Farmers League Controversy: How does Premier League compare with others in Europe?

15/04/2025 08:19

The term “farmer’s league” was originally founded as a tongue-in-cheek way of describing lower leagues in a football pyramid or a league that was completely devoid of competition. In English football, this term is often attributed to Sunday league football, played on boggy marshes between teams that are more desperate to get to the pub or the post-match social.

However, in the wider perspective of European football leagues, top tiers within other top European leagues have been branded as farmer’s leagues, such is the lack of supposed competition in them. La Liga (Spain), Serie A (Italy), Bundesliga (Germany), and Ligue 1 (France) make up the higher echelon of European football along with the Premier League, with the Eredivisie (Holland), Primeira Liga (Portugal), and Jupiler Pro League (Belgium) filing in behind them.

The Premier League enjoys the luxury of riches in terms of investment, which results in the best players coming to England to ply their trade. With the Premier League clearly leading the way in terms of quality and competitiveness, it is often difficult to make 1betTips football predictions, with teams up and down the league able to take points off each other (just look at Nottingham Forest and Bournemouth this season). But throughout all European leagues, there is one glaring factor that differentiates the Premier League from the rest.

Foreign Finance

The origins of the game changing factor that has allowed the Premier League to blossom can be traced back to 1992. This year marked the birth of the Premier League as we now know it, replacing the old English First Division. With the change in branding came a change in attitude and approach. The 22 clubs that made up the inaugural Premier League season initiated the drive for a breakaway league for greater financial benefits, which duly arrived in the form of significantly higher television rights and commercial revenue.

But why is the birth of the Premier League important? Because the granting of a breakaway league and a greater say over television deals and commercial freedoms opened the door to a game-changing influence down the line. In 2003, Chelsea became the subject of interest from a foreign investor by the name of Roman Abramovich. Many believe that the eventual sale of Chelsea to Abramovich heralded the death of English football and paved the way for more foreign investment from the U.S, China, Saudi Arabia, and Qatar which continues to shape the English game.

Finance or Fans?

While many also argue that the enhanced riches built a platform for the likes of Eric Cantona, Thierry Henry, Cristiano Ronaldo, and Sergio Agüero to showcase their skills on the island and promote the Premier League as a brand, fans from clubs that have sold to foreign investors like Wolverhampton Wanderers and Newcastle United will argue that they have lost the essence of their club.

If we compare this to the German Bundesliga model, the approach could not be more contrasting. The 50+1 rule is the key pillar that prevents foreign investment dominating the league as it does in the Premier League. The power remains with the members of the club, but recent debate has seen the idea of foreign investment creep back into consideration, especially when the fact FC Bayern Munich won eleven out of twelve titles until Bayer 04 Leverkusen stunned the Bavarians last season is taken into consideration.

Mats Hummels reacted angrily to the suggestion that the Bundesliga was a “farmer’s league” after FC Bayern Munich, Borussia Dortmund, and Bayer 04 Leverkusen all progressed to the semi-finals of European competitions last season, with the latter two even reaching the final of the Champions League and Europa League respectively. It should be noted that no English teams made the semi-final of the Champions or Europa Leagues. The German national team has also been one of the European powerhouses in the past two decades, which adds further belief to the argument that finance, and investment is not necessary for a domestic league and national team to shine.

Entertainment or Results?

In the past year, the Premier League along with the UK government has commenced discussions to rein in the level of foreign investment. The initiative of introducing more meticulous auditing of any prospective investment or owner by an independent football regulator (IFR) is aimed at levelling the playing field in the Premier League financially and promoting financial resilience. The consequences of this action remain to be seen, as well as the extent of the background checks.

If the Premier League is to follow the example of another so-called “farmer’s league” in France’s Ligue 1, then strict checks would be put in place involving the government and economy ministers. The tightening of foreign influence also hopes to give the fans more say and more power over time, which is an aspect that has been lacking over the past decades amidst the number of Russian oligarchs and Sheikhs ploughing their money into the Premier League.

However, if money is taken out of the equation, what defines the success of a European league? If competitiveness is the barometer, then the Premier League wins hands down. Even La Liga only really has three teams competing at the sharp end of the table each season, while the landscape is constantly changing behind Inter Milan in Italy. Paris Saint-Germain dominate the domestic league in France, but cannot get close to Champions League success, despite being a state-backed club.

Which begs the question if success on the European stages is a yardstick to determine the farmers from the high-flying? Although Manchester City, Chelsea, and Liverpool have won the Champions League in the past decade, the winners have predominantly come from Spain, largely in the form of Real Madrid.

On the international stage, Italy won the European Championship in 2021, while France and Germany have a World Cup win apiece in 2018 and 2014, respectively. With the Premier League potentially introducing stricter regulation for money coming into the league, there is a chance English football can align itself closer with its European counterparts. The result remains to be seen, but in a few years, European football could be one big farmer’s market.