"Beware the football league," says Paphitis
As the government demands a radical overhaul of English football finances to break the domination of the “big four” clubs, Dragons’ Den investor and former Millwall FC chairman Theo Paphitis shares his view of the sport.
Paphitis, who famously took Millwall out of administration, into the Championship and into the FA Cup Final, claims you need an “asbestos suit” to work in the football industry. “Undoubtedly, you’ll get burnt at some stage,” he says.
The football league hit the headlines today as Andy Burnham, the Culture Secretary, calls for Manchester United, Chelsea, Arsenal and Liverpool to share their winnings in Europe with other Premier League teams – redistributing the wealth of the richest league in the world to its lower reaches.
“It’s an incredible industry – but I wouldn’t describe it as a ‘business’,” comments Paphitis. "Some people lose a lot of cash from it, some people make an incredible amount. But the money generated on its own doesn’t substantially sustain the industry – it will always rely on benefactors.”
We interviewed Theo Paphitis as part of our My Greatest Inspiration campaign, in association with Orange. Watch the full vodcast here.
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