The Soccernomics Podcast

The ongoing Manchester City saga means financial regulations in sports leagues continue to be a hot topic. Some have suggested that what European football needs are salary caps, luxury taxes and second aprons - regulations we see in US Sports leagues. But what are these regulations, and could they really be brought to Europe.

Stefan also gives a little preview of Thursday's episode - our first bonus episode for The Soccernomics Podcast FC patreon subscribers - where he will reveal recent research he's done on the Burnley-Everton lawsuit over the 2021-2022 relegation battle. You wan't want to miss it, or entry to our Fantasy Premier League that starts this weekend.

Sign up for our patreon to make sure you don't: https://www.patreon.com/c/TheSoccernomicsPodcast

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There was some big news for The Soccernomics Podcast earlier this week: we won a Bronze at the Signal Awards in the sports genre! No show can win an award without an audience - so thank you all for being a part of this honor.

But independent podcasting is tough. As Ashish shares in this message, it's hard to enjoy the win for long while trying to do everything possible to keep this podcast going. And in that sense, we still need your help. If you like what we're doing and haven't already, please get involved with our Patreon:

https://www.patreon.com/c/TheSoccernomicsPodcast

The button for monthly membership options are towards the top right, while the one-time contribution options are down at the bottom of the home page.

Talk to you soon!

Last week, the UK's Independent Football Regulator (IFR) came out with its 'State of the Game' report which said that 94% of football clubs in the country are technically insolvent, and the majority on the edge of financial disaster.

But we're here to let you in on a little secret. Despite the being on the edge of financial ruin, football clubs almost never die. Stefan explains why...

...we also explain that unlike football clubs, The Soccernomics Podcast actually will die without continued support from you (sorry, but the segue was too easy)!

We're incredibly grateful to everyone who has contributed to our Patreon so far. But if we're thinking long-term (which we are) we're going to have to keep asking for continued support. Check out our monthly membership and one-time contribution options below:

https://www.patreon.com/cw/TheSoccernomicsPodcast

Join The Soccernomics Podcast FC here: ⁠https://www.patreon.com/cw/TheSoccernomicsPodcast⁠

It's a big day at The Soccernomics Podcast. We're almost 40 episodes in, and we've loved connecting with all of you over the last five months. It's been incredible to find an audience that loves what we do.

Until now this podcast has been self-funded in terms of money, time and labor. We'd like to keep it going for as long as we can, but we've reached the point where we can't do that with your help.

By launching The Soccernomics Podcast FC, we're offering different tiers of monthly membership, as well as one-time contribution options. By joining, you'll help us keep this going, but also be part of building a community.

As you'll see from our Patreon Link below, the different offerings will give you different perks, including but not limited to ad-free listening, bonus episodes, newsletters, trivia competitions and fantasy football. We explain it all, and why we need your help in today's episode.

Join The Soccernomics Podcast FC here: https://www.patreon.com/cw/TheSoccernomicsPodcast

As mentioned in the episode, the first ten members in each tier can get 10% off for the first month. Use the code 53F85 to claim the offer.

To maximize your support, please subscribe via web browser rather than the mobile app! (Mobile apps take more fees!)

Simon Kuper drops in to play peacemaker between Stefan and Ashish. Tune in to hear his views on the Manchester City fallout, and whether FIFA President Gianni Infantino has weathered the storm after his failed World Cup sell-off plan.

Note: This episode was recorded before the Times of London revealed Gianni Infantino has been receiving an undisclosed second salary at FIFA.

As a reminder you can vote for us at The Signal Awards until October 15!

⁠https://vote.signalaward.com/PublicVoting#/2026/shows/genre/sports

As we expected, we got quite a lot of messages and emails about Stefan's controversial position on Manchester City. And despite pushing back on that position last week, Ashish has also come back thinking he should have pushed even harder. Stefan, for his part, isn't really budging. The stage is set for the most combative episode of The Soccernomics Podcast so far...

Tell us what you think at thesoccernomicspodcast@gmail.com

And don't forget to vote for us at The Signal Awards before October 15!

https://vote.signalaward.com/PublicVoting#/2026/shows/genre/sports

Based on the feedback we've been getting, a lot of you had a lot of thoughts about Stefan's takes on the Manchester City case last week. We knew that was probably gonna be the case.

Like many of you, Ashish is also not fully convinced about Stefan's arguments. So consider this Thursday's episode a part two of the debate, where he'll also put some of your questions and points to him.

In the meantime, we're republishing an episode that might help you better understand where he's coming from in the first place. This episode was about Stefan's overall views on financial regulations in football - and was recorded at the end of August.

It was first published on September 1. None of the dates and references have been changed since that time.

Don't forget to vote for us at The Signal Awards:

https://vote.signalaward.com/PublicVoting#/2026/shows/genre/sports

Voting is open until October 15!

By now you've probably already heard the news. After years of investigation, Manchester City have been found guilty of all but one of the 100 + charges they've been facing in relation to breaching the Premier League's financial regulations.

If you know Stefan, you probably won't be surprised to find out that many of his views on this topic go against the mainstream narratives. And though Stefan is upfront that he was a witness for the club in the case, his views on financial regulations in football predate any association with Manchester City.

Still, Ashish isn't fully convinced of his arguments. What do you think? Do let us know by writing in to thesoccernomicspodcast@gmail.com.

And don't forget to vote for us at The Signal Awards: https://vote.signalaward.com/PublicVoting#/2026/shows/genre/sports

A quick check-in to explain why we didn't do an episode today, and to announce that we are finalists at the Signal Awards.

It's one of the biggest awards competitions in the podcasting world, so it's a big honor for this independent podcast that didn't even exist five months ago.

You can help us win the Listener's Choice Award by voting here:

https://vote.signalaward.com/PublicVoting#/2026/shows/genre/sports

Make sure you create an account and verify it in your email!

VAR always produces a spirited debate, and today's episode is no different. Though Stefan has data that proves that VAR is highly effective, Ashish pushes back arguing that it's still used too subjectively, and that perceptions around its accuracy are a problem. What do you think?

The English Premier League is widely considered to be the best soccer league in the world, but how can we rank the rest of them? Opta, the British sports analytics company have come up with their latest power rankings. We discuss them, and metholodigies that can be used to rate the world's best leagues.

Following on from our latest episode on why managers get fired so often, today we're republishing our episode on how much they really matter in the first place.

This episode was first published on June 25. None of the dates or references have been changed since that time.

Football managers are constantly on the hot seat. Just a few weeks into the season, Borussia Mönchengladbach, Fiorentina and Valencia have already sacked their managers. What's behind the constant merry-go-round? And does it make sense from an economic point of view?

At long last, we delve into the promotion/relegation in the context of Major League Soccer, but also American sports in general. Stefan explains the closed league system, and what it would take for it to change. We also discuss how US sports leagues avoid charges of collusion under antitrust litigation.

As an extension from our Thursday episode, we discuss the MLS experiment and where it is today. How did it survive after its lowest ebbs in the late 90s and early 2000s? What's behind high present day MLS club valuations? And why hasn't it taken off and actually become a major league?

From the Boston Beaneaters of the ALFP, to the New York Cosmos of the NASL, we dig into the long history of professional soccer in the US, dating back to the 1890s. It sets us up for Stefan's critiques of Major League Soccer, and why he believes the league should bring in promotion and relegation.

After a walking vacation in Ireland, Stefan has had a lot of time to think about football's financial regulations - and he's got a lot to say. Well let's be honest: both of those things are always the case, vacation or not.

But with the English Premier and Football Leagues new Squad Cost Ratio (SCR) regulations in place for this season, we thought it was a good opportunity to talk about what they are, and why Stefan fundamentally has a problem with financial regulation in football.

As Stefan recently pointed out, Lionel Messi has missed three penalties in a row. That, along with Ashish's never ending debate with his friend Rishi over David De Gea, made today feel as good a time as any to republish our penalties episode. In it, we go beyond the pub talk, where Stefan and Simon explain the game theory that underlines the economics and psychology behind penalty kicks.

This episode was first published on May 28.

After Stefan recently fired back at people who didn't like his analysis about the origins of the word 'soccer', we thought we'd play you the entire conversation that led to the backlash in the first place - thanks to our friends at NO SUCH THING.

Manny Fidel, Devan Joseph and Noah Friedman had us on their award-winning show last month to talk about the transfer system, US soccer, promotion/relegation, authoritarian regimes that host World Cups...and yes, the football v soccer debate.

This conversation first aired as part of NO SUCH THING's July 1 episode. Check out their feed here.

From Liverpool to the Lakers: its been a big week in the world of sports team ownership.

Mark Walter's sale of his controlling stake of the Lakers, just 14 months after he bought it raised eyebrows in the NBA - as did the 25% profit he pocketed. Just days later Jeff Bezos bought 30% of Liverpool FC.

The sales are just the latest examples of a recent trend of sports teams going for whopping prices - particularly in the US. So what's behind it?

We also preview the upcoming English Premier League season, including debating whether Leicester City's longshot title was luck, or something more.