Regional embeddedness and ownership of football clubs in Russia: deinstitutionalisation towards a market approach?

Ownership of football clubs in the Russian Premier League (RPL) is predominantly vested in regional authorities and state-owned enterprises (SOEs). These arrangements have compromised the quality of both the RPL and the national team. Consequently, there are growing calls for the RPL clubs to transition towards a market-oriented governance model. Drawing on an integrative model of organisational change, this study examines the political, social, and functional pressures driving the gradual deinstitutionalisation of state-linked ownership structures in Russian professional football. Qualitative data were collected from (1) documentary sources, (2) Russian-language literature, and (3) seven semi-structured interviews with football experts. The findings reveal a tension within Russian football: although reforms seek greater organisational autonomy and Western-style ownership, the sector remains closely dependent on state financial support. This suggests that deinstitutionalisation may be partial, unstable, and fragmented. So, whilst the legitimacy of the state-dependent governance model has eroded; the incumbent model remains resilient to reform efforts. This suggests that the relevant actors lack the capacity to both deinstitutionalise the old model and institutionalise a new model, their efforts inhibited by the persistent misalignment between institutional mechanisms, management dynamics, and organisational structures. These findings are discussed in relation to developments in football governance across Eastern and Western Europe and in China, where football is similarly characterised by a state-centred governance model. The study offers important implications for organisational change theory and post-socialist studies, while situating Russian football governance within the broader geopolitical context.