Hearts: Fan ownership, Tony Bloom and upsetting the Old Firm status quo Sport Business A decade ago Leicester City beat odds of 5000/1 to win the Premier League. Hearts could replicate that level of upset on Saturday in the Scottish Premiership. Because for the first time since 1985 one of Rangers or Celtic may not lift the title. Forty years ago it was Aberdeen under Sir Alex Ferguson, this [...]
Football M&A shake-up as investors swap mega-deals for lower league takeovers Sport Business Football’s M&A market has seen a drop in mega-deals as investors have turned their attention to lower leagues, expanding multi-club networks and strategic minority acquisitions. A new report by independent consultancy Football Benchmark said its analysis of the 76 deals to take place so far this year reflected “a maturing market”. While recent years have [...]
Multi-club ownership: Why EFL rule change will help in transfer market Sport Business While multi-club ownership across the football industry continues to grow and remains a headache for Uefa, the EFL has gone the other way and taken the decision to remove restrictions for member teams to invest into sides across Ireland and Scotland for the first time. Under new regulations coming into effect next season, the EFL [...]
Tony Bloom tips Hearts to break Old Firm after Brighton owner invests June 25, 2025 Brighton and Hove Albion owner Tony Bloom has vowed to loosen Celtic and Rangers’ grip on Scottish football after his £10m investment in Hearts was confirmed. Bloom has acquired a 29 per cent share in the Edinburgh club which confers no voting rights but comes with a non-executive director’s seat, which will be taken by [...]
Rangers takeover: 49ers promise to attract better sponsors and signings June 24, 2025 The San Francisco 49ers will lend a “global gravitas and awareness” to Rangers that helps them attract more lucrative commercial deals and better signings, says the Scottish club’s new vice-chairman Paraag Marathe. A US consortium spearheaded by private healthcare businessman Andrew Cavenagh and 49ers Enterprises, the investment arm of the NFL franchise which also owns [...]
49ers consortium completes takeover of Rangers FC May 30, 2025 The investment arm of the San Francisco 49ers are part of a consortium that has completed the takeover of Scottish football club Rangers. The group is led by private healthcare magnate Andrew Cavenagh, who will become the Scottish Premiership club’s chairman, and has completed a 51 per cent takeover of the Ibrox club. Current chairman [...]
Rangers won’t become feeder club to Leeds if 49ers buy them, says Marathe February 26, 2025 Leeds United chairman Paraag Marathe has insisted that Rangers will not become a feeder club if their owners, 49ers Enterprises, complete a takeover of the Scottish giants. The US group, an offshoot of NFL team the San Francisco 49ers, is reported to be in advanced talks about buying a 51 per cent stake in Rangers [...]
Ahead of the Game: Rangers’ US takeover could hinge on EFL talks February 26, 2025 Rangers’ takeover by US investors could depend on talks between EFL clubs about loosening regulations which prevent the dual ownership of clubs in different competitions – including the Premier League and Scottish Premier League – at their divisional meetings this week. No vote will take place as the issue is not a formal agenda item, [...]