The Premier League is a staggeringly successful product. Broadcasts attract a global average of more than 600 million viewers a match, almost double the combined audience for the next two biggest European soccer leagues, Spain and Germany.
That¡¯s also close to 10 times the number who watched this year¡¯s Super Bowl outside the U.S. ¡ª the showpiece event of America¡¯s most popular sport. With that level of dominance and the revenue that goes with it, squabbles over money are inevitable.
Hence Manchester City Football Club¡¯s challenge to the Premier League¡¯s rules governing financial transactions between clubs and related parties, which concluded earlier this month with a 175-page ruling from a tribunal panel of three retired judges. Who won? Answering that isn¡¯t as straightforward as judging the outcome of a soccer match, where the score tells the story.
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