Football

In Part One of Profit for the Pitch, we ran through Rangers’ rise to nine consecutive League Flags, Celtic’s reconstruction under Fergus McCann and the moment Celtic stopped Rangers from winning ten titles in a row. But the end of Rangers’ domestic dominance did not end their ambition. If Scotland could no longer provide the financial scale to match Europe’s biggest clubs, Rangers would have to find another way. Could Rangers buy their way into Europe’s elite — and how could

Few football rivalries define the identity of their city as extensively as the Old Firm. Through generations, Rangers and Celtic competed for players and domestic silverware, European nights and, of course, the bragging rights. Although these honours were won on the pitch, the players were provided by the business off the pitch. The business of the club is brought together in the boardroom and back offices, which connect the corridors of power through the tunnel, to the pitch

WEDNESDAY 15 JULY 2026 - LOS ANGELES - 40 years ago at the 1986 World Cup in Mexico, within the Estadio Azteca, Argentina defeated England 2-1 in the quarter final. That day, Diego Maradona delivered the haunting Hand of God to illegally punch the ball over England Goalkeeper Peter Shilton CBE. A decade ago at a dinner of the Southern Amateur League, Peter recalled the experience for us. Some say that Maradona's so-called Hand of God cheated England out of a place in the 198

MONDAY 15 JUNE 2026 - BOSTON - Two articles ago, we examined allegations of illegal ticket pricing at World Cup 2026. Last week, we asked whether FIFA's discounted tickets were a lifeline or a brand betrayal. This week, we turn from FIFA's ticket marketplace to a commercial negotiation closer to home, and highlight the risks of AI being used in contract drafting without adequate legal oversight. Even if FIFA used AI in negotiations of its contracts with ticket agents, it almo

MONDAY 08 JUNE 2026 - TORONTO - Following our article last week on allegations of illegal ticket pricing, FIFA reportedly started selling tickets at up to 30% below face value through a resale marketplace run by Ticketmaster. Critics allege however that these are actually direct sales by FIFA to circumvent any obligation to refund earlier buyers at higher prices. This raises questions that matter as much to finance professionals as they do to football fans: Is it fair that ea

MONDAY 01 JUNE 2026 - LONDON - So last weekend I caught up on the ticket prices for the World Cup as it now looks like I can be there this month after chairing the 2026 ICAEW Webinar on Sport. Rather than kicking off with the usual spreadsheet of people, places and dates like I did for WAFCON in Morocco last year, this time I was shocked on sight as FIFA appeared to be advertising tickets up to USD 5.75m - for one match! Admittedly, my cousin has expensive taste and it was S