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Alla Zakarian

06-04-2020 | 15:34 Football
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TOP 15 clubs with the most official supporters’ clubs: FAN CLUB POWER RANKINGS

Football is much more than a game. With globalization, the economic aspects are more than ever the main focus of clubs, which also implies that the influence of fans decreased. The fans are slowly turning into spectators instead of supporters. The role of fans in football can sometimes be even more important than just a symbolic part of a game. With global fan bases more important to big clubs than ever before, Europe’s superpowers are all striving to rule the world. Which top club can truly claim world domination? ESPN has crunched the numbers in order to ascertain which of Europe’s “elite” teams has the most supporters’ clubs around the world. The list is of those groups, at home and abroad, that are officially recognized and listed by their relevant club. Paris Saint-Germain They have 83 groups scattered across 56 countries (64 if you include eight French overseas departments and territories separately). However, they only have one officially recognised club in France, so there are likely many more scattered around their home country. Chelsea Chelsea have a total 114 fan groups in 56 countries (or 57 if you count Hong Kong as a separate entity from China). Broken down, the Blues have 26 clubs in the UK and Ireland, 18 in Europe and 70 scattered across the rest of the world. Arsenal Nudging just ahead of their London rivals, the Gunners can claim to have 163 fan groups spread among 91 different countries based in cities as diverse as Baku, Rio de Janeiro, Athens, and Milton Keynes. Tottenham Hotspur Spurs can claim the North London bragging rights, narrowly eclipsing Arsenal with 185 branches of their official supporters network stationed in 65 different countries. Manchester United With data are taken from last season's club yearbook, United -- pioneers of the obscure international sponsorship deal (which another club can claim to have an official Thai tractor partner?) -- have 201 supporters groups in 60 countries. Manchester City Narrowly pipping their Mancunian neighbours, City's accelerated global expansion has seen their official supporter group tally increase to 260 branches split across 53 countries.


Liverpool
Liverpool's new influx of affiliated supporters groups takes their overall tally up to 288 organisations across 93 countries.


Juventus
Juve are lagging behind their Italian rivals in terms of international support with 85 fan groups in 58 countries. However, the 447 groups they have established on home soil takes the Bianconeri to a respectable overall total of 532.


AC Milan Milan have 105 fan groups running in 49 countries around the globe plus a whopping 651 in Italy, thus giving them 756 in all. That's more than 100 for each of the seven times they have been crowned champions of Europe. Atletico Madrid Atletico have an impressive 832 official fan groups (peñas) -- 785 of them in their home country and another 47 established outside of Spain across 26 different countries including the United Kingdom, Equatorial Guinea and East Timor. Borussia Dortmund Dortmund are roared on at every home match by 25,000 fans in the Sudtribune -- Europe’s largest single-tier terrace -- but they also have the backing of the members of the 839 supporters’ clubs spread across 39 countries. Inter Milan Of the Italian giants, it's Inter who command the most support with 312 international groups (in 93 countries) and 606 in Italy. That's 918 overall. The amount of clubs abroad has spiked in countries like China and Indonesia recently and is likely to be a direct result of the recent Asian takeover of the Nerazzurri. Barcelona Barca counting 1,245 penyes in total -- that's 450 in Catalonia alone, 680 across the rest of Spain and a further 115 spread across 58 other countries around the world. Real Madrid Madrid have a mammoth fan base. Per their most recent annual report, They have 2,351 peñas -- 2,181 in Spain, 170 abroad -- located in 76 countries from Albania to Yemen. Bayern Munich The Bavarian giants dominate the list with a massive 4,428 official supporters' clubs scattered among 110 countries -- that's more than half of all the nations on the planet. Those huge figures are based on the club's immense popularity within Germany but also their recent drive for international support. As for the rest of the Bundesliga big hitters, Schalke have 1,350 (in 21 countries), Monchengladbach have 1,140 (19 countries) and Werder Bremen have 887 -- all more than domestic rivals Dortmund and most of Europe's other "elite" clubs.

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