ABSTRACT
This chapter explains briefly the governance structures of professional
football in Europe. The organisation of football is broadly similar across all
countries, consisting of clubs, leagues, and national and international gov-
erning bodies. But in each country the structure of ownership and control
has developed in ways that reflect both culture and legal institutions. Most
notably, the role of the state in football varies widely, with, at one extreme,
the English system where the state plays almost no role, to the other
extreme of France, where the state officially licences all professional sports.
This chapter analyses five of the main European football leaguesdFrance,
Germany, England, Italy, and Spaindlooking at who owns and controls the
