FootBiz newsletter #30: FIFA fallout, an INEOS deep dive and more

And so it was that we were consigned to a decade of the Qatar stuff all over again.

Will the stadiums be built on time?

Will the non-existent cities that the stadiums are going to be in be built on time?

Will gay people be safe there?

Will women be able to move freely?

What month will it even be in?

How many workers are going to die, or be forced to remain against their will, in order to put on this World Cup?

Yes, Saudi Arabia will host the 2034 World Cup whether you like it or not.

Within FIFA, a lot of people seem to like it. Indeed, the only outward and vocal dissenter was Norway, whose federation president Lise Klaveness said: “FIFA’s own guidelines for human rights and due diligence have not been adequately integrated into the process, increasing the risk of human rights violations.”

Thanks for your input, Lise. Anyway, next up on stage… Mohammed bin Salman!

This is Gianni Infantino’s Qatar moment, but while the US Department of Justice went hard after FIFA in the wake of Russia and Qatar being handed the 2018 and 2022 World Cups, there is a different feeling this time around. Acceptance laced with indifference. Of course they did this, this is who they are.

Now it should be said that I believe Saudi Arabia to be a far more justified host of a World Cup than Qatar ever was. The Saudis have qualified for six of the last eight World Cups and beat Argentina in the group stage of the 2022 tournament. They are a legitimately football-mad, regional powerhouse.

It just stuns me that after the awkward contortion that FIFA had to do to abate human rights questions for so long, and the shame of whitewashing those reports, they’re willing to jump straight back into that again. What could make it all worth it?

Growing the game would be Infantino’s answer. But even with his attempts to go beyond FIFA’s traditional term limits, even Gianni will struggle to find a way to remain president until 2034.

So someone else will inherit this from him, as he inherited Qatar and Russia from Blatter, and the cycle will begin again.

Place your bets for the hosts of World Cup 2046, mine is on China.

Table of Contents

• The INEOS curse

• Rise from the Ashes

• Did CONMEBOL sell out?

• Al-Khelaifi comments spark concern

• New hire at Chelsea

• M&A Murmurs

• Millwall ‘thickos’

• Rash decision

• FIFA press conference latest

The INEOS curse

When INEOS and Sir Jim Ratcliffe assumed sporting control, there was a fairly reasonable assumption that things were about to get better at Manchester United by virtue of the club not being run by a banker and instead by people with a high-performance sporting background.

After a rocky start, though, questions are beginning to be more firmly asked about what exactly Sir Dave Brailsford and the expensively assembled executive group at United are bringing to the party.

INEOS are best known for their achievements in sailing, while they took over a cycling team that had been successful and then disgraced under its previous guise as Team Sky.

But look at Nice, look at Lausanne. What evidence is there in football that INEOS can turn Manchester United around?

Rob Draper dug into their track record, for premium subscribers only. If you wish to join them you can do so from as little as £3.99.

If you aren’t ready to subscribe yet, at least do us a favour and click the Nike ad below.

Winter Style Starts with Nike Air Max.

Discover the Nike Air Max collection designed just for men. With standout styles like the Air Max Plus, AM1, DN, and Pulse, these sneakers combine innovative technology and eye-catching designs. Each model offers cushioned support and versatility, making them perfect for any occasion.

Shop the Men’s Air Max Collection

Rise from the Ashes

Meanwhile, Dan Ashworth could be back to work sooner than many might have expected.

ESPN are reporting that Arsenal are interested in hiring the freshly axed sporting director.

They make a lot of sense as a destination not solely because of Edu’s departure, which leaves a nicely shaped hole, but also Ashworth’s long-standing relationship with Richard Garlick, Arsenal’s managing director and leader of the executive team.

Garlick and Ashworth worked together at West Bromwich Albion, where both made their reputations. Garlick ended up at Arsenal via a role with the Premier League whereas Ashworth went to the FA, Brighton and Newcastle before his brief stop at Old Trafford.

After enquiries, Man United won’t confirm on the record whether Ashworth is now on gardening leave or available to work again.

Did CONMEBOL sell out?

The Saudis winning the right to host 2034 has somewhat overshadowed what will be a remarkable event in 2030, hosted across six countries and three continents.

For many years, it was expected that this centenary World Cup, celebrating 100 years since the first-ever edition in Uruguay in 1930, would return to South America and be hosted in collaboration with Argentina, Paraguay and Chile as well.

In the end, CONMEBOL was politely advised it wouldn’t win, but the South American federation has somewhat sold out the whole continent by taking itself out of the running for a decade in exchange for the opening three games at the 2030 World Cup.

With FIFA’s rotational policy, South America’s inclusion was crucial in helping secure a Saudi tournament four years later by eliminating CONMEBOL nations from eligibility. But whatever money the South American federations are getting for 2030 better be worth it, because there won’t be a tournament fully hosted there until the 2040s at the earliest.

That would be an unthinkable 30-year gap or more since Brazil hosted one of the great tournaments of modern football in 2014, sidelining one of global football’s most important regions.

Al-Khelaifi comments spark concern

Given his positions atop one of Europe’s biggest clubs, Paris Saint-Germain, one of the world’s biggest broadcasters of football, BeIn Sports, powerful lobbying group the European Clubs Association (ECA) and also on UEFA’s executive committee, few people ever have the courage to call out Nasser al-Khelaifi.

But the Union for European Clubs, a group that seeks to represent smaller and medium-sized clubs that feels the ECA only serve the elite, issued a press release this morning after a recent newspaper interview from the Qatari football executive.

“In response to a question about the new ECA-backed Club World Cup, Mr. Al-Khelaifi said that “20-team national leagues” and other domestic tournaments are somehow “increasing” players’ workload,” said the release - available in full here.

“His remarks follow a familiar pattern: framing national leagues as the problem to justify creating more space in the international calendar for elite clubs to play exclusive tournaments among themselves.

“We’ve read this script before. Mr. Al-Khelaifi’s predecessor at the ECA, Andrea Agnelli, openly advocated for reducing the size of domestic leagues to make room for additional international club fixtures. This agenda ultimately culminated in the controversial Super League project, which Al-Khelaifi publicly opposed. Yet his recent remarks suggest that the same vision persists under a new guise.”

“At the UEC, we believe that European football’s core strength lies in its national leagues, which must remain the cornerstone of the sport. Domestic competitions are the primary stage where clubs of all sizes and their players compete, develop, and thrive. Reducing their prominence to prioritise a handful of elite clubs will only deepen the financial and competitive divide within European football, further undermining sporting merit.”

New hire at Chelsea

Chelsea's extensive recruitment off the field is continuing to match their transfer splurges on players, with the club this week hiring Rishi Sunak’s former spokesperson in a new role looking after corporate communications. 

Nerissa Chesterfield, who was director of communications at 10 Downing Street under Sunak, has been appointed as director of corporate communications and affairs at Stamford Bridge.

Chesterfield is Chelsea's third director-level appointment to the Communications department alone since the Todd Boehly/Clearlake Capital takeover two-and-a-half years ago. There have also been extensive and seemingly constant changes in Chelsea's marketing and commercial departments under the new regime, with two de facto chief executives they recruited - Tom Glick and Chris Jurasek - having left the club already.

Chesterfield also worked as a Special Advisor for Sunak at the Treasury when he was Chancellor, during which period the government sanctioned Roman Abramovich, forcing the sale of Chelsea to the new owners who have now recruited her.

As a former senior government advisor, Chesterfield's move to Chelsea had to be approved by the Advisory Committee on Business Appointments, who formally granted permission yesterday. The Committee stated that Chesterfield is barred from lobbying the government or any of its arms’ length bodies on any matters for the next two years.

“The Committee considered there are risks associated with Ms Chesterfield’s influence and network of contacts in government,” it said. “Particularly, as she seeks to take up a role that operates in Chelsea FC’s wider comms and strategy – which could be construed as seeking to influence the UK government on behalf of Chelsea FC, especially in the UK government’s consideration of football regulation.”

M&A Murmurs

The timing of the Everton takeover could hinge on the vagaries of the Festive postal system on Merseyside.

Under the terms of Everton’s Articles of Association, the club must write to their 6000 minority shareholders by post asking them to approve the deal. The small shareholders, who own 5.9 per cent of the club between them, will have 14 days to respond.

The Premier League are in the final stages of giving their approval of The Friedkin’s Group purchase of Everton from Farhad Moshiri, but given the need for shareholder approval completion of the deal will not come until after Christmas. 

Sheffield United’s two-year takeover saga is a danger of descending into farce with owner Prince Abdullah refusing sign off on the deal.

The Guardian reported yesterday that Abdullah has put the sale of the club on hold in the hope of securing a bigger windfall if Chris Wilder’s side are promoted to the Premier League.

Abdullah agreed a £105m sale to American investors Steven Rosen and Helmy Eltoukhy last summer following their relegation to the Championship, with the EFL giving approval last week.

United have performed far better than expected this season and moved to the top of the Championship with a 1-0 win over Millwall last night. Returning to the Premier League would earn them a minimum of £140m in TV money and sponsorship deals, a figure which could increase to £300m if United stayed up for two seasons. 

Promotion would also significantly increase the club's value almost immediately, with Brentford currently on the market for £400m for example, creating the possibility of Abdullah demanding a higher price in the summer.

The existing deal already contains clauses providing future bonus payments for Abdullah if United are promoted after completion. With promotion now seen as a more realistic prospect however, Abdullah is seeking to negotiate bigger bonuses and may not sanction the deal at all whilst promotion remains a possibility. 

United have been for sale for almost two years, but the Rosen/Eltoukhy offer is the first to have received approval from the EFL.

Millwall ‘thickos’

Millwall manager Neil Harris will leave the club on Sunday after calling the fans ‘thickos’.

Harris, who was a legendary player for the tiny south London club, has helped the Lions punch above their weight despite a small budget and a rash of injuries affecting his tight squad.

Responding to criticism after defeat to Coventry City, Harris said “just a reminder to people, the thickos, that when you take the three best players out of the team, that this is Millwall Football Club.”

To give the club time to replace him, Harris’ ‘mutual’ departure will happen after Saturday’s game with Middlesbrough.

Rash decision

A slew of media reports suggesting that Marcus Rashford will be made available by Manchester United would appear to imply that INEOS is ready to offload the academy product and want people to know about it.

But the obstacle is quite clearly going to be his valuation.

Rashford has been performing poorly for a while, but earns between £15-20m a year and has a contract until 2028.

So you’d need to find a club that could pay his wages (there aren’t many of those) and United would likely still be hoping for a fee.

We canvassed a few club decision-makers for what they felt was a reasonable fee for Rashford given the above:

• Person 1: “It would almost have to be a free. Even then, maybe 2 or 3 clubs max would be interested. Tottenham, PSG maybe?”

• Person 2: “£10-15m but I could see someone pay £20m even with his salary. Every club wants a striker and he had a 30 goal season two years ago.”

• Person 3: “-£25m. Can't be positive with that contract.”

An interesting story to follow, at least, as the richer clubs get richer and their offload market becomes smaller.

FIFA press conference latest

Only joking!

After FIFA named the hosts for the 2030 and 2034 World Cups they did not host a press conference.

An odd way to commemorate such a “day of unity and celebration”.