September 29, 2022
The brief from today:
Boehly tries to buy Lyon
Chelsea’s new co-owner, Todd Boehly, has certainly been in the news since the takeover of the West London club earlier this year. His maneuvering of the summer transfer window as interim sports director displayed his lack of experience in the football world, but that didn’t stop him from splashing almost £300 million in transfer fees. One of the recurring approaches he seemed to take was pursuing players that other clubs were in negotiations for sensing that he may find an opening. Whether this was because he lost out on players like Raphinha and Kounde due to Barcelona employing that approach on him, or if this is his standard approach to business dealings was unclear. There may be something to the latter point, however, as recent news seems to suggest he utilizes this mindset more often than not. Earlier this month, another American, John Textor, was rumored to be facing some challenges with the closing of his takeover of Ligue 1 side, Lyon. As of today, however, the push back he was receiving from some of Lyon’s creditors has been mediated, and the deal should be finalized imminently. This temporary standstill was observed by Boehly earlier this month, and the reports are he tried to swoop in and purchase the French club. He was clearly rebuffed, but it was yet another example of what seems to be one of his favored approaches to business. It wasn’t long ago that Boehly made headlines while speaking at a conference where he suggested the Premier League should have All Star games like those in US sports. While the majority of attention was placed on those comments, and his whole “northern clubs versus southern clubs” format for the match, he did mention some of his other long-term plans for Chelsea. Chief among those was a multi-club strategy that would mirror that of Red Bull or City Football Group. With these two groups, the clear approach is to have one marquee club at the top of the network, with a host of other smaller sized teams in other countries. With that in mind, it’s no surprise that he attempted to purchase another club, the shock is the scale of club he went after. Never mind the advanced state of negotiations that Textor and Lyon were already in, the fact that Boehly went after another top level European club shows the level of seriousness regarding the acquisition of other teams. He still needs a little more tact with his approach, but he certainly doesn’t lack audacity or directness.
Todd Boehly in the news yet again, but this time it’s for attempting to purchase Lyon
Algeria jersey design causes tension
With the World Cup drawing closer, various sports brands have been rolling out their latest releases of national team jerseys in recent months. Fans have been taking to social media to give their take on all the new selections, and whether they get the aesthetic seal of approval. Morocco’s Ministry of Culture is not dealing with one of the jersey’s on a trivial level, however, as they have taken great umbrage with the Algerian jersey designed by Adidas. The reason for their displeasure is what they view as the cultural misappropriation displayed on the kit of their North African neighbor. The Ministry of Culture has drawn attention to what they believe is a “theft of motifs inspired by the Moroccan zellige [ceramic characteristic of traditional Moroccan decorative art] which appear on Algeria’s sports jerseys”, and this is what prompted their next course of action. In an official correspondence sent to Adidas CEO, Kasper Rorsted, the ministry has demanded the German manufacturer withdraw all Algerian apparel in the next two weeks. Algeria’s inability to qualify for the World Cup could play in Morocco’s favor as jersey sales for the tournament might not be as pressing for Adidas. Whether the German company will oblige to such demands, however, is certainly something worth watching.
The Algerian jersey (above) causing unrest in Morocco is said to resemble Moroccan zellige designs