ST Sports Talk Podcast: A microscope over business of breakaway European Super League

Supporters hold up placards critical of the idea of a New European Super League, outside English Premier League club Chelsea's Stamford Bridge stadium in London on April 20, 2021, ahead of their game against Brighton. PHOTO: AFP

Updated

Published

Apr 21, 2021, 12:00 AM

ST Sports Talk Ep 128: A microscope over the business of the breakaway European Super League

30:07 mins

Synopsis: ST Sports Talk is The Straits Times' weekly sports podcast.

In this episode, sports correspondent Sazali Abdul Aziz chats with James Walton, who is sports business group leader at Deloitte South East Asia, about the financial reasons behind the audacious bid for a breakaway European Super League (ESL).

Sazali and Walton also discuss whether these clubs' fans are partly to blame for fuelling their owners' greed, how the ESL could change the future of broadcast deals and media consumption trends, whether other sports could follow suit, and whether Walton thinks the ESL will take off at all, given all the criticism.

They discuss:

1. The three reasons behind the mooted breakaway (1:33)

2. How much do teams participating stand to gain? (6:13)

3. Should clubs be more sustainably-run? (13:26)

4. The future of the landscape of broadcast deals (17:20)

5. Whether other sports could see breakaway competitions too (23:01)

6. A clear answer within two weeks (27:01)

Produced by: Sazali Abdul Aziz (msazali@sph.com.sg) and Penelope Lee

Edited by: Penelope Lee

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