What killed the European Super League? Undoubtedly part of it was the backlash from the fans. But the government’s threats to intervene were clearly a factor too.
A super league where the six English clubs couldn’t get work permits for any overseas players would have quickly lost its appeal – and the government and the FA were clearly prepared to go down this route. Brexit had strengthened the government’s hand on this; freedom of movement would have meant that any footballer with an EU passport could have come and played for one of the Super League clubs.
Football is clearly a special case. But the government’s willingness to intervene does seem typical of a new era of globalisation in which governments are more prepared to act to curb the powers of corporations. A much bigger test of this will be whether the US Treasury Secretary’s proposal for a global minimum corporation tax rate comes into effect.
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