European Club Capitalism and FIFA Redistribution Models: An Analysis of Development Patterns in Globalized Football

Abstract

Globalisation has had different implications for professional club football in Europe and the global football landscape governed by FIFA. In club football, Europe is at the top of the financial ladder with club revenues having increased significantly over the last decades. For teams in the “Big Five” leagues (England, France, Germany, Italy and Spain), a new inflow of media rights revenues from markets outside Europe has strengthened their position. This pattern contrasts the redistribution of revenues generated by FIFA to football nations on continents other than Europe. The expansion of teams in the FIFA World Cup has also developed in a direction that favours non-European football nations. This paper analyses the reasons behind the different revenue distribution models that have evolved in club football and the broader football landscape governed by FIFA. In club football, the market forces have worked in favour of those having the best product quality, whereas FIFA’s model have favoured weaker continents.