What’s wrong with money and football? Former Greek finance minister Yanis Varoufakis speaks ahead of the Champions League final about clubs as an object of speculation – and people’s disgust when everything becomes a commodity.
Interview by Javier Cáceres
Yanis Varoufakis, 60, was Greece’s finance minister in 2015 when the country was engaged in bitter negotiations with the rest of the European Union over its national debt and a possible “Grexit”. As a left-wing enfant terrible, the economist met many football-savvy colleagues in Brussels – but really never, he says, was there any talk between the ministers about football to loosen up. “There was war in there. Without weapons. But war.” Varoufakis sympathizes with Liverpool FC, but his personal interest in football has declined. Of course, that does not mean that the developments around the billion-dollar business will bypass him. For example: the Super League, which was recently founded by twelve top clubs and immediately imploded again. Before the Champions League final between two of these clubs, Chelsea FC and Manchester City, on Saturday evening in Porto (9 p.m., Dazn and Sky), Varoufakis speaks about oligarch investments and fear of risk – and calls for a football that belongs to the fans.
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