Football's Magic Money Tree

[Chester Perry]

Burnley drop 5 places to 32nd in Brand Finances Football world top 50

https://brandfinance.com/images/upload/ ... free_1.pdf" onclick="window.open(this.href);return false;

Napoli, Wolves, Lyon, Ajax and Watford are those who have overtaken us

[Chester Perry]

If you thought my posts on the connections that influence the football we watch are complex - you would be right - Simon Chadwick gives us a few relationship maps that are currently in play with the football news stories we have been reading

https://twitter.com/Prof_Chadwick/statu ... 7746933760" onclick="window.open(this.href);return false;

[Royboyclaret]

Burnley drop 5 places to 32nd in Brand Finances Football world top 50

https://brandfinance.com/images/upload/ ... free_1.pdf" onclick="window.open(this.href);return false;

Napoli, Wolves, Lyon, Ajax and Watford are those who have overtaken us

Burnley's brand value has dropped by 15% ?........the biggest reduction in the PL ?

What's all that about ?

[Chester Perry]

Back to where this thread started - Manchester Utd have posted quarterly financial results (they could well beat out complete 2018/19 results on all fronts. Of course the Glazers had to take their share out (currently £11m+ a quarter)

https://twitter.com/KieranMaguire/statu ... 4935641088" onclick="window.open(this.href);return false;

[Chester Perry]

Remember the story of the week (Man City/UEFA) from post #1046 and I said it provoked a bit of a social media ****storm - well hear is a good article explaining what happened

https://www.football365.com/news/pitchf ... th-problem" onclick="window.open(this.href);return false;

[Chester Perry]

Football Benchmark compares the revenue of the big 5 leagues

https://twitter.com/Football_BM/status/ ... 2918864896" onclick="window.open(this.href);return false;

but if you read the thread they don't make the calculations in the same way for each league and consequently La Liga is given an extra Euro 500m for it's own commercial revenues -

What is evident is that la liga is making strides in catching up with the PL

https://twitter.com/Football_BM/status/ ... 5466913792" onclick="window.open(this.href);return false;

https://twitter.com/Football_BM/status/ ... 4952059904" onclick="window.open(this.href);return false;

and is making concerted efforts to carry on doing so, which is why they are so vocally angry about the post 2024 ECA/UEFA proposals

[Chester Perry]

Burnley's brand value has dropped by 15% ?........the biggest reduction in the PL ?

What's all that about ?

I thought we were overvalued in last years list see our posts on the topic last time #309 through #312 and press perception has a lot to play.

these things jump around and are inevitably already out of date - it is not unlike the valuation on the club using the Markham Multivariate model is it in that sense

though how you combine the two to get a more realistic valuation of the club as a buyer/seller I am not sure

A key stat is that we are one of the 17 English clubs on the list and are above Bournemouth, Southampton (that's surprising) and Brighton - long may that continue

EDIT - If you look at the report in detail it gives you an approach to the methodology, there are a host of reasons for the drop including revenue (if we are looking at the current season - that had come down significantly both in PL monies and player sales. Commercials should be up, I am sure I read somewhere that LaBa were paying £10m for the shirt sponsorship (£6m with Dafabet)

[AndyClaret]

I thought we were overvalued in last years list see our posts on the topic last time #309 through #312 and press perception has a lot to play.

these things jump around and are inevitably already out of date - it is not unlike the valuation on the club using the Markham Multivariate model is it in that sense

though how you combine the two to get a more realistic valuation of the club as a buyer/seller I am not sure

A key stat is that we are one of the 17 English clubs on the list and are above Bournemouth, Southampton (that's surprising) and Brighton - long may that continue

EDIT - If you look at the report in detail it gives you an approach to the methodology, there are a host of reasons for the drop including revenue (if we are looking at the current season - that had come down significantly both in PL monies and player sales. Commercials should be up, I am sure I read somewhere that LaBa were paying £10m for the shirt sponsorship (£6m with Dafabet)

According to swiss ramble dafabet was £2m, and LaBa is £5M

[Chester Perry]

According to swiss ramble dafabet was £2m, and LaBa is £5M

3 year and 2 year deal respectively I think- a very healthy increase and follows through on Garlick's thoughts that we could do better with the commercials

surprised at some of those who earn less now I have looked at it

https://www.statista.com/statistics/254 ... e-by-club/" onclick="window.open(this.href);return false;

[Chester Perry]

We have had summary reviews of the PL financial accounts of 2017/18 but now we have one for the Championship (even without submissions being made my Sheff Wed and Bolton to date) the prime point of note is just how many clubs are relentlessly under the belief they will find salvation in the PL.

https://www.dailymail.co.uk/sport/footb ... -year.html" onclick="window.open(this.href);return false;

[duncandisorderly]

I get enough of these on here to risk talking about it elsewhere

Just to quickly say, please don't. I think this is probably the best thread on this and the old board combined. (apart from princesshales, obvs)
Some of it is, I'm not ashamed to say, a bit beyond my ken, but I get the general feel of the sport as a whole through your (and roys) contributions to this thread, so don't **** off elsewhere.

[Chester Perry]

The BBC Dan Roan examines the potential of Man City's referral to UEFA's Adjudicatory Chamber

https://www.bbc.co.uk/sport/football/48296885" onclick="window.open(this.href);return false;

[Chester Perry]

It has taken a while but the European Leagues Organisation has finally put out it's response to both the UEFA and ECA proposals it promised last week. Unsurprisingly it has said a fundamental rethink needs to occur.

https://www.bbc.co.uk/sport/football/48302526" onclick="window.open(this.href);return false;

The ELO statement

https://europeanleagues.com/all-europea ... petitions/" onclick="window.open(this.href);return false;

A sound commentary on recent events from Gabriele Marcotti

http://www.espn.com/soccer/blog/marcott ... and-others" onclick="window.open(this.href);return false;

that commentary makes reference to this piece he did back in 2016 tearing apart Agnelli's belief that the Champions League was worth as much as the NFL

http://www.espn.co.uk/football/blog/mar ... omparisons" onclick="window.open(this.href);return false;

[Chester Perry]

In post #1086 Simon Chadwick gives us a few relationship maps that are currently in play with the football news stories we have been reading. This article he co-wrote gives more information to the one that centres on Saudi Arabia

https://www.policyforum.net/saudi-arabi ... influence/" onclick="window.open(this.href);return false;

[Chester Perry]

@AndyhHolt asks who the EFL board is working for and gives his thoughts on B teams in the EPL

https://twitter.com/AndyhHolt/status/11 ... 3830370305" onclick="window.open(this.href);return false;

- this week has been real a real consolidation of the things that directly impact the viability of the pyramid that he has grievances with.

[Chester Perry]

Sky Italia's football benchmark on how MAn City and PSG became top football clubs and global brands as a result of middle Eastern investments - as usual subtitles at the icon 5th in from bottom right

https://www.youtube.com/watch?time_cont ... USxMSysyE8" onclick="window.open(this.href);return false;

[aggi]

Big drop indeed, £15m from the £119m of the previous season.

Likely to be someway offset, however, by a significant drop in the Wage bill. The £81m from last season included a £23m bonus for finishing 7th. Of course, from a financial perspective, retaining our PL status for another season was another giant step forward as the Club goes from strength to strength at least off the pitch.

I would suspect a lot of that bonus is down to staying in the premier league though so I'd expect a chunky one (although not as high) this season.

[Chester Perry]

I would suspect a lot of that bonus is down to staying in the premier league though so I'd expect a chunky one (although not as high) this season.

I have a theory that squad and staff bonus is all the PL prize money earned if we stay which this year is £11.5m

[Chester Perry]

The EFL are to discuss changes to their FFP rules to cover the creative accounting that has emerged in the last couple of seasons to avoid it's penalties - and things look ominous for Sheff Wed who have reportedly still not submitted accounts to the EFL that were due last December

from The Times - behind a paywall so transcribed (if you register you can get 2 free articles a week - which is what I do)

Sky Bet Championship clubs accused of selling grounds then renting them back to exploit FFP rules - Matt Hughes, Sports News Correspondent

The English Football League will review its financial fair play rules this summer after complaints from clubs in the Sky Bet Championship that their rivals are exploiting the system by selling off their grounds and leasing them back as a way of balancing the books.

Sheffield Wednesday and two other Championship clubs are believed to have followed the example of Derby County, who revealed last month that they sold Pride Park to the club’s owner Mel Morris for £80 million last year, enabling them to record a pre-tax profit of £14.6 million for the 2017-18 season. Aston Villa are understood to be considering selling Villa Park if they fail to win promotion to the Premier League in this month’s play-off final.

Under EFL profit and sustainability rules that prohibit clubs recording losses of more than £39 million over a three-year period, there is nothing to prevent such sale and lease-back schemes, which are an accepted method of solving cashflow problems in other industries. Many clubs consider it unethical, however, and the EFL board has agreed to review its regulations. It is understood that the subject will be on the agenda at the end-of-season meeting of Championship clubs in Portugal next month.

Several clubs have expressed anger that their Championship peers appear to be using creative accounting to bypass financial fair play (FFP) regulations that have resulted in Birmingham City being docked nine points and Queens Park Rangers fined £42 million for breaches in the past 12 months. Derby and Villa are understood to be two of the clubs most at risk of breaking the EFL’s £39 million loss cap and incurring sanctions if they are not promoted to the Premier League. Wednesday and Leeds United are also at risk.

The EFL introduced a set tariff for FFP breaches this season. A maximum of 12 points could be docked, although a further nine can be added if an aggravated breach is proven.

One owner of a Championship club told The Times: “According to the rules it’s not cheating, but we should change the way the rules are written. In this instance fair play doesn’t mean anything. It’s not ethically correct.”

The chief executive of another club added: “My owners are furious about this and demanding change. It’s not a level playing field at present as the rules are meaningless.”

Villa raised £4 million through the sale of a car park close to Villa Park last year and will look at selling the entire stadium as an option to raise funds if they are in breach of the EFL’s spending limits this summer. Wednesday’s situation is even more intriguing as they have yet to file accounts for the year ending July 2018. These were due on April 30.

The Times understands that the club have also failed to file accounts to the EFL which were due last December, which could lead to them being fined. A club spokesman said that any new arrangement regarding Hillsborough would be clear in their accounts, which they insisted would be published in the next few weeks.

“The long-term sustainability of all EFL clubs remains of paramount importance and we will continue to work with Championship clubs in respect of the rules at next month’s summer conference,” an EFL spokesman said. “Clubs have also been reminded of the stringent processes undertaken in reviewing financial submissions and that in the event any club is found to be in breach of the rules, they will be referred to an independent disciplinary commission.”

[Chester Perry]

Old news but not mentioned elsewhere - Now the season has ended there is plenty of speculation about who is going where in the summer transfer window - it is entirely possibly that a lot of this summers biggest potential transfers might not happen because one agent has been given a 3 month ban - initially in Italy, then FIFA made it worldwide - He is allowed to return to his business activities the day after the PL transfer windows shut. This is going to be an interesting watch given the players under his charge and if effective may leave an awful lot of clubs unhappy as they can either not get rid of players they want to or sign the players they are targeting

http://www.insideworldfootball.com/2019 ... er-window/" onclick="window.open(this.href);return false;

https://www.dailymail.co.uk/sport/footb ... suolo.html" onclick="window.open(this.href);return false;

[Chester Perry]

A good article in the Independent by Jonathan Liew arguing that objectivity is being lost in punditary -

https://www.independent.co.uk/sport/foo ... 18826.html" onclick="window.open(this.href);return false;

the final paragraph is perhaps the most scathing attack on how the game is eating itself as broadcasters follow the populist route that seems to be dominating our lives currently - I agree with him (as this thread probably testifies)

[Chester Perry]

We all know by now just how important commercial income is to the big clubs, and even to clubs like ourselves who are drastically over reliant on TV revenues. But, what about the EFL, in the Championship Leeds lead the way with a much larger commercial revenue than anyone else, this allows them to compete with clubs on 2nd and 3rd year parachute payments. Lower down the structure it gets harder, much harder if you are a club the size of Accrington, those who follow @Andyhholt know because he freely shares much of his financials.

The EPL now has a club that was smaller than Accrington only a couple of years ago, but whose commercial income is likely to be the largest in the bottom 2 leagues. And this is not because the major shareholder is the 8th wealthiest in the English football pyramid (including the PL) but because of the group of friends who are each minority share holders - particularly the most recent of those to join the party. These friends are collectively known as "the class of 92" and the newest minority shareholder is David Beckham (who knows a bit about how to earn commercial income). The prize for commercial sponsors of Salford City is not the club per se, but access and association to it's directors, and there is no other club in the EPL that can offer anything to match it.

https://digitalsport.co/salford-city-th ... ho.twitter" onclick="window.open(this.href);return false;

[Chester Perry]

In post #1089 we saw the story of the online ****storm when the NY Times broke the story of the impending judgement of Man City from UEFA and it's likely consequences. Here is another piece (there have been many recently) that looks at the difficulty of separating the admiration for football excellence and condemnation of misdeeds by Jonathan Wilson (@jonawils).

https://www.si.com/soccer/2019/05/17/ma ... =si-soccer" onclick="window.open(this.href);return false;

and here is a piece he did for his own publication "The Blizzard" (a thoroughly interesting and deep football periodical from what I have seen) on what he called The War for Truth examining the games relationship with social media and the erosion of faith in the institution of journalism

https://www.theblizzard.co.uk/article/war-truth" onclick="window.open(this.href);return false;

EDIT: of course there are a growing number of things that are difficult to forget when talking about City Football Group, Abu Dhabi and the UAE

https://twitter.com/JamesPiotr/status/1 ... 4409970688" onclick="window.open(this.href);return false;

[Chester Perry]

following his thread yesterday (see post #1099) @AndyhHolt gives further insight on how the EFL betrayed him and it's members to appease the PL and how streaming will kill collective ownership of media rights

https://twitter.com/AndyhHolt/status/11 ... 4079569920" onclick="window.open(this.href);return false;

[Chester Perry]

Back to that Edit in post #1107 - it must be remembered that Man City are not the only club with ties that can make the genuine club fan wince as @MiguelDelaney reminded last year

https://www.independent.co.uk/sport/foo ... 35996.html" onclick="window.open(this.href);return false;

as regular readers know I have posted about soft power, sports washing and even the ascendance of Autocracy because of it's impact on the game. What I am increasingly coming to acknowledge is the game is more a metaphor for the world we are in than ever before. A world where what we are witnessing within the game we see being replayed here

http://www.bbc.com/future/story/2019051 ... comes-next" onclick="window.open(this.href);return false;

and one where it is even possible to manipulate truth to what you want it to be if you have the means

https://twitter.com/carljackmiller/stat ... 3629500418" onclick="window.open(this.href);return false;

and where all that seems to matter is how people react at an emotional level - it is about feelings

https://www.wired.co.uk/article/eu-elec ... ews-russia" onclick="window.open(this.href);return false;

which is probably why city have been so punchy in their response to the investigation being referred tot the adjudicatory chamber

https://www.theguardian.com/football/20 ... -innocence" onclick="window.open(this.href);return false;

and it has been matched by a large number of their fans online

https://twitter.com/EwanMacKenna/status ... 5027508225" onclick="window.open(this.href);return false;


The rabbit hole is growing (see post #683)

EDIT Removed the analogy of who I suggested I may be feeling like as I was wrong to make it and I apologise

[Chester Perry]

I have often spoken about how much the Glazers using the club to fund their purchase of the club have cost Man United over their years both to themselves and their bankers. @KieranMaguire takes a look

https://twitter.com/KieranMaguire/statu ... 3576260610" onclick="window.open(this.href);return false;

he forgot to mention the Share issue in New York that raised another £150m for the family

https://www.bbc.co.uk/news/business-19210107" onclick="window.open(this.href);return false;

[Chester Perry]

So Man City have another trophy, have an unprecedented domestic treble, how will time look back on this period of unprecedented success

https://twitter.com/sportingintel/statu ... 2870598657" onclick="window.open(this.href);return false;

and this is what one city fan at Wembley has to say when he broke into the press box today

https://twitter.com/RobHarris/status/11 ... 1040248837" onclick="window.open(this.href);return false;

[Royboyclaret]

So Man City have another trophy, have an unprecedented domestic treble, how will time look back on this period of unprecedented success

https://twitter.com/sportingintel/statu ... 2870598657" onclick="window.open(this.href);return false;

and this is what one city fan at Wembley has to say when he broke into the press box today

https://twitter.com/RobHarris/status/11 ... 1040248837" onclick="window.open(this.href);return false;

Tend to agree that Manchester City's dominance of the game will ultimately result in it's ruination. Will it be the treble again next year and the year after. Is that what the game really wants?

As an aside, what was the disagreement today between Emirates and Etihad? Did one attempt to upstage the other?

[Chester Perry]

I think this might explain it Roy - petty stuff from the usually very slick City/Abu Dhabi operation

https://www.joe.co.uk/sport/man-city-ac ... nal-232167" onclick="window.open(this.href);return false;

There were rumours of the 2 state owned Airlines merging last year after they began co-operating in parts of their business

https://www.reuters.com/article/us-etih ... M027F?il=0" onclick="window.open(this.href);return false;

[Royboyclaret]

I think this might explain it Roy - petty stuff from the usually very slick City/Abu Dhabi operation

https://www.joe.co.uk/sport/man-city-ac ... nal-232167" onclick="window.open(this.href);return false;

There were rumours of the 2 state owned Airlines merging last year after they began co-operating in parts of their business

https://www.reuters.com/article/us-etih ... M027F?il=0" onclick="window.open(this.href);return false;

Ah, right. Never a club to miss out on a potential marketing opportunity.

Pretty poor really and hardly necessary.

[Chester Perry]

The vast monies that the PL brings in (especially from overseas) is usually ascribed to it's historic competitive nature, Jonathan Liew effectively suggests that Pep and the investment in City from Abu Dhabi has effectively turned it into any other European Leaguge.

https://www.independent.co.uk/sport/foo ... LPqBalz3Hc" onclick="window.open(this.href);return false;

as @RorySmith says: (the) History of football is basically just one team doing something new, excelling, and then other teams either catching up or finding a way to counteract it. That is what always happens. But for the life of me no idea how you do either of those things with Man City.

In just over a years time the PL (still looking to replace Richard Scudamore) and at a time when it's new tv rights revenue distribution rules will be come visible in the prize money paid will begin possibly the most important ever cycle of media rights sales with the possibility that its USP no longer there. The onus on Chelsea (1 year transfer ban in place), Spurs (not used to spending at those levels), Arsenal (no significant money and a hole in the recruitment dept) and Man Utd (significant revenue drop from no CL and a well documented lack of football strategy) is one that looks to much for them. Liverpool are over course are on a different level, but Europe looks their best chance for Silverware like this season

https://www.independent.co.uk/sport/foo ... 20451.html" onclick="window.open(this.href);return false;

And there will be hope that Wolves, Leicester and possibly Everton can continue to improve and challenge.

https://statsbomb.com/2019/05/the-premi ... is-coming/" onclick="window.open(this.href);return false;

EDIT: I will add this article from at @MiguelDelaney

https://www.independent.co.uk/sport/foo ... 20441.html" onclick="window.open(this.href);return false;

No apologies for including 3 articles from one paper - it is all great writing and all asks pertinent questions in a week where journalists are being absolutely pilloried for doing so

[Chester Perry]

@AndyhHolt takes aim at the "fit and proper" test enforce (sic) by the EFL as he continues to outline his grievances with the powers that be in the game

https://twitter.com/AndyhHolt/status/11 ... 4434219009" onclick="window.open(this.href);return false;

[Chester Perry]

Following much protest about it's pricing for the cup semi-finals and final the FA has agreed to consult with Fans in the coming months over pricing for future games

https://offthepitch.com/a/fa-consider-r ... -criticism" onclick="window.open(this.href);return false;

The biggest problem for me is that they refuse to consider the travel implications for fans, and the rounds they have gone through, The FA treat it as major single sporting event, and price it accordingly (they have been known to compare it to centre court at Wimbledon or even the superbowl among other events), and for the neutral and sponsors it is, So why not make the club allocations affordable or in line with the £30 away ticket in the PL (or even matchday tickets at their club) and charge the other 30k+ the price they think the event is worth.

The real problem is they made such a mess of the financial operations over the last 15 years (including building Wembley) that they have to fleece fans (many northern, if you look at cup semi finals/finals in that time)

[Chester Perry]

Following on from the theme of post #1115 Jonathan Wilson of the Guardian has given up and wants to shove City off to a Superleague

https://www.theguardian.com/football/20 ... -is-broken" onclick="window.open(this.href);return false;

there are other ways to fix the game Jonathan and you know it

[Chester Perry]

What yesterday's cup final did reveal was just how big a "nearly" year it has been for Derby, there was the potential to have a number of worst ever performances expunged from the records but they all fell away most at the last hurdle and there is still the play-off final to come.

Worst ever FA Cup final defeat: Bury 6 - 0 Derby 1903 - equalled yesterday
Most goals conceded in a 38 game Premier League season: 89 Derby 2007/2008 - a late season rally kept Fulham to 81
Fewest goals scored in a 38 game Premier League season: 20 Derby 2007/2008 - Huddersfield 1-1 draws against Man Utd and Southampton took them to 22
Lowest points in a 38 game Premier League season: 11 Derby 2007/2008 - Huddersfield passed that on 26th Feb when defeating Wolves for the 2nd time this season, they still only managed 16 points though

[Chester Perry]

@AndyhHolt takes aim at the "fit and proper" test enforce (sic) by the EFL as he continues to outline his grievances with the powers that be in the game

https://twitter.com/AndyhHolt/status/11 ... 4434219009" onclick="window.open(this.href);return false;

Rovers fans going nuts at @AndyhHolt after this thread had the "temerity" to suggest Jack Walkers actions were not "fit and proper" (he also mentiond Eddie Davis and Ellis Short) it is a mini version of the city fans - the world is going down the pan becasuse people defend the things they love out of blind loyalty and refuse to acknowledge another point of view

[Chester Perry]

An interesting discussion on CNBC about the future value of live sports to media companies and the challenges ahead. Well worth a watch. (only 3 mins but very informative, you can easily translate this to football).

https://www.youtube.com/watch?time_cont ... KtTbAcmnhI" onclick="window.open(this.href);return false;

[Chester Perry]

After signing a massive TV rights deal

https://www.sportsbusinessdaily.com/Glo ... ports.aspx" onclick="window.open(this.href);return false;

the French football League have introduced a price cap on away tickets, the price 10 Euros

http://www.sportspromedia.com/news/ligu ... ce-cap-lfp" onclick="window.open(this.href);return false;

- they must think it is important to have full stadiums and a good atmosphere at games. Good for them and Fans in England thought 20 was plenty

[Chester Perry]

The power of football - old shirts made into hospital gowns for kids so they are more comfortable and relaxed while in hospital

https://twitter.com/COPA90/status/1129117062432006144" onclick="window.open(this.href);return false;

[Chester Perry]

It appears that Spurs still have a bit of work to do on that new Stadium of theirs,

https://www.dailymail.co.uk/sport/footb ... icate.html" onclick="window.open(this.href);return false;

It is what happens when you make things as complicated as their systems are. Selling out the ground for the Champions League final is a smart move and no doubt will make full use of those superfast bars they have - will probably earn them another £1m+

[Chester Perry]

@AndyhHolt has another go at "fit and proper" following yesterday's fall out - he is definitely wanting to create a something solid he can take to the EFL here.

https://twitter.com/AndyhHolt/status/11 ... 9490336768" onclick="window.open(this.href);return false;

he has also brought up the topical issue of ground sale (to a friendly party) to increase budget to have a crack at promotion (don't believe he actually would do it) and that appears to be the response of Accy fans

https://twitter.com/AndyhHolt/status/11 ... 6348037121" onclick="window.open(this.href);return false;

[Chester Perry]

A column form Marc Isles in the Bolton News about how fans of other clubs are giving to a foodbank for Bolton staff (unpaid for over 2 months while the games administrators watch the most one sided cup final in over a century

https://www.theboltonnews.co.uk/sport/1 ... final-day/" onclick="window.open(this.href);return false;

[Chester Perry]

In a move that I don't think is that unusual, Norwich City have taken out a loan against TV monies to get them through the summer

https://twitter.com/KieranMaguire/statu ... 5115062272" onclick="window.open(this.href);return false;

It is not really talked about, but the infrastructure cost of moving up the leagues is prohibitive especially as you go through the non league pyramid and into the football league often clubs have to give up their business model (3g/4g pitch that can be used around the clock to grass that needs preserving for the first team) with no additional funding from the league they are promoted to and problems multiply if the club is then relegated. That is why a number of clubs have turned down promotion over the years.

No where are the costs of entry greater than the Premier League, where the demands of broadcasters are constantly increasing (they are the paymasters after all). Burnley were promoted 3 times in 7 seasons and each time spent millions to upgrade their facilities to meet those requirements and I would not be surprised if we have to again this summer with a new cycle of TV deals starting next season

[Chester Perry]

Ken Early of the Irish Times on why Man City's treble is merely the outcome of a transaction

https://www.irishtimes.com/sport/soccer ... -1.3897613" onclick="window.open(this.href);return false;

[Chester Perry]

I would really appreciate if someone could transcribe this article into this thread (I have used all my free views) it is an interview with UEFA President Aleksander Ceferin by Tariq Panja (who keeps breaking the big stories) in the New York Times (turns out Ceferin is godfather to Andrea Agnelli's daughter)

https://www.nytimes.com/2019/05/20/spor ... -ios-share" onclick="window.open(this.href);return false;

[Chester Perry]

Would also appreciate this being transcribed from the FT if anyone has a subscription

‘Breadth at the top’ of the English Premier League is due to a very broad bottom

https://www.ft.com/content/296193fc-789 ... 846537acab" onclick="window.open(this.href);return false;

[Chester Perry]

Bayern , fresh from their 7th title in a row (were you aware that for the first time ever all the winners in the big 5 leagues also won the tile the previous season) are well known for their ability to drive commercial revenue (it is usually the greatest single part of their revenue, often over 50% of it) are to get a renewed deal with Audi worth over a billion euros and it is not even so they can have their name on the shirt or naming rights for the stadium. It is just for being their official car sponsor - apparently they have battered BMW into submission (while Bayern have done it to the rest of the league)

https://www.bavarianfootballworks.com/2 ... sfer-funds" onclick="window.open(this.href);return false;

Will UEFA look at this given Audi's minor shareholding in the club?

[Chester Perry]

That Ken Early article (see post #1128) has sparked another great thread from Simon Chadwick illustrating the tangled web in which the game is being manipulated

https://twitter.com/Prof_Chadwick/statu ... 7567847425" onclick="window.open(this.href);return false;

[Chester Perry]

Someone in UEFA might be going a little-off message here, then again it might just be a UEFA powerplay to appease the European Leagues Organisation while reminding the ECA just who has final say - Politics has become central in our game (unfortunately)

https://www.thestar.com.my/sport/footba ... ting-boss/" onclick="window.open(this.href);return false;

[Chester Perry]

It has been an interesting few days for RSC Anderlecht

1st they are sanctioned by FIFA for the illegal transfer of minors

http://static.fifa.com/governance/news/ ... l-tra.html" onclick="window.open(this.href);return false;

2nd they announce Vincent Kompany as their new coach

https://www.theguardian.com/football/20 ... ves-fa-cup" onclick="window.open(this.href);return false;

3rd they fail to qualify for European competition for the 1st time in 55 years

https://www.dailymail.co.uk/sport/footb ... ation.html" onclick="window.open(this.href);return false;

and don't forget they are still being investigated for potential money laundering - see post #920