To celebrate 100 issues of fcbusiness magazine, we’ve compiled a list of the 100 most influential people in the business of football since 2004.
fcbusiness launched in September 2004, and since then a lot has changed in football for better and worse. The game today is very different from what it was then, with new stadium technology, increased business and operational awareness and advances in player performance to changes in football governance and financial management. But who have been the people behind these developments?
Read the full magazine here: http://bit.ly/FCBusiness100digital
The #fcbusiness100 is a list of the people who have made a lasting contribution to football over the last 13 years. Compiled by the writers and editor of fcbusiness magazine the list shows the depth and diversity of figures that have graced the game – some for good reasons, others for bad reasons.
fcbusiness editor, Aaron Gourley said: “Football has changed dramatically since fcbusiness was first published in September 2004. The #fcbusiness100 most influential people is a snap shot of some of the figures that have shaped the game in one way or another. Without these people football would not have developed the way it has.
“Choosing the most influential person in football since 2004 was a very difficult task. However, we felt that Richard Scudamore’s influence at the Premier League was hard to ignore. With the latest round of TV broadcasting rights worth over £8bn, the Premier League sets the standard for all to follow when it comes to extracting the maximum commercial value from an asset.
“The Premier League is seen across the world as the flagship for football and this is down to the leadership of Scudamore. He does, however, face huge criticism for yielding too much power, to the detriment of the football in the lower leagues and that of the national team.
“Despite being banned from all football activities since 2015, both Sepp Blatter and Michel Platini placed second and third in the list respectively for their time leading FIFA and UEFA. Sepp Blatter’s influence cannot be denied despite the turmoil of his reign at FIFA which ended with the ignominy of a ban by the Ethics Committee he set up to tackle wide spread corruption at world football’s governing body.
“There are also those whose tireless dedication has helped shaped the game too like Peter & Kate Shippey, the founders of the Shippey Campaign and Joyce Cook of Level Playing Field whom have been active in changing the attitudes towards football fans with sensory needs and disabilities.
“Then there is Fabrice Muamba whose cardiac arrest at White Hart Lane in 2012 changed the way pitchside care was managed.
“However, football is all about opinions and we expect people to disagree and that’s why we want you to have your voice using #fcbusiness100. Football is a major talking point and it’s this that makes it such a great game. Everyone has a different point and we welcome yours too.”
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