S1E4: Football ownership: Should you care? - Hard Tackle

Hard Tackle

Are football's super-rich owners killing the game? We discuss if fans should care.

Synopsis: Every fourth Wednesday of the month, The Straits Times dives into a sports topic and tackles the hard questions with its guests on Hard Tackle.

Manchester United fans around the world are mostly ecstatic that the Glazers may finally sell the club. The American family’s ownership of the club has been marred by fan protests, huge debts and poor performance on the pitch.

While Qatar’s Sheikh Jassim bin Hamad al-Thani and British entrepreneur Sir Jim Ratcliffe remain as frontrunners in the takeover race, fans of the Red Devils have been caught up in a moral conundrum. It is a similar situation that Manchester City and Newcastle United fans have previously found themselves in.

In this episode, ST sports reporter Deepanraj Ganesan hosts Deloitte Asia-Pacific's sport business group leader James Walton and assistant ST Now editor Sazali Abdul Aziz.

Listen to a passionate debate on why fans should care and why football ownership is in the spotlight.

Highlights (click/tap above):

1:15 Why are football clubs attractive to businessmen and investors ?

10:00 Are Manchester United fans justified in wanting new owners?

15:30 How Sazali - as a Newcastle United fan - feel about new owners from the Middle East?

23:40 Should a fan care about something he has no control over, such as who owns his or her club?

33:40 Football is past the point of no return, when it comes to foreign football ownership and the lack of checks and balances

Read more: https://str.sg/iUPv

Produced by: Deepanraj Ganesan ([e-mail]), Ernest Luis, Paxton Pang & Eden Soh

Edited by: Eden Soh

Follow ST Sports Talk Podcast episodes every second and fourth Wednesday of the month:

Channel: https://str.sg/JWRE

Apple Podcasts: https://str.sg/JWRa

Spotify: https://str.sg/JW6N

Google Podcasts: https://str.sg/JX88

SPH Awedio app: https://www.awedio.sg/

Website: http://str.sg/stpodcasts

Feedback to: [e-mail]

Follow Deepanraj Ganesan on Twitter: https://str.sg/wtra

Read his articles: https://str.sg/Jbxq

---

Discover more ST podcast channels:

In Your Opinion: https://str.sg/w7Qt

Asian Insider: https://str.sg/JWa7

Health Check: https://str.sg/JWaN

Green Pulse: https://str.sg/JWaf

Your Money & Career: https://str.sg/wB2m

ST Sports Talk: https://str.sg/JWRE

#PopVultures: https://str.sg/JWad

Music Lab: https://str.sg/w9TX

Discover ST Podcasts: http://str.sg/stpodcasts

Discover BT Podcasts: https://bt.sg/pcPL

---

Special edition series:

True Crimes Of Asia (new): https://str.sg/i44T

The Unsolved Mysteries of South-east Asia (5 eps): https://str.sg/wuZ2

Invisible Asia (9 eps): https://str.sg/wuZn

Stop Scams (10 eps): https://str.sg/wuZB

Singapore's War On Covid (5 eps): https://str.sg/wuJa

---

Follow our shows then, if you like short, practical podcasts!

#sportstalk

See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

فصل ها

1. Football ownership: Should you care? - Hard Tackle (00:00:00)

2. Why are football clubs appealing to investors? (00:01:15)

3. New Manchester United owners justified? (00:10:00)

4. Thoughts on Newcastle United's new owners (00:15:30)

5. Should a fan care about who owns the club? (00:23:40)

6. Football is past the point of no return (00:33:40)