Your take to single out the American owners is interesting in comparison (minus Chelsea) when the people over in England are grouping the supposed "Big Six" (2 Mancs, the three London Clubs and Liverpool) together as the beneficiaries of the newly found adherence to PSR/FFP. My sample size is mostly a group of people in Manchester that work for a sister company of my employer. I speak to them weekly and we always talk football at the end of our Zoom meetings.
I actually found it rather interesting that when Newcastle's takeover occured, the governance of English Football had a very keen interest in enforcing existing rules in addition to creating new ones. They didn't want a Frankenstein on their hands. The English FA are going to have more rigid rules than UEFA in the years ahead. The bigger and certainly more clever clubs are going to find ways to circumvent the system because they always do. Chelsea was already pulling shenanigans giving out long term contracts to try to bend around the rules.
They way they have handled Everton and Nottingham Forest has everyone on pause, in addition to the marathon investigating they've done involving Manchester City. It doesn't appear genuine in my eyes. It's a shock and awe show for effect. It feels like a typical sports governing body in that they're reactive rather than proactive and always behind the curve of what the clubs are doing.
I don't think I'm really coming to any crazy conclusion on this.
American ownership is rampant in the PL.
I believe it's up to about half the current clubs now.
None of those ten ownership groups bought thier respected clubs, because of a deep love for the club or thier traditions, they did so because they looked at it as a business opportunity. In my opinion, no different then the middle east ownerships of Manchester City, and Newcastle.
I think it's fair to say that business opportunity has been a very profitable one for each of John Henry, Glazer family, and Stan Kroenke.
The best way to keep that gravy train going is to stack the deck against those below them, and keep profits stabilized or improving.
The best way to do that is outspend your competition, and keep your returning profits higher (a.k.a. European football money)
It is what it is.
I'm a Manchester City fan. I'm at peace with where my club falls into all this.
If there is indisputable evidence (which I have still yet to see any after half a decade of these allegations) that they did break the established rules (even if I don't agree with them) then they deserve to be punished.
What that punishment will be if found guilty is hopefully a fair one. Time will tell..
I honestly don't know what the best path forward is for the sport.
COVID-19 really thew everything into a tailspin, as we can see with what is going on at Barca right now.
Liverpool is one of the biggest clubs in the world, and didn't seem to get any serious contenders for thier purchase when Henry allegedly put them up for sale last year.
It just seems wrong to me to not allow Everton or Nottingham Forest to spend money to compete with the Big 6 if they have an ownership group that is willing to do so, and absorb those losses for the fans.
The inability with these rules to allow that to happen, leaves a sour taste in my mouth about what the future holds for the sport and league I love.
