this is a good idea?
It comes after the high-profile Liverpool campaign to get 100,000 fans of the club to raise 500 million pounds in a “Barcelona style” member share scheme, and more recently the Red Knights proposal of a buy-out of Manchester United from a smaller group of wealthy individuals.
This latest proposal,as reported, seems to be acceptanace that football is not just a business, and would presumably make club ownership less attractive for anyone wanting to get involved just to make a profit.
