Samenvatting

This article follows from the 2022 publication of a book by the same author on financial malpractices in the world of professional football, titled Ostrageous. As the title suggests, that book both covered the outrageous business patterns and habits – and the associated financial crime risks – that have manifested themselves in this line of industry and our inclination to turn a blind eye to these developments (portrayed by the image of the ostrich). The article focusses on the aftermath of the publication of the book and addresses the main reasons why the image of the ostrich has turned out to be even more powerful than the author thought at first sight. While the book has led to a vivid debate in the academic world on the future of professional football, the professional football industry itself remained reluctant in accepting invitations to discuss the crime problems in the sector more in depth. In the second part of the article, the author suggests some strategies that may contribute in making the market of European professional football more receptive to a constructive debate about the astronomical transfer fees, the ease in which extremely wealthy investors can buy their way into clubs, the schemes used to evade tax or launder illegal assets, and a number of other structural problems facing the industry.