Public interest versus private property rights Ownership structures of public-interest organisations

For several years, research in the economics of sport has been embroiled in an intense debate: who owns football? To date, no efforts have been made, however, to examine insights into the ownership structures and property rights of football clubs in the context of broader business aspects. Such efforts would facilitate an analysis of a) the interests and roles of other stakeholder groups (stakeholder theory) and b) influences of society-specific institutional systems that shape national ownership regimes and structures in the context of public interests.

Based on the issue of competitive balance, the project sets out to examine how increasing marketisation, internationalisation and professionalisation have led to a rise in private ownership in football and to investigate the societal impact of that development.