Michele Kang: Evil Genius or Benevolent Benefactor?

Hannah Cauhepe examines the Korean-American multimillionaire behind London City Lionesses, OL Lyonnes and Washington Spirit. The piece tracks Michele Kang from a health IT fortune to a 35-million-dollar purchase of the Spirit, the complex spin-off of Lyon’s women’s team, and the search for an independent club that ended at London City. It sets her stated aim, a team on every continent and research that treats women as women rather than smaller men, against the commercial logic of multi-club ownership, with football finance academics Kieran Maguire and Christina Philippou explaining shared costs, player valuation and UEFA’s rules on control. Journalist Lesley Ryder describes the Washington blueprint for building a crowd; the Jonatan Giraldez move and the wider investor rush also get scrutiny.