Meanings
- derogatoryslangball gamesAn alleged conspiracy between British football clubs Arsenal, Manchester United, and Liverpool to use their influence in the Premier League to manipulate league financial regulations to undermine challengers.
I feel so upset I do....Horrible why City keep lifting the cups over the red cartel
2021 April 27, @ianmcfc123, Twitter (post), archived from the original on 26 Sep 20263 more examples
A Premier League in the thrall of a 'big six', or the 'red cartel' – a jibe directed at an apparent consortium that included Arsenal, Liverpool and Manchester United, who were terrified of Newcastle United's newly acquired wealth and scared of the club's rise.
2025, James Montague, chapter 15, in Engulfed: How Saudi Arabia Bought Sport, and the World, Bonnier Books UK, →ISBNIt was far easier to find people shouting – often online – about UEFA pulling up the drawbridge with Financial Fair Play, the 'Red cartel' in the Premier League and assorted other establishment stoogery that sought to stop City in their tracks.
2025, Dom Farrell, chapter 15, in Glory Days for the Waifs and Strays, London: Biteback Publishing, →ISBNWith the current financial rules, no club outside the Red Cartel can have a prolonged period of success.
2026 September 26, @Lea_EFC, X (post), archived from the original on 26 Sep 2026
Origin
From red + cartel. "Red" refers to the team colors of Arsenal F.C., Manchester United F.C., and Liverpool F.C.
Full word history & related roots →Cite this entry
Red Cartel. (n.d.). In WatkinsX Dictionary. Retrieved November 4, 2026, from https://dictionary.watkinsx.com/word/Red%20Cartel
“Red Cartel.” WatkinsX Dictionary, https://dictionary.watkinsx.com/word/Red%20Cartel. Accessed November 4, 2026.
WatkinsX Dictionary, s.v. “Red Cartel,” accessed November 4, 2026, https://dictionary.watkinsx.com/word/Red%20Cartel.
Source: Red Cartel on Wiktionary, CC BY-SA 4.0.