One of the reasons some Leeds United fans locked horns with Red Bull following their minority investment was apprehension that they could become just one club in their global football machine.
As well as world-class motorsport and extreme sports operations plus a growing esports division, Red Bull now own six football clubs worldwide, plus an unspecified stake in Leeds’ ownership structure.
The backlash to Red Bull appointing Jurgen Klopp as their new global head of soccer in October stemmed partly because he has previously expressed his own reservations about the multi-club model.
“I know how much the Red Bull idea is criticised by traditionalists, and I’m one of them too,” the former Liverpool, Borussia Dortmund and Mainz manager said in 2022.
Much of the vitriol aimed at Klopp has come from Germany, where the multi-club model is particularly contentious because of the perception that Red Bull have circumvented the 50+1 rule.
RB Leipzig were in the fifth tier of German football when Red Bull took over in 2009.
Since then, the Saxony-based club have become Champions League regulars and are expected to soon break into the top 20 revenue generating teams in Europe, all while acting as a billboard for Red Bull.
But for Leeds fans, their club is more than a brand exposure vehicle for a drinks company that sold over 12 billion cans of their product last year.
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