• Skip to primary navigation
  • Skip to main content
  • Skip to primary sidebar

Betting Offers UK

Best Free Bets & Casino Sign Up Offers For 2021

  • Betting Offers
  • Free Bets
  • Casino Bonuses
  • Home
  • New Sites
  • Free Spins
  • Free Bet Clubs
  • Loyalty
  • Football
    • Premier League
  • Horse Racing
    • Cheltenham Festival
      • Disruptions & Cancellations
      • Old Course v New Course Differences
      • Prestbury Cup
      • Top Trainers
    • Grand National
      • Disruptions & Cancellations
      • Back to Back Grand National Winners
      • How Often Does the Favourite Win?
      • How to Pick the Grand National Winner
      • What is the Virtual Grand National?
  • Irish Lottery
  • Blog

Red Bull Gives You Wings: Are Brand-Led Clubs Set to Take Over the World of Football?

16 December, 2019

Red Bull Can
Image Credit: Zeferli / bigstockphoto

In a quiet suburb of Eastern Germany, a revolution is brewing.

It’s not a loud, in-your-face and demands-attention style revolution, more a quiet, slow build that is simply inescapable as momentum continues to grow.

It’s been a decade since the energy drinks company Red Bull purchased the SSV Markranstädt football club, rebranding them RB Leipzig and beginning a journey that sees them, at the time of writing, sitting top of the German Bundesliga and into the last 16 of the Champions League.

The commercial brand has been met with resistance, with German footballing authorities changing their rules so that the Red Bull name could not appear in front of the club’s new moniker – the ‘RB’ stands for RasenBallsport.

Largely detested in Germany for their status as a ‘sell out’ club, everyone associated with RB Leipzig couldn’t give a hoot – they are fast becoming one of the very outfits in European football.

Red Bull have given wings to other teams, too. In 2005 they acquired SV Austria Salzburg, and the off-shoot – Red Bull Salzburg – has gone on to enjoy success domestically and on the continent. If you are a football fan that hasn’t been living under a rock, you can’t help but have heard of the exploits of Erling Braut Haland, who is one of the hottest young talents in the world that has been nurtured by the franchise.

They also own three-time Supporter’s Shield winning MLS side New York Red Bulls too, and there is the opportunity for players and coaching staff to move from one to the other. It’s a network that is rapidly growing in influence across the sport.

So is Red Bull’s investment in football a simple commercial gimmick, or a sign of a corporate future for the beautiful game?

Doing Things the Right Way

RB Leipzig Flag
Image Credit: jorono, Pixabay

For most, Red Bull’s insertion into football was nothing more than a PR stunt or marketing gimmick. They had no place in the modern game!

But if this escapade was merely to get themselves into the media, why on earth did they buy a club in the fifth tier of German football, of which the hometown is populated by just 15,000 people?

All would become clear, as a relocation and rebranding saw them take on the Leipzig name, which had been synonymous with success in the 1980s.

They reached the final of the Cup Winners’ Cup in 1987, but shortly after the reunification of Germany fell upon hard times before going extinct in the 90s.

Spotting an opportunity, Red Bull purchased SSV Markranstädt and moved them to Leipzig – a city with half-a-million inhabitants that at the time did not have their own football team to cheer on.

It was coincidental, rather than meaningful, that Leipzig is also the former home of the German FA, who had tried to block Red Bull’s entry into the sport.

They started to climb the ranks of German football rapidly, winning a number of promotions despite rabid opposition from all corners of the game. Later on, fans of Union Berlin dressed all in black and sat in silence while watching their team take on Leipzig – a symbolic ‘death of football’ moment. Supporters of Dynamo Dresden were a little more, erm, literal with their protest, throwing a severed bull’s head onto the pitch in their own visceral demonstration whilst brandishing signs that read “Tradition Cannot be Bought”.

Tradition kann man NICHT kaufen ! #Bullenkopf #RedBull #Bundesliga #Leipzig #Dresden #DFBPokal RB Leipzig Betrug pic.twitter.com/KjZvi8rNvW

— JB Verneuil (@JB_Verneuil) August 21, 2016

But all is not as it seems. German football has its ‘50+1’ rule, which dictates that fans retain majority voting rights and control over decision-making – in short, Red Bull were not exactly dictatorial in pulling the strings.

And this is a franchise that has not gone out all-guns blazing and spent their fizzy sugar daddy’s cash willy-nilly – this is a club with a global scouting network to find the best young prospects in the world. Timo Werner and Naby Keita, two of the hottest properties in football, were purchased for a combined sum of around £20 million, while Sadio Mane was acquired by sister club Red Bull Salzburg for just £3 million.

Leipzig have resisted mega-bucks spending, have so far kept season ticket prices at a below-average price and have maintained success at the top-level – their second place finish in the Bundesliga in 2015/16 could be replicated or bettered in 2020.

There’s no doubt they are doing things the right way, even if their owners are a little on the unconventional side.

Brand United

Football Match with Pepsi Max Sponsoship Board Showing
Image Credit: sportsphotographer.eu / bigstockphoto

Ferrari Athletic? Microsoft Albion? Ginsters United?

Okay, football’s total discombobulation into corporate ownership structures still appears to be some way off.

It’s rare for a big brand to invest in the beautiful game in this way, and indeed other major clubs that have been purchased by big business have tended to see their investment come from the East.

In 2016, the Chinese firm Suning Holdings Group purchased a controlling two-thirds stake in Inter Milan, a side hanging from the coattails of Juventus year-by-year.

Suning, one of the largest retailers in China, have bought well but not extravagantly, and now Inter look set to finally end Juventus’ Serie A dominance in the 2019/20 campaign.

Wolves’ ascent from the Championship to the Europa League has been brokered by Fosun International, an investments firm with their fingers in real estate, healthcare and more. Their billionaire owner, Guo Guangchang, is friends with super-agent Jorge Mendes, who has been able to broker deals to sign the likes of Ruben Neves, Joao Moutinho and Rui Patricio. While the Chinaman remains interested, expect Wolves to continue their upward march.

And we can’t forget that Leicester’s incredible rise to Premier League champions was, and is, paid for by their Thai owners. Okay, so the King Power group may not have splashed big cash during the Foxes’ historic season, but they have written off debts, paid for a new training ground and infrastructure and invested heavily in the local community. That was why the tragic death of Khun Vichai, their former owner, was met with city-wide anguish.

Are we any closer to a complete takeover of football from major global brands? Perhaps not, with most seemingly happy to keep their chequebooks firmly stowed away.

But the growing dominance of Red Bull and Leipzig, and significant investment from Asia, might just persuade more corporations to take the plunge.

Previous Post: « Will Pep Guardiola Walk Away from Manchester City After the 2019/20 Season?
Next Post: Women in Darts: Fallon Sherrock Makes Darting History at the PDC World Championship »

Primary Sidebar

Blog

Football Manager Standing on Edge of Technical Area
Premier League Manager Statistics: From the Longest and Shortest Reigns to the Most and Least Successful
Football Hitting Net Against Floodlights
The Premier League’s Longest Unbeaten Home Runs
Blurred Horse Race Close Up
Racehorse Doping: Charles Byrnes Suspension Raises Concerns of Widespread Interference
Football Manager In Front of Stadium Holding Ball
Why Do Football Clubs Employ Inexperienced Big Name Players as Managers?
Football Player Celebrating
The Closest Premier League Title Races in History: Will 2020/21 Be One of Them?
More Blog Posts | Full Archives

Archives

Loyalty Offers

  • Acca Bonuses
  • Acca Insurance
  • Best Odds Guaranteed
  • Free Bet Clubs
  • Loyalty Points

Major Events

  • Grand National
    • Disruptions & Cancellations
    • Back to Back Winners
    • How Often Does the Favourite Win?
    • How to Pick the Grand National Winner
    • What is the Virtual Grand National?
  • Cheltenham Festival
    • Festival Disruptions & Cancellations
    • Old Course v New Course
    • The Prestbury Cup
    • Top Trainers
  • Premier League
  • Irish Lottery

Popular Posts

  • Equine Flu Outbreak 2019: Timeline & Latest Updates
  • The Life & Career of Emiliano Sala: From Cow Fields in Argentina to a Terrace Darling in Nantes
  • Brexit & Football: Will Leaving the EU Spell the End of the Premier League As We Know It?
  • Cheltenham Gold Cup 2019 Entries: Who’s In, Who’s Out and Who Should You Back?
  • Rooney’s Rap Sheet: After Airport Arrest We Ask Why Wayne Can't Keep Out of Trouble?
  • Manchester United Sack Jose Mourinho: Is it Farewell or Good Riddance, and What Next for the Portuguese Manager?
  • The Brexit Affect: UK & Irish Horse Racing Could Look Very Different After Leaving the EU
  • Gambling Advertising in Sport: Is it Game Over for Betting Shirt Sponsors in Football?
  • Match Fixing in Sport: How Deep Does it Go and Should Punters be Concerned?
  • Fans Behaving Badly: Football Violence, Riots, Protests and Disruptions
  • Cheating in Darts: Coughing, Farting & Outright Deception
  • FOBT Maximum Stake Limit: How the Government Has Made a Shambles of Our Era’s Most Contentious Betting Issue
  • Does Football Have a Gambling Problem? Sturridge Latest to be Charged by the FA For Breaching Betting Rules
  • A History of The Tote: One of Sports Betting’s Oldest Institutions

Related Posts

  • Premier League Manager Statistics: From the Longest and Shortest Reigns to the Most and Least Successful
  • The Premier League’s Longest Unbeaten Home Runs
  • Why Do Football Clubs Employ Inexperienced Big Name Players as Managers?
  • The Closest Premier League Title Races in History: Will 2020/21 Be One of Them?
  • Heads or Tails: When Football Matches & Tournaments Have Been Decided by a Coin Toss
  • Liverpool or Manchester United – Which Is the Most Successful Club?
  • The Shortest Ever Football Managerial Reigns: Where Does Tony Pulis' 45 Day Sheffield Wednesday Tenure Rank?
  • Messi’s Magic: All of the Broken Records That Prove Lionel is Better Than Ronaldo
  • What Is The Bosman Ruling and Who Is the Best Bosman Signing Ever?
  • Gerard Houllier & Other Ordinary Footballers That Became Extraordinary Managers

Betting Blog

  • American Football
  • Athletics
  • Betting Industry
  • Boxing
  • Cricket
  • Darts
  • Football
  • General
  • Golf
  • Horse Racing
  • Motor Racing
  • Politics
  • Rugby
  • Snooker
  • Tennis
betting-sites.co.uk
gambling-sites.co.uk

Copyright © 2021 Betting-Offers.com | BeGambleAware.org 18+