Multi-club Ownership

Compared to other critical issues in sport management and sport economics, such as doping and match-fixing, little media coverage can be found on multi-club ownership (hereinafter: MCO) and its potential impact on sports integrity. Few newspapers focus on this issue and even in academia only a few authors have dealt with this topic. However, the topic is of increasing importance since more and more MCOs can be found in professional sports and several associations introduced rules to govern them. The present chapter shows that multi-club ownership should not only be understood as a controlling interest by one investor but needs a broader definition. Since empirical evidence is poor, weak or non-existent, it might be appropriate to analyse the problem from a formal perspective. The model outlined here shows that fan behaviour—fans’ willingness to punish an investor for a potential intervention—is one of the crucial factors in the investor’s decision-making process. In light of this result, regulations like those that have been set up by UEFA might not be necessary but might represent an inappropriate market intervention.