The Lawyers Are Taking Over Soccer
Hello and welcome to another edition of Free Agent! Pack your bags, because it’s a wonderful month to travel. (Have you read Reason‘s travel issue yet?)
But if you’re heading to Europe to watch soccer, you might want to double check the schedule. The schedule for a few teams is a bit up in the air, and some fans are more worried about how the team lawyers are doing in court this week rather than their players. More on that below, plus a quick trip to Philadelphia and a survey for readers on how to fix sports.Â
Locker Room Links
- Felony gun charges were dropped against Los Angeles Chargers linebacker Denzel Perryman, who spent 2.5 days in jail after police found five guns in his car. He was initially pulled over for “vehicle code violations,” and police apparently decided it was necessary to search his car.
- I guess I’m not the only one using AI to get better at golf.
- Derek Dooley, who coached Louisiana Tech and Tennessee’s football teams for three seasons each, is running for Senate in Georgia as a Republican. What do you think is harder, beating Florida or Democratic Sen. Jon Ossoff?
- Sorry not sorry for sharing an incredible series of literal dad jokes.
- The NFL Players Association continues to make terrible decisions.
- ESPN is buying some NFL Media assets like RedZone—unless the Trump administration blocks it.
- Elsewhere in Reason: “Capitalism Isn’t Why You’re Unhappy“
- MLS steps on a rake again with vague and unenforceable speech code: A St. Louis City S.C. fan was ejected for wearing a MAGA hat and now the Justice Department is reportedly investigating the incident.
- Meanwhile in USL League Two:
Now THAT’S a TIFO ???? pic.twitter.com/sLhDlMi5yS
— USL League Two (@USLLeagueTwo) August 2, 2025
Soccer in Court
If two teams go to court in Switzerland, does it make a sound?
Yes and no. Yes because the court can have wide-ranging effects. No because its proceedings are confidential.
This is the Court of Arbitration for Sport (CAS). It can pummel your enemies and help your team—or vice versa.
The court has been in the news lately for soccer-related reasons. UEFA, which governs soccer in Europe, has rules against multiclub ownership. This isn’t much of a problem in U.S. sports because the main leagues are closed to outside competition—one person can’t own two teams in the same league because there’d be an obvious conflict of interest (although Philip Anschutz once concurrently owned six MLS teams in the league’s earlier years). But with soccer as big as it is in the world, people can and do own many different soccer teams.
One such person is American John Textor. He currently owns teams in Brazil (Botafogo), France (Olympique Lyonnais), and Belgium (RWDM Brussels). But he used to own another team in England (Crystal Palace) until UEFA’s multiclub ownership rules intervened. The problem is that UEFA won’t let teams with the same owner play in the same competition. Those four teams all play in different countries most of the time, but when they do well, they qualify for continent-wide competitions too. So when Lyon and Crystal Palace both qualified for UEFA’s Europa League competition, UEFA bumped Crystal Palace into a lower competition in favor of another English team, Nottingham Forest, and Textor had a problem on his hands.
That wasn’t the only problem for Textor, though. Lyon was $634 million in debt, and the French soc
Article from Reason.com
The Reason Magazine website is a go-to destination for libertarians seeking cogent analysis, investigative reporting, and thought-provoking commentary. Championing the principles of individual freedom, limited government, and free markets, the site offers a diverse range of articles, videos, and podcasts that challenge conventional wisdom and advocate for libertarian solutions. Whether you’re interested in politics, culture, or technology, Reason provides a unique lens that prioritizes liberty and rational discourse. It’s an essential resource for those who value critical thinking and nuanced debate in the pursuit of a freer society.
