The Athletic FC Podcast

Episode: UEFA v FIFA & the Battle for Club Football’s Future

Date: September 8, 2025
Host: Adam Leventhal
Guests & Contributors: Matt Slater, Adam Crafton, Maheta Malango (PFA CEO), Ronan Evain (Football Supporters Europe)

Brief Overview

This episode explores the power struggle shaping club football's future, focusing on the shifting dynamics between UEFA and FIFA as they vie for control over competitions, scheduling, and revenue. With the aftermath of FIFA’s expanded Club World Cup, legal challenges to governance models, hectic football calendars, and growing player and supporter unrest, The Athletic’s reporters dissect whether football’s current direction risks its long-term health. The episode features interviews with player union and supporter group leaders, offering in-depth perspectives beyond the boardroom.

Key Discussion Points & Insights

1. The State of European Club Football

• European Dominance Remains ([02:36] Matt)
  • Despite stronger performances from South American clubs in the expanded Club World Cup, European teams still dominate both financially and competitively.
  • Premier League clubs, in particular, overpower others in revenue and global reach.
  • The new expanded European competitions represent a partial win for elite clubs, but compromise continues to shape the format and calendar.
  • Quote:
    “If you look at kind of money rankings, Europe streets ahead ... the richest non-European club is Flamengo at 30 with annual revenues of about 200 million euros ... so that's the reality now.” ([03:10] Matt)
  • Beneath the Champions League elite, mid- and lower-level clubs in Europe face growing financial and regulatory pressure.

2. Is There an Existential Crisis?

• No Imminent Crisis, But Underlying Pressures ([05:37] Adam Leventhal)
  • Despite disruption and spending, football remains intensely popular.
    "I don't see it really as crisis at all ... Live sport is still, you know, why do you think all the streaming platforms that we see are acquiring live sport is? Because it's the one thing they know people will definitely tune into."
  • Calls for reform center not on survival, but on improving sustainability and competitiveness across leagues.

3. Governance and Legal Battles: FIFA v UEFA v Domestic Leagues

• Governance Lags Behind Globalization ([07:14] Matt)
  • The core issue is outdated governance structures ill-suited to today’s financial and political realities.
  • Conflicts arise when governing bodies act as both regulators and market participants (e.g., UEFA and FIFA running competitions and controlling rules).
  • “The governance hasn't really kept up ... The old way of doing sport doesn't really work.” ([08:50] Matt)
  • Recent legal cases (e.g., Super League, agent regulation) signal gradual erosion of long-held governing autonomy.

4. The Accelerating Pace and Its Disorienting Effects

• Financial Growth & Cost Pressures ([10:53] Adam Leventhal)
  • Club valuations, costs, and external money (private equity, sovereign wealth) have exploded, but clubs are struggling to control costs, especially wages.
  • "The costs of running professional sports teams have gone insane. That's the other area ... How do you control costs?" ([12:09] Adam Leventhal)

5. The Club World Cup Aftermath and Expansion Debate

• Short-Term Legacy ([16:33] Adam Leventhal)
  • The tournament was highly lucrative for participating clubs but has limited broader resonance.
  • Growing player injury concerns and questions about workload are emerging.
  • “If you get a ton of money and it's about two, three weeks work ... probably taking home 50 million while only having their players impacted for two weeks.” ([17:07] Adam Leventhal)
• Push for Biennial Club World Cup ([19:25]–[22:08])
  • FIFA wants to make it biennial and further expand participation, driven by commercial incentive and envy of UEFA's success.
  • Obstacles include calendar congestion, domestic league resistance, reliance on Saudi/Qatari funding, and risk of harming the Champions League brand.
  • "There is no way you can just fit a 32 team or 48 team Club World cup in every other year ... financial impact on, on the Champions League I think is absolutely right." ([22:07] Matt)
• Host Country Dynamics ([23:16]–[26:25])
  • Unlikely to return to Gulf hosts soon due to climate/calendar. Possible future hosts: Brazil, England, Spain, US.
  • Gulf financial support remains crucial for viability.

6. Players' Perspective: Burnout, Consultation, and Wage Issues

• FIFA Accused of Ignoring Players ([26:25]–[32:31])

  • FIFPro’s blunt statement: “Football needs responsible leadership, not emperors. It needs fewer autocratic monologues and more genuine, inclusive and transparent dialogue.” ([26:41] Quoted by Host)
  • Interview with Maheta Malango (PFA CEO)
    • Points to governance failures and disconnect from player welfare.
    • Asserts that quality of the sport is falling due to excessive workloads:
      “It's now a question of the quality of the show ... games which are no longer of the quality that we would expect, just because ... [players] are just not able to perform at the level they should be performing.” ([27:48] Maheta Malango)
    • Agreements do exist at European level (with UEFA), but there is little meaningful global consultation; players haven’t been asked about international fixtures or games abroad.
    • “More money does not mean that you get an extra leg or an extra lung.” ([29:17] Maheta Malango)
  • Strikes Technically Possible, But Unlikely ([32:54] Matt)
    • The threat of strike action is the union’s ultimate power, but historically rare in football—even in the face of mounting pressures.

• Players' Wages and Club Financial Dilemmas ([35:01] Adam Leventhal)

  • The unsustainable ratio of wages to revenue is driving clubs to seek more revenue, sometimes at sporting or ethical cost.
  • "Is it actually just a case of we all just need to earn a little bit less money? No one will ever say that, but that is one way around it, right?"

7. Supporters' Perspective: The Battle Over 'Exporting' Fixtures

• Interview with Ronan Evain (Football Supporters Europe) ([43:56]–[51:14])

  • Strong opposition to domestic games being played abroad (e.g., La Liga in Miami, Serie A in Australia).
  • “There’s no in between. And this is an existential threat to football as we know it.” ([43:56] Ronan Evain)
  • Two-fold issue: alienating local supporters and eroding the cultural tie between club, community, and territory.
  • Argues commercial “quick fixes” risk long-term harm, and clubs over-estimate the loyalty of local (“legacy”) fans.
  • “It’s hard to imagine how this could be a smart business decision. This is all based on the fact that ... your local fans will always be stupid enough to follow.” ([46:32] Ronan Evain)
  • Football’s popularity among youth and globally remains strong—no need to “Americanize” for growth.
  • Fan input in governance is limited (better at UEFA, non-existent at FIFA/world level).

• Legal and Regulatory Pathways ([51:25] Matt & Adam Leventhal)

  • Political support could slow or limit fixture exports, but sheer club/financial power means only partial victories are likely.
  • “I think powerful forces, I. E. The money, the big clubs want this to happen. Where Ronan and his people ... have a chance, I think is, can we limit this?” ([51:25] Matt)
  • Adam foresees a likely compromise: a regulated, limited number of games per territory, coordinated to avoid direct clashes and market cannibalization.

• Summary Closing ([56:22]):

  • The episode closes with a recognition that all these issues—commercialization, competition expansion, player burnout, supporter discontent—will remain at the forefront as the future of football's structure is contested.

Notable Quotes & Memorable Moments

• On competitive and financial dominance
  “European club game is still by far the biggest, most powerful, strongest in the global game.”
  — Matt ([05:10])

• On financial pressures as the root driver
  “What we've also seen, the huge pressure is costs … how do you control costs?”
  — Adam Leventhal ([12:09])

• On governance failings
  “You’ve got these governing bodies who are also market participants ... you can’t do both.”
  — Matt ([09:37])

• On Club World Cup expansion ambition
  “I think there's real pressure that [Club World Cup] goes to two years. I think there's equal pressure that it goes to 48 teams.”
  — Matt ([21:13])

• On disconnect between football business and players' realities
  “More money does not mean that you get an extra leg or an extra lung ... those guys are not robots.”
  — Maheta Malango ([29:17])

• On the risk to club identity and supporter culture
  “This is the end of this vital connection between a club and a territory ... once the floodgates have opened, there’s no way back.”
  — Ronan Evain ([44:03])

Timestamps for Important Segments

• State of European Football: [02:36]–[05:10]
• Is Football in Crisis?: [05:10]–[06:47]
• Governance and Legal Challenges: [06:47]–[10:53]
• Disorientation of Rapid Change: [10:53]–[13:04]
• Club World Cup Fallout & Expansion: [16:20]–[26:25]
• Players’ Views and Burnout: [26:25]–[32:31]
• Players’ strikes and wage issues: [32:54]–[37:23]
• Live Experience vs. Elite Product: [38:21]–[41:33]
• Supporters and Exported Fixtures: [43:56]–[53:12]
• Future Scenarios and Closing: [53:12]–[56:22]

Structure and Tone

The tone is analytical but conversational, mixing reporting with insights and on-the-ground perspectives from interviewees. The speakers do not shy from criticism and express skepticism about the motivations of governing bodies and commercial actors. The episode balances macro-level financial and political themes with tangible examples of player and supporter experience.

Useful for Listeners Who Haven’t Tuned In

This episode provides an incisive, accessible overview of football’s complicated present and uncertain future, illustrating how regulatory disputes, commercial expansion, and the experience of those who play and support the game are intertwined. Anyone interested in the structural changes impacting club football will come away with a comprehensive understanding—plus a sense of just how many competing voices and interests are jostling behind the scenes.