Ebadat Publishes First-of-Its-Kind Legal Guide for U.S. Investors in European Football

Guide drawing on deal experience across Europe, featuring contributions from multi-club operators, European local counsel, and finance professionals

HOUSTON, TX, UNITED STATES, March 30, 2026 /EINPresswire.com/ -- Ebadat, a U.S.-based law firm ranked Tier 1 in Corporate and M&A by The Legal 500 and recognized by Super Lawyers, today published the 2026 U.S. Investor’s Guide to Investing in European Football, a comprehensive M&A and transactional guide designed specifically for American investors evaluating control acquisitions and significant minority investments in European football clubs.

The guide is the first publication of its kind from a law firm. It provides practical, deal-level guidance on the full lifecycle of a European football transaction, from initial structuring and due diligence through league and federation approvals, purchase agreement mechanics, financing, and post-closing governance. The guide spans 23 chapters and includes appendices with U.S. ownership maps, recent transaction data, and regulatory snapshots current through March 2026.

“U.S. capital is now central to European football’s ownership landscape, but the playbook for getting these deals done is fundamentally different from domestic transactions,” said Soheil Ebadat, Founder and Managing Partner of Ebadat. “We wrote this guide because the same structural issues keep surfacing in deal after deal: approval processes that stall, ownership structures that don’t map cleanly, player economics that aren’t captured in the purchase agreement, and stadium rights that turn out to be more important than the deal itself. This guide is built from the deals we’ve actually closed.”

WHAT THE GUIDE COVERS

The guide addresses the questions that define whether a European football deal closes smoothly or encounters friction: what entity or entities comprise the “club,” what approvals and change-of-control consents are required, what regulatory and financial compliance items could block approvals or impair operations, what stadium and training ground rights are actually being acquired, and how the transaction should be structured and documented to allocate risk under sporting volatility. It covers deal execution across England, Spain, France, Italy, and Germany, with dedicated chapters on the Italian football industry and Luxembourg as a holding jurisdiction for sports investments.

CONTRIBUTORS

The guide features contributions from experienced operators and leading European local counsel:

Jeff Luhnow, Founder of Multi-club ownership group Blue Crow Sports Group, authored the foreword drawing on his experience acquiring and operating professional football clubs.

Varun Desai, Chief Financial Officer, and Arvind Narayanan, Co-Founder and Chief Strategy Officer of Blue Crow Sports Group, contributed chapters on player recruitment as a driver of investment returns and club valuation methodology.

Federico Venturi Ferriolo, Head of the Sports Law Practice at LCA Studio Legale (Milan), contributed a chapter on the Italian football industry, covering the regulatory framework, club ownership structures, and the institutional governance landscape for investors.

Euryale Didillon, Partner at Luther (Luxembourg), contributed a chapter on Luxembourg as a premier jurisdiction for holding investments in European football, covering vehicle selection, creditor protections, and tax structuring.

Juan Manuel López Ruiz, Managing Partner of LRA Legal and Sports, contributed a chapter on the role of FIFA in the club’s contractual and operational structure.

Kiara Cunningham, Associate at Ebadat, contributed to the research, drafting, and development of the guide.

AVAILABILITY

The guide is available as a free download at www.ebadat.law/football-guide. No registration is required. A copy of the guide cover is available for media use upon request.

ABOUT EBADAT

Ebadat is one of the few U.S.-based law firms with significant experience advising American buyers and investors on European football club acquisitions, including closed transactions across four of Europe’s five major leagues: Ligue 1 (France), La Liga (Spain), the EFL (U.K.), and Serie A/B (Italy). The firm’s experience spans majority acquisitions, minority investments, multi-club ownership platforms, and fund-level structuring for sports-focused investment vehicles. Beyond sports, Ebadat is a full-service firm advising founders, investors, and companies on M&A, financings, fund formation, and general corporate matters across sectors including technology, energy, and consumer products. The firm is ranked Tier 1 in Corporate and M&A by The Legal 500 and recognized by Super Lawyers. For more information, visit www.ebadat.law.

Prior results do not guarantee a similar outcome. This press release is provided for informational purposes and does not constitute legal advice.

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