European Football Is losing Its Kick

Something is going very wrong in European football. The sport has never been richer, yet it has rarely felt flatter. The great promise of football – its unpredictability, its capacity for genuine surprise – is eroding before our eyes.

Every year, a handful of ‘superclubs’ hoover up the most promising players, dominate domestic leagues, collect the lion’s share of European prize money, and return to do the same again and again. Meanwhile, everyone else fights over scraps. And fans are left paying more for a product that offers less genuine competition than ever.