Multi-club ownership becomes the risky model for America’s soccer spree | Ed Aarons

Uefa is troubled by the trend of US investors targeting multiple clubs, but they have reaped limited rewards so far

It is a trend that a few months ago was described by Uefa's European Club Footballing Landscape report as being fuelled predominantly by United States-based investors" and having the potential to pose a material threat to the integrity of European club competitions". Yet Aleksander Ceferin's admission that European football's governing body is considering a rule change after Manchester United's takeover talks raised issues around potential conflict of interests seemed to indicate it is a threat Ceferin feels the game must embrace.

Uefa's report published in February estimated that 6,500 players from 195 clubs - a 75% increase in less than three years - were employed by 27 multi-club investment groups, a third of which are based in the US. It is too early to say whether this is a passing fad, but John Textor - whose Eagle Football Holdings has shares in Lyon, Crystal Palace, the Brazilian side Botafogo and the Belgian club RWD Molenbeek - believes the model is here to stay.