Footnotes #14: Blatter's peaceful plan, Mendy's victory over City, and more

Welcome back to Footnotes, a newsletter covering key events and stories in the football industry.

Here is the starting 11:

1?? Blatter’s plan to get the USA and Russia on the same team

2?? Barcelona's deal with Nike worth €127 million per season

3?? Amazon grabs one Brazilian game per week

4?? Mendy gets his money back

5?? Watford is on Textor’s radar

6?? Swansea is changing hands

7?? A fan cooperative will own the stadium

8?? A new location for PSG’s home ground

9?? United delays Old Trafford's decision

1??0?? EU getting "very political" over sport

1??1?? The Premier League is getting exciting (and Serie A too)

1?? Blatter’s plan to get the USA and Russia on the same team

If it sounds wild, it's because it is. And it was already long before any sign of war in Ukraine.

According to journalist Miguel Delaney, who recently published the book States of Play, former FIFA president Sepp Blatter planned a joint organization of the 2018 and 2022 World Cups between Russia and the USA, with the Local Organizing Committees working as one. Delaney, chief football correspondent at The Independent, explains that Blatter was pursuing the dream of winning a Nobel Peace Prize.

What Blatter wasn't expecting was the FIFA Council to award the 2022 World Cup to Qatar after UEFA president Michel Platini changed his mind, delivering his vote to this Middle Eastern country (just 10 days after having lunch with Sarkozy and Qatari leaders). A decision that led to Platini's temporary arrest in June 2019 for alleged corruption. [BBC]

2?? Barcelona deal with Nike worth €127 million per season

Barcelona has signed a new multi-year agreement with Nike, worth over €1.8 billion, that could last 14 years—€127 million per season. The deal replaces the previous contract set to run through 2027-28.

The Catalans wanted to terminate the contract earlier this year, claiming Nike had breached the terms of the agreement, but the club lost in court [Mundo Deportivo, in English].

The decision to renegotiate the deal comes amid significant financial strain for Barcelona.

You can read more in Forbes or Marca [in Spanish].

3?? Amazon grabs one Brazilian game per week

Amazon is close to securing exclusive domestic streaming rights for one weekly Brasileir?o (Serie A) match starting in 2025, according to SportBusiness.

The five-year deal grants Amazon 38 matches per season, complementing its Copa do Brasil coverage through a partnership with Globo.

The platform will sign the deal with Liga Forte Uni?o (LFU), one of two club blocs selling their media rights independently from 2025. LFU includes 11 top-tier clubs like Corinthians, Vasco, Cruzeiro, and Internacional.

4?? Mendy gets his money back

Benjamin Mendy has won in court against Manchester City, securing ￡8.5 million (€10.2 million) of the ￡11 million (€13 million) he claimed in unpaid wages.?The Athletic explains what happened.

This process followed Mendy's third arrest on rape charges in August 2021, after which City suspended him and stopped paying salaries.?

Last year, Mendy was cleared of all charges.

5?? Watford is on Textor’s radar

John Textor is exploring the possibility of buying Watford if he manages to sell his stake in Crystal Palace, according to The Sun. The American businessman, who previously attempted to buy Everton, is interested in expanding his multi-club portfolio, which already includes Lyon (France), Botafogo (Brazil), and Molenbeek (Belgium).?

Watford’s current owner, Gino Pozzo, is open to selling, and Textor has discussed with other investors the possibility of forming a consortium to acquire the Championship club.

6?? Swansea is changing hands

Jason Levien and Steve Kaplan, the majority owners of Swansea City, are selling their stake to other shareholders. The transaction, pending English Football League approval, will bring over ￡20 million (€24 million at current exchange rates) into the club. [You can read more on the BBC]

Since their relegation from the Premier League in 2018, Swansea has remained in the Championship.

7?? A fan cooperative will own the stadium

Bundesliga’s St. Pauli, based in Hamburg and renowned for its social consciousness, wants to raise €30 million by selling a majority stake in its stadium to a fan cooperative. Each supporter can buy shares for €850.

The club, known for its progressive stance, has refused sponsorship deals with betting and cryptocurrency companies.

“The cooperative is the perfect model for FC St. Pauli,” said club president Oke G?ttlich, quoted by SportBusiness. “It gives members and fans a stake under application of a general democratic rule—everyone has one vote irrespective of the number of shares purchased.”

“It’s the most important project for FC St. Pauli since the Millerntor Stadium new build. We aim to show that not only is a different kind of football possible but also a different kind of financing,” he added.?

The sale started on Sunday, November 10, and will end in January.

This initiative comes almost at the same time Union Berlin is raising €60 million by allowing fans to purchase up to 10 shares, €500 each [see Footnotes #13]

8?? A new location for PSG’s home ground

Paris Saint-Germain is considering building its new 60,000-seat stadium 24 km from the city centre. Owned by Stellantis Group, the site could be available by 2025 if production stops there. [SportsPro]

The decision comes after PSG’s attempts to buy the Parc des Princes fell through. [Sportcal]

9?? United delays Old Trafford's decision

Manchester United’s decision on whether to redevelop Old Trafford or build a new 100,000-seat stadium has been delayed until next summer, according to The Telegraph. A survey of 500,000 fans showed divided opinions.?

The club will manage the financing, with public funding possibly aiding infrastructure.

1??0?? EU getting "very political" over sport

European Commission's candidate with the sports portfolio promised last week that the Executive branch of the European Union will be “very political” over governance.

Glenn Micallef, the Maltese candidate to be Commissioner for Intergenerational Fairness, Youth, Culture, and Sport, spoke at the European Parliament last week, emphasizing that autonomy in sports has its preconditions.

“This autonomy means that the sporting movement can govern and regulate their sport without undue external influence, but this is not without any conditions. In fact, there are two very important preconditions to this autonomy. The first is that they respect EU law. And the second is that they follow good governance principles, good governance principles, which are accountability,” said Glenn Micallef.?“They have to be clear. They have to be transparent and they have to be fair in the way that they manage sport."

"We will have the opportunity to be very political in our work on the sports model, where we make it clear to the sporting movement that the respect for our competition law is not something that we can compromise on, and we will have to ensure rather that they comply with these legislations that we have inside the Union,” Micallef pointed out.

Via FFAR

You can hear Glenn Micallef’s hearing here:

1??1?? The Premier League is getting exciting (and Serie A too)

After Manchester United hired Amorim, we said that his first task would be to close the gap on fourth place, which guarantees access to the Champions League. At that point, United was sitting in 13th place, with ten games played and six points separating them from Chelsea, Arsenal, and Aston Villa. It seemed like a feasible task, though a steep climb ahead.

Since then, however, the Portuguese coach's task has become a little easier. The gap between third and 13th in the Premier League is only four points after 11 matches.

Liverpool sits top with 28 points, followed by Manchester City with 23, setting up a two-horse race for the title. Then, four teams are on 19 points—Chelsea, Arsenal, Nottingham Forest, and Brighton—while Fulham, Newcastle, and Aston Villa have 18. Tottenham and Brentford follow with 16 points. Bournemouth (12th), and Manchester United (13th) have 15 points.

The Independent highlights that this is the closest the Premier League has been at this stage, noting “the four points that separated third-placed Chelsea and 11th-placed Fulham in 2002-03, and the five between Spurs and Middlesbrough in 2005-06.” From third to 13th, the closest gap has been the six points between Arsenal and Newcastle United in 1998-99.

Miguel Delaney offers two reasons: the impact of the Profit and Sustainability Rules and the congested schedule.

The Italian Serie A is also an exciting league at the moment. Napoli leads with 26 points, followed by Atalanta, Fiorentina, Inter, and Lazio, all on 25 points. Juventus has 24, while AC Milan has 18 with a game in hand.

Thank you for reading,

Vítor Rodrigues Oliveira