Local character distinguishes Europe's sporting magnates

While high-profile businessmen increasingly dominate football across Europe, there are strong differences between the types of characters involved in the three countries of the biggest-spending clubs.

In England, Mr Steve Gibson at Middlesborough is easily the premiership's largest benefactor, having pumped many of the millions he made from industrial waste management into allowing manager Bryan Robson to bring a string of expensive stars to the north east of England.

The central figures at the two biggest clubs - Martin Edwards and Ken Bates - were both wealthy before assuming control of their clubs - Manchester United and Chelsea respectively - but in each instance they went on to amass far greater fortunes as a result of their involvement with the game.

Edwards' father Louis, then a family butcher, took control of United nearly 40 years ago. A recent gradual reduction of the family's shareholding to 6.6 per cent has brought junior a very sizeable fortune.

Bates first involvement in football came with Oldham, which he controlled for a while, and there was also a brief spell at Wigan. In 1982 he purchased the then virtually bankrupt Chelsea for just one pound.

After redeveloping the extensive site to include hotels and apartments and dramatically improving the team's on-field fortunes, he now leads and retains a 17.5 per cent share in a club that, along with the other companies in the group, has a turnover of more than £100 million sterling (#164 million) per year.

In Spain, the two biggest clubs, Real Madrid and Barcelona, are still owned by their membership, and their presidents, the key figures in their administration, are elected to their positions.

Both the current incumbents, Florentino Perez and Joan Gaspart, are very wealthy - Perez's main interests are in construction, Gaspart's in hotels - but neither stands to gain directly from their role in the club, and it would not be normal for either to contribute heavily towards budgets.

Italian clubs, meanwhile, tend to be associated more closely still with magnates or entire families. Massimo Moratti (oil) heads up Inter Milan, Gianni Agnelli of Fiat fame runs Juventus, while large-scale media owner Silvio Berlusconi waves the chequebook behind Juventus.

Over the past couple of years, though, all three have been overshadowed by the exploits of accountant, Sergio Cragnotti, at Lazio. Cragnotti bought the Rome club when it was down on its luck and has built it up with substantial cash injections. He insists that he runs it along strict business principles and since floating just under half of it in 1998, shares have more than doubled.