The global financial system is currently navigating a period of (at best) structural realignment, following the meteoric rise of private credit as a primary source of corporate and specialised finance. Historically a […]
Paul Quinn
Analysis of the 2025 CAS Football Annual Report and the statutory transformation of English football governance
The global football system in 2025 and early 2026 is undergoing a significant structural change, shifting from a century-long tradition of private, autonomous self-regulation toward a hybrid model of statutory oversight […]
Matthew Benham: An Analysis of Matthew Benham’s statistical gambling operations and football governance
As the majority owner of Brentford Football Club and the founder of the statistical research firm Smartodds, Benham has pioneered an analytical framework that prioritises mathematical probability over traditional subjective scouting and […]
Anthony Grant Bloom: Analysis of Starlizard, the Brighton Model, and the legal challenges to professional gambling integrity
As part of the Analysis Series, I’m going to start looking at club owners. First up “Tony Bloom” Anthony Grant Bloom MBE, started as a mathematics student at the University of Manchester […]
Analysis Series: Eagle Football Group – Olympique Lyonnais (2024-2025)
Eagle Football Group (formerly known as OL Groupe) is a French holding company that owns and manages Olympique Lyonnais. French translation (here) Le Document d’Enregistrement Universel (French) This analysis examines the consolidated […]
Série d’analyses : Eagle Football Group – Olympique Lyonnais (2024-2025) – traduction française
Eagle Football Group (anciennement connu sous le nom d’OL Groupe) est une société holding française qui possède et gère l’Olympique Lyonnais. Le Document d’Enregistrement Universel Cette analyse examine les comptes consolidés au […]
The Analysis Series: Continued analysis of the Eagle Football Holdings collapse, updated with the Botafogo-Olympique Lyonnais litigation
What began as an ambitious attempt by American businessman John Textor to combine the talent-rich Brazilian football market with the commercial infrastructure of European leagues has culminated in a series of high-stakes […]
The Analysis Series: Eagle Football Holdings insolvency will satisfy none of the constituent clubs, nor their fans – particularly Botafogo
Analysis of Eagle Football Holdings insolvency: Debt, inter-company receivables, and the status of Botafogo SAF claims As of April 2, 2026, the governance and structural integrity of the conglomerate has evolved from […]
The Analysis Series: Financial reconstruction: Analysis of Everton Football Club’s 2024/25 Annual Report and Accounts
Stewardship transition The financial reporting period ending June 30, 2025, reports on the most significant structural change in the history of Everton Football Club. Following a protracted period of fiscal instability, regulatory […]
The Analysis Series, Concluding the Eagle Football Analysis – RWDM Brussels
The emergence of multi-club ownership (MCO) has fundamentally re-calibrated the financial and operational parameters of professional football. At the heart of this was John Textor’s Eagle Football Holdings, a corporate structure designed […]
The Analysis Series, continuing the Eagle Football analysis – Botafogo
The formal acquisition of Botafogo SAF occurred in the wake of a desperate need for capital. In December 2021, the club reached an agreement in principle to sell 90% of its shares […]
The Analysis Series: Financial evolution of Eagle Football Group: Analysis of EBITDA and operational performance (2021–2026)
Football is a high risk business. Financial performance is determined by success on the pitch, the security of media rights deals, player acquisition and disposal, the cost and form of capital […]
The Analysis Series: Analysis of Ares Capital Corporation and Eagle Football Holdings Bidco Limited debt architecture
With the appointment of administrators, Cork Gully, in London’s High Court on Friday 27th March 2026, a detailed analysis shows Ares (the lender and security agent) rights and what happens to the […]
The Analysis Series: Navigating multi-club ownership under UEFA Article 5 – the Friedkins, Everton & AS Roma
As of early 2026, approximately 380 clubs worldwide are integrated into MCO frameworks, with nearly 42% of clubs in Europe’s five largest leagues, the Premier League, La Liga, Serie A, Bundesliga, and […]
Talking the Blues podcast; Everton 3 Chelsea 0
Welcome to this week’s Talking the Blues podcast, with George performing brilliantly on stage in Waiting for Godot (go and see it if you can) Andy joins me in a joyous chat […]
The Analysis Series: Analysis of the Eagle Football Holdings legal and creditor landscape
The operations and finances of Eagle Football Holdings (EFH), the multi-club operation majority owned by American entrepreneur John Textor, continues to experience a period of systemic volatility. This instability is evidenced by […]
The Analysis Series: Analysis of the Chelsea FC sanction agreement and the rise of statutory oversight
The ratification of the Sanction Agreement between the Premier League and Chelsea Football Club in March 2026 presents the most complete, extensive forensic investigation into club finances to date, since the inception […]
The Analysis Series: Statutory oversight of English football. An analysis of the Independent Football Regulator licensing proposals
The landscape of English professional football is poised for its most radical structural realignment since the formation of the Premier League in 1992. The enactment of the Football Governance Act 2025 […]
Talking the Blues, Newcastle United (a) & differences in home & away form
Welcome to this week’s Talking the Blues when the three of us look back on a sublime day in Newcastle. We look through yesterday’s performance before speculating on the true reasons for […]
The Analysis Series: The new “squad cost ratio” rules for the Premier League
The Premier League is undergoing a fundamental financial regulatory change, the impact of which will require considerable thought in the coming months. Who will the net winners be? What impact do […]