Multi-club ownership: A Bibliometric Analysis and Agenda for Future Research

This study explores changes and complexities in the ownership of football clubs, with a special focus on the adoption of multi-club ownership models and their implications. A bibliometric review was conducted using databases such as Web of Science, Scopus, and Google Scholar. The methodology included quantitative analysis of publications to identify trends, frequencies, and connections among the main topics discussed in the field. The results highlight the academia's emerging attention to this phenomenon, observing an increase in publications from 2017, particularly related to regulatory implications and the impact of ownership structures on competitiveness and the integrity of competitions within European leagues. The analysis revealed that common themes in the publications include discussions on laws, regulations, and the influence of ownership models on the sports and financial outcomes of the clubs. In conclusion, the study points to the need for an understanding of how multi-ownership networks influence the internal dynamics of clubs and leagues, highlighting the importance of organizational strategies and governance policies to ensure transparency and ethics in modern football. Future research could explore the exchanges of assets between clubs within these networks and their implications for transfer markets and league competitiveness, as well as the impacts of these structures on player migration and the composition of international leagues.