Who Really Controls Football? Money, Power & Premier League | Joey D’Urso

Football, Power and Shirts: On China, FIFA and Fields of Power In a wide-ranging conversation, journalist Joey D'Urso discusses how football and politics have always been intertwined, from FIFA’s unpopularity in the UK and World Cup expansion debates to historical links with regimes and soft power. Drawing on his book More Than a Shirt, he explains China’s top-down push to become a football power, the use of football by the state, and figures like Li Tie amid opaque corruption allegations. The discussion covers how national-team success depends on deep football ecosystems, France’s team as an immigrant story, and football’s roots in industrialization and natural resources. Joey outlines his career from BBC Westminster and BuzzFeed to The Athletic and The Times, his shift to full-time writing, and monetization via Substack, social media, and freelance work. He previews his next book, Fields of Power, telling 20th-century history through 20 stadiums worldwide. Chapters 00:00 FIFA Backlash 00:24 China Football Ambitions 01:58 Corruption And Control 03:24 Why Money Isnt Enough 05:35 France Culture And Ecosystems 07:32 Industry And Soft Power 08:55 From Politics To Football Writing 12:13 When Football Turned Political 15:37 Colombia Shirt Crime Story 18:46 New Book Fields Of Power 20:29 Breaking Into Football Journalism 22:20 Original Ideas In An AI Era 24:00 Making Money Plans 25:45 Nonlinear Growth Lessons 26:56 Football as Live Media 30:04 Stadiums and Tailgating 31:43 FIFA Revenue and Hosts 33:14 FIFA Criticism and Culture 35:14 New Book Story Teasers 37:03 More World Cups and AI 38:27 Data Driven Clubs 41:00 Attendances Up Atmosphere Down 44:02 Bigger World Cup Debate 45:33 Wrap Up and Thanks ********** Follow us on socials! Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/jimmysjobs Tiktok: https://www.tiktok.com/@jimmysjobsofthefuture Twitter / X: https://www.twitter.com/JimmyM Linkedin: https://www.linkedin.com/in/jimmy-mcloughlin-obe/ Want to come on the show? [email protected] Sponsor the show or Partner with us: [email protected] Check out our clips channel here! ⬇️ https://www.youtube.com/@JimmysJobsClips Credits: Host / Exec Producer: Jimmy McLoughlin OBE Producer: Thuy Dong Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices