Will American Owners Make Football More Like Football?

More than half of England's major soccer clubs will be backed by US money. That has fans worried

- David Hellier and Fareed Sahloul

Amount American financier Todd Boehly has agreed to pay for the Chelsea FC club £4.3B

Chelsea FC’s new owner-in-waiting, Todd Boehly, an American financial and media executive, had to charm sporting and political power brokers earlier this year to triumph in one of the most fiercely contested takeovers in the history of football. Pressure on Chelsea’s Russian oligarch owner, billionaire Roman Abramovich, to sell the team to comply with sanctions stemming from the Ukraine invasion suddenly fulfilled the American’s years long dream to own the club. Now comes the real challenge: winning trophies without breaking the bank.

Boehly’s acquisition still must overcome last-minute haggling between Abramovich and the UK government over terms that the sale proceeds go to a charity. If it goes through, when the next English Premier League season begins in August, American money will be backing more than half of the 20 competing teams.