Football's Magic Money Tree

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Chester Perry
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Re: Football's Magic Money Tree

Post by Chester Perry » Wed Jun 19, 2019 5:00 pm

The French authorities arrested CAF (Confederation of African Football) President and FIFA Council Member Ahmad Ahmad a couple of weeks ago (see post #1338 http://uptheclarets.com/messageboard/vi ... start=1337" onclick="window.open(this.href);return false;) and we found out about what they wanted to know in post #1396 (http://uptheclarets.com/messageboard/vi ... start=1395" onclick="window.open(this.href);return false;) now it transpires that CAF is in such a mess that a CAF Emergency council has requested FIFA to come and take over for the next 6 months to straighten them out and oversee a full audit

https://twitter.com/tariqpanja/status/1 ... 2471948288" onclick="window.open(this.href);return false;

this is going to get messy I think

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Re: Football's Magic Money Tree

Post by Chester Perry » Wed Jun 19, 2019 5:26 pm

Marina Hyde of the Guardian gives her thoughts on how even with all the murck still around them FIFA and their President don't come off to bad in the current world

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

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Re: Football's Magic Money Tree

Post by Royboyclaret » Wed Jun 19, 2019 9:10 pm

Post #1441.......Vysyble providing yet more thought provoking stuff, although to be fair it's merely confirmation of something we already suspected. Perhaps the so-called big six have got it right and the fact that overseas broadcast income has now increased dramatically means that they are within their rights to demand an even larger share.

I suspect if Burnley were in that elite group we might be thinking on similar lines.

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Re: Football's Magic Money Tree

Post by Chester Perry » Thu Jun 20, 2019 12:33 pm

In post #1442 (http://uptheclarets.com/messageboard/vi ... start=1441" onclick="window.open(this.href);return false;) I suggested that FIFA's move to audit and improve CAF's processes was going to get messy - well they haven't started yet and already it is causing some consternation over who has been selected to lead the effort

https://apnews.com/745cd3ee3a54496a864020b2c9dc6794" onclick="window.open(this.href);return false;

Ceferin's letter

https://twitter.com/RobHarris/status/11 ... 7531240448" onclick="window.open(this.href);return false;

@TariqPanja of the New York Times broke the story yesterday - this is his article

FIFA Takes Control of Soccer in Africa, Where the Sport Is in Chaos - By Tariq Panja - June 19, 2019

Faced with a crisis that threatens to overwhelm the governing body of soccer on the African continent, FIFA is taking the unprecedented step of sending its top administrator, its secretary general Fatma Samoura, to run the stricken organization.

The Cairo-based Confederation of African Football, soccer’s largest regional confederation, has lurched from disaster to disaster in the past few months, and is on the verge of a total meltdown just as the region’s biggest national team competition — the Africa Cup of Nations — prepares to begin in Egypt. On the eve of the tournament, senior officials gathered for an emergency meeting, where they agreed to being led by Samoura, who will hold the title of FIFA High Commissioner for Africa when she assumes the new post later this summer.

The decision comes amid myriad issues faced by CAF, not least an investigation into its Madagascan president, Ahmad Ahmad, by FIFA’s ethics committee amid a torrent of allegations of wrongdoing, ranging from financial mismanagement to sexual harassment. Ahmad, who continues to deny the allegations against him and has claimed to be the victim of a smear campaign, was briefly arrested in Paris earlier this month by the French police, a day after Gianni Infantini was re-elected as FIFA’s president in Paris.

“The rule of the temporary FIFA High Commissioner for Africa would be to conduct a root-and-branch review of governance of the confederation, oversee operational management of the organization, and recommend where needed a series of reform efforts, to be agreed with CAF member associations and with FIFA in order to put CAF itself on a modern and sound footing, improve its image and reputation and thus ensure that CAF is better equipped to face future challenges and to grasp future opportunities,” FIFA said in setting up the arrangement, according to an internal document seen by The New York Times.

Infantino was said to be furious after the arrest of Ahmad, a FIFA vice president, earlier this month, since it came soon after he proclaimed that FIFA was in far better shape than it was when he took over in the aftermath of a sprawling Department of Justice indictment in 2015 that took aim at several high ranking FIFA officials, including the heads of both regional confederations in the Americas.

Though FIFA’s statutes allow it to take control should any of its member national associations run into trouble, they do not allow for it to run any of the sports six regional bodies. That is why it first required CAF’s executive board to agree to the change.

Finances may have played a part in getting a resolution. FIFA, which distributes millions of dollars to the confederations, two days ago suspended payments to CAF.

Neither group has officially commented on the matter.

The crisis at CAF touches all levels of the organization. Ahmad fired its secretary general, Amr Fahmy, during a stormy board meeting in April that followed the leak of internal documents which suggested financial mismanagement on a major scale. On the field, things haven’t been much better.

The second game of the two-match CAF Champions League final — the conclusion of the continent’s top club competition — was abandoned with 30 minutes to play after one of the teams refused to return following a controversial refereeing decision that could not be reviewed because the system put in place to analyze decisions had failed. A decision to replay the game has led to even more fury, with one of the teams, Espérance Sportive de Tunis, vowing to appeal the decision after it was told to return the medals and trophies it already had received.

The imbroglio in Africa is particularly frustrating for Infantino. He campaigned hard on behalf of Ahmad, then a little known figure in soccer circles, when he challenged longtime African soccer titan Issa Hayatou for a post Hayatou had held for almost three decades. While Ahmad will retain the title of president, his day-to-day role will be limited during Samoura’s tenure.

The 2015 crisis that threatened FIFA’s very existence most likely played a role in its decision to step in. The crimes uncovered by the Federal Bureau of Investigation and Internal Revenue Service largely occurred at the confederation level in the Americas, leaving Infantino and his inner circle to fret about the consequences of not doing anything about potential problems at CAF.

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Re: Football's Magic Money Tree

Post by Chester Perry » Thu Jun 20, 2019 12:44 pm

Meanwhile FIFA are steaming ahead with their plan - confirmed in a joint statement with CAF

https://www.fifa.com/about-fifa/who-we- ... fa-and-caf" onclick="window.open(this.href);return false;

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Re: Football's Magic Money Tree

Post by Chester Perry » Thu Jun 20, 2019 12:54 pm

Now being picked up by the more general press - including this as it has both Infantino's and Ceferin's letters in full

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

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Re: Football's Magic Money Tree

Post by Chester Perry » Thu Jun 20, 2019 1:09 pm

In a series of tweets @TariqPanja explains the dilemma for FIFA over the choice of who to lead this task


Suggestion that Fatma Samoura, FIFA’s Secretary General, will lead the group. Raises two issues:
1. Her close relationship with Ahmad
2. How can she undertake FIFA sec gen duties at same time?


Optics also a big issue for FIFA here. Obvious concerns of the “look” of the team being sent from Switzerland to fix African football’s governing body


Big move and one that carries a degree of risk, some already uncomfortable with choice of Samoura given her close personal friendship with Ahmad (who is under an ethics investigation)


Another area of concern is the job title: some are already seeing parallels with those from the colonial era bestowed upon typically -though not exclusively - mustachioed British gents to oversee the colonies (another reason FIFA was sensitive to choice of representative)


However in last hours, Fatma FIFA High Commissioner for Africa Samoura’s job title has switched from FIFA High Commissioner for Africa to FIFA General Delegate for Africa - not clear whether that comes with a specific uniform


Can’t think of another example of an organization seconding its CEO to another organization. Under FIFA statutes, sec gen was supposed tinja-se more powers than the president. Sending Samoura to Africa confirms in some respects how little power she wields at HQ.


Also given the ongoing ethics investigation against Ahmad, several people expressing shock at the choice of Samoura given it is widely said Ahmad was the person who first introduced Samoura to Infantino.

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He also has a note about Ceferin (a lawyer by profession)

Strong opposition to plan from UEFA president, apparently one of few confederation leaders who appears to have considered the implications. He sent a typically punchy reply to FIFA president Gianni Infantino

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Re: Football's Magic Money Tree

Post by Chester Perry » Thu Jun 20, 2019 1:21 pm

Offthepitch.com have been looking into what promotion to the Premier League (which promises great riches) has meant to the spending of the clubs who have achieved it.

https://offthepitch.com/a/premier-leagu ... st-survive" onclick="window.open(this.href);return false;

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Re: Football's Magic Money Tree

Post by Chester Perry » Thu Jun 20, 2019 1:44 pm

I said their would be more diagrams from Vysyble following the release of the 4th Edition of "We're so rich it's unbelieveable" report (see post #1441 - http://uptheclarets.com/messageboard/vi ... start=1440" onclick="window.open(this.href);return false;) it will be a drip feed unfortunately - here's todays that compares No of teams in Big Six and the 14 achieving Economic Profit in the last decade

https://twitter.com/vysyble/status/1141624792199651328" onclick="window.open(this.href);return false;

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Re: Football's Magic Money Tree

Post by Chester Perry » Thu Jun 20, 2019 6:16 pm

While Chelsea's case has been determined by FIFA as a breach and been taken to CAS on appeal as a result, FIFA have determined that similar cases against Valencia and Villareal have not breached their rules even though minors were involved.

Lawinsport.com explains the findings

https://www.lawinsport.com/sports-law-n ... -of-minors" onclick="window.open(this.href);return false;

It will be interesting to see how the (at least 5) Premier League clubs still under Investigation fare in light of this (http://uptheclarets.com/messageboard/vi ... &start=399" onclick="window.open(this.href);return false;)

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Re: Football's Magic Money Tree

Post by Chester Perry » Fri Jun 21, 2019 11:49 am

Nick Harris (@sportingintel) with some PL trivia and a suggestion for a PHD Thesis (given how much academic research there is in football now)

in Premier League history, the club relying least on PL TV cash in any given season was Man Utd in 1994-95, when just 4.85% of their income was PL cash.

At the other extreme, in the 2016-17 season, 86.65% of Bournemouth's income was PL cash.

There's a thesis in there somewhere, about the nature of 'big' and 'small' clubs using this one metric alone, and how the identities of these clubs have changed since 1992, and how English football has become more polarised.

Unrelated but off-the-wall bonkers: the first club in English football history to spend more than £1m in wages per point in a season was ... Sunderland.

In 2002-03 they spent £1,790,053 on (all club) wages, per point.

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Re: Football's Magic Money Tree

Post by Chester Perry » Fri Jun 21, 2019 6:20 pm

In post 1442 (http://uptheclarets.com/messageboard/vi ... start=1441" onclick="window.open(this.href);return false;) I mentioned that FIFA were sending a delegation to CAF to audit and assist in process improvement, further updates followed in posts #1445 (http://uptheclarets.com/messageboard/vi ... start=1444" onclick="window.open(this.href);return false;) #1446, #1447 and #1448 the last of which suggests Fatma Samoura wasn't actually allowed to perform much of the role she actually held at FIFA.

Today @TariqPanja makes the following notes on twitter which kind of underline that point

https://twitter.com/tariqpanja/status/1 ... 1110845445" onclick="window.open(this.href);return false;

https://twitter.com/tariqpanja/status/1 ... 0913779714" onclick="window.open(this.href);return false;

which suggests announcements at FIFA were somewhat Cart before Horse

The fact that the first ever female Secretary General of FIFA is not performing the duties or wielding the power associated with her role (whether by choice or by will of FIFA) makes her position tokenistic. Which may just be an Infantino power play but severly undermines FIFA's authority to make this kind of demand on Iran (made today)

https://apnews.com/7d1e5d7e33ee47da8486 ... ce=Twitter" onclick="window.open(this.href);return false;

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Re: Football's Magic Money Tree

Post by Royboyclaret » Fri Jun 21, 2019 6:29 pm

Chester Perry wrote:Nick Harris (@sportingintel) with some PL trivia and a suggestion for a PHD Thesis (given how much academic research there is in football now)

in Premier League history, the club relying least on PL TV cash in any given season was Man Utd in 1994-95, when just 4.85% of their income was PL cash.

At the other extreme, in the 2016-17 season, 86.65% of Bournemouth's income was PL cash.

There's a thesis in there somewhere, about the nature of 'big' and 'small' clubs using this one metric alone, and how the identities of these clubs have changed since 1992, and how English football has become more polarised.

Unrelated but off-the-wall bonkers: the first club in English football history to spend more than £1m in wages per point in a season was ... Sunderland.

In 2002-03 they spent £1,790,053 on (all club) wages, per point.
Wasn't ours 87.4% in '17/'18 ?

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Re: Football's Magic Money Tree

Post by Chester Perry » Fri Jun 21, 2019 6:47 pm

Royboyclaret wrote:Wasn't ours 87.4% in '17/'18 ?
yes but both Bournemouth and Huddersfield beat that (appears Nick is a season out of date)

https://twitter.com/SwissRamble/status/ ... 9088404480" onclick="window.open(this.href);return false;

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Re: Football's Magic Money Tree

Post by Royboyclaret » Fri Jun 21, 2019 7:01 pm

Ah right.

In post#1427 on this thread I mentioned our dependency on Broadcast Income but I guess it's only when displayed in percentage terms (87.4%) it drives home just how heavily reliant we are as a Club on the TV money.

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Re: Football's Magic Money Tree

Post by Chester Perry » Fri Jun 21, 2019 7:06 pm

Roy it is only the big 6 that get it into the 50's percentage wise next closest to them was West Ham at 68%

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Re: Football's Magic Money Tree

Post by Royboyclaret » Fri Jun 21, 2019 7:19 pm

Chester Perry wrote:Roy it is only the big 6 that get it into the 50's percentage wise next closest to them was West Ham at 68%
Meanwhile Real Madrid and Barcelona at 33% and 32% respectively and remarkably Bayern at 28%.

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Re: Football's Magic Money Tree

Post by Chester Perry » Fri Jun 21, 2019 7:28 pm

Royboyclaret wrote:Meanwhile Real Madrid and Barcelona at 33% and 32% respectively and remarkably Bayern at 28%.
Bayern's figure is impressive - they earn so much commercially (and less than Huddersfield from domestic TV this season) but it is hardly surprising when you look at deals like this http://uptheclarets.com/messageboard/vi ... start=1132" onclick="window.open(this.href);return false;

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Re: Football's Magic Money Tree

Post by Royboyclaret » Fri Jun 21, 2019 7:32 pm

Chester Perry wrote:Roy it is only the big 6 that get it into the 50's percentage wise next closest to them was West Ham at 68%
Thought I'd spotted United at 35% for '17/'18 ?

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Re: Football's Magic Money Tree

Post by Chester Perry » Fri Jun 21, 2019 7:46 pm

should have said 50's or better - not surprise that Barca, Real, Utd and Bayern are the top 4 in the world for revenue (and value)

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Re: Football's Magic Money Tree

Post by Chester Perry » Fri Jun 21, 2019 11:13 pm

Financial Fair Play has become a key topic of discussion throughout the European game and our own pyramid yesterday Tifo Football posted a new piece on how FFP was justified

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=-eZSo8D ... e=youtu.be" onclick="window.open(this.href);return false;

This has led them to looking back at a series of related pieces (it is almost a shortened version of half of this thread) - I use their introductions from twitter

If ever a sport reflected a certain disconnect with its audience, it is surely football.@NFJensen on how the global financial crisis changed football:
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=brCu5O0 ... e=youtu.be" onclick="window.open(this.href);return false;

Football leaks exposed us to the dark underbelly of football & the extraordinary lengths clubs would go to circumnavigate FFP rules.
Here's @JamesPiotr & @LWIMTH on Project Longbow, Gianni Infantino & inflated sponsorship deals:
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=WkU3mtm ... e=youtu.be" onclick="window.open(this.href);return false;

The UEFA Club Financial Control Body has opened an investigation into Manchester City for alleged FFP violations, BUT do typical FFP punishments really work? @KieranMaguire on the EFL's Financial Fair Play verdict against QPR:
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=5X2phI6 ... e=youtu.be" onclick="window.open(this.href);return false;

The Manchester City & Etihad Airways partnership was borne to an extent out of necessity on the part of the club, to satisfy UEFA FFP rules. Alongside @KieranMaguire, we examine Manchester City's controversial Etihad deal:
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=yDjISzW ... e=youtu.be" onclick="window.open(this.href);return false;

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Re: Football's Magic Money Tree

Post by Chester Perry » Sat Jun 22, 2019 12:33 am

The possible sale of Newcastle rumbles on without any real signs of it reaching the conclusion the fans want, and the manager, Rafa Benitez is just over a week away from being out of contract - The Times has a look at the club where hope is expiring rapidly


At Mike Ashley’s Newcastle United, trust has left the building and Rafa Benítez is set to follow
George Caulkin, Northern Sports Correspondent - June 22 2019, 12:01am,

The story of Newcastle United’s summer is one of stasis and, as things stand, there will not be a happy ending, not as far as Rafa Benítez is concerned. With nine days to go until the manager’s contract ends at St James’ Park, talks about an extension have stalled and China is beckoning, offering money (lots of it), and a different sort of challenge. Benítez has one hand on the exit and trust has already left the building.
Nine days more, but it feels too late. As The Times reported this week, Dalian Yifang head a list of Chinese Super League clubs seeking to negotiate with Benítez once his deal expires, prepared to offer him a £12 million-a-year salary. For them, the attraction is clear: a Champions League-winning manager available without compensation. For him, it is about impatience and narrowing options.

The backdrop to this story is both simple and complicated, featuring a dysfunctional club with a baffling owner in Mike Ashley; one of the best, most ambitious coaches of his generation; fractured relationships and a tortuous takeover saga which has delayed and disrupted everything. Once again, Newcastle find themselves on a precipice and, once again, nobody has pushed them there. They teeter and wobble, much of it their own doing.

Even with that context, it seems incomprehensible that Newcastle could have reached this point. Three years on from the 59-year-old’s arrival on Tyneside, when he spoke about an ailing club’s history and stature, Benítez is adored by supporters, hauling an honest team back from the Sky Bet Championship at the first attempt and then, with minimal investment, twice keeping them in the Premier League.

The Spaniard has never sought to leave. Quite the opposite. He has forged a deep connection with the city in a manner reminiscent of his time at Liverpool, where he won the Champions League and where his family are still based. All he has pushed for is a chance; to compete with clubs in the upper half of the Premier League, if not in terms of spending, then in ambition, speed of movement, growth of infrastructure. “We must do things right,” has become his mantra.

The club will say that they have been attempting to tie Benítez down for the last 18 months with no success. They will certainly maintain that they want him to stay. Yet their initial approach came when he was fretting about the arrival of new players, adding to his frustration about the club’s priorities, about their approach to the transfer market, rather than soothing them. And talks since then have been haphazard.

When Benítez met Ashley and Lee Charnley, Newcastle’s managing director, in London in the week after the end of the season, there was some optimism about a compromise being reached. A one-year extension appeared the most practical solution, giving Benítez an early get-out if the club failed to deliver and giving Ashley and Charnley some breathing space and then a chance to renegotiate.

Progress since then has been interminable and when an offer came — one year, on the same £6 million annual wage and with none of the structural improvements that Benítez had originally asked for — it did not feel like a breakthrough. Benítez is already paid a lot, but he has spent three prime years at a club allergic to its own potential and if they are not prepared to invest in other areas, surely his obsessive efforts to improve the team could be rewarded? Is that not the easy bit?

But this is Newcastle and nothing is easy. The Sun’s front-page exclusive on May 27 — “Toon £350m Sheikh-Up” — revealing that Ashley had “agreed to sell” Newcastle to Sheikh Khaled bin Zayed Al Nehayan, prompted euphoria on Gallowgate; perhaps Ashley’s 12 years of negligence, contentious decisions, two relegations, and a drip-drip of corrosion to the club’s soul was about to end. Perhaps.

The complexities of Newcastle’s “takeover” are dense, but almost a month on from the Bin Zayed group’s emergence, the club remains in Ashley’s hands. No exclusivity agreement has been signed and at least two other bidders (one of which is known to The Times), claim to be in the running, and at varying stages of progress. Discussions are being handled by Justin Barnes, Ashley’s Sports Direct fixer.

Newcastle have officially been up for sale since October 2017, since when both Amanda Staveley’s PCP Capital Partners and Peter Kenyon, the former Manchester United and Chelsea director, have led attempts to buy it. It is the third time that Ashley has tried to jettison the club that he bought for £135 million in 2007, although sources close to the process insist that it is different now, that his desire to sell is genuine.

With bidders being played off against each other, with the details of moving money around, studying accounts and ticking administrative boxes dragging on, Benítez has been caught in the middle; on the one hand told by Charnley that it is business as usual this summer and on the other believing that it is anything but. He has asked for clarity and none has been forthcoming, in part because nobody really understands what will happen next.

None of it has been authoritative and the clock is ticking down; how can he commit to something — anything — so uncertain? Could he not wait, see how things develop and, if the worst happens, hang around until sacking season this autumn and have his pick of jobs? Definitely, but he is proud and stubborn, too, and he is sick of waiting, unconvinced by what he has heard.

In any case, Dalian want him now. Backed by Wang Jianlin, one of the richest men in China and worth about £17 billion according to Forbes, they are 11th in the Super League and although Benítez has previously been dismissive about moving to the Far East, wanting to stay within touching distance of Merseyside, his wife and daughters, the landscape has changed. There are no openings in the Premier League and Newcastle is a lost cause.

Or is it? Even now, at this late juncture, could the impasse not break? Could there be an end to the logjam over Newcastle’s future ownership? Could Ashley not, on a whim, lavish Benítez with praise or money or possibilities? At this most impenetrable of clubs, which has offered no public comment on Benítez’s position, nothing is impossible, but time is almost up.

The next week or so may feel like for ever. Benítez’s contract protects him from dismissal, to the tune of £6 million, right until the final day but if Ashley, the retailer famed for his maverick streak, is waiting for his manager to blink first, then dismay will follow hard. It is the end game now and although this could still be the summer when Ashley finally leaves, there may be a hefty price to pay. Benítez is going, going and almost gone.

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I am a little surprised that there was no mention in that article that Mike Ashley continues to hoover up shares in the club he doesn't already own - from @KieranMaguire earlier this week - another 153000 shares bought bringing total bought recently to 643000 and registered at Companies house

https://twitter.com/KieranMaguire/statu ... 8588107777" onclick="window.open(this.href);return false;

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Re: Football's Magic Money Tree

Post by Chester Perry » Sat Jun 22, 2019 1:29 pm

It seems the long awaited PFA review (se post #1275 http://uptheclarets.com/messageboard/vi ... start=1274" onclick="window.open(this.href);return false;) is finally to get underway - 7 months after it was announced - from the Telegraph

Independent review into PFA begins - seven months after it was originally announced - Jeremy Wilson, Chief Sports Reporter
22 June 2019 • 10:33am

An independent review into the Professional Footballers’ Association has finally begun - seven months after it was originally announced.
Last November, PFA chief executive Gordon Taylor reacted to a week of unprecedented criticism of his organisation by agreeing to chairman Ben Purkiss’s suggestion for a review. It was then announced in March that Taylor would depart at the annual general meeting which followed completion of the review.

There has since been concern over the pace of progress and, although QC Thomas Linden was appointed in March, it is understood that Taylor has only just agreed to the specifics of a review that was promised to cover the governance, management and operations of an organisation he has dominated for the past 40 years.

Although the timescale remains unclear, the chances of the review being completed before the next AGM later this year appear to be fading. As well as Taylor, the entire management committee of players will remain in their roles until after the review is complete.

The compromise agreement that was struck in March also precludes any member of the management committee of players, such as Purkiss, from becoming chief executive for another five-year period.

There has been strikingly little change amongst the PFA’s executive team in recent decades and the agreement does not preclude any of the other existing employees from following Taylor.

Bobby Barnes and John Bramhall, the current deputy chief executives, respectively began working at the PFA in 1996 and 1997. Assistant chief executives Simon Barker, Nick Cusack and Richard Jobson have been employed at the organisation respectively since 2000, 2002 and 2003.

Beneath that and there are several others who have worked closely alongside Taylor for many years. Darren Wilson has been the director of finance for 17 years, Matthew Buck, now the director of player management, first joined the PFA in 1996 while two of the trustees, Brendon Batson and Garth Crooks, were respectively deputy chief executive and chairman during periods in the 1980s.

The Charity Commission also opened a separate regulatory compliance case last year to examine governance and financial concerns associated with the PFA. A spokesperson this week confirmed that the case remains ongoing and said that “it would be inappropriate” to comment at this time. Taylor, whose annual salary has been a point of huge controversy, has always defended the PFA’s record and says that it has become the “world’s leading sports union” under his tenure.

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That last line could really come back to haunt him

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Re: Football's Magic Money Tree

Post by Chester Perry » Sat Jun 22, 2019 1:40 pm

It is possible that buying Hillsborough and leasing it back is not enough to get Sheffield Wednesday past FFP (they are still to release their accounts for 2017/18, @Kieran Maguire reports on a massive share issue at the club

https://twitter.com/KieranMaguire/statu ... 2355350529" onclick="window.open(this.href);return false;

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Re: Football's Magic Money Tree

Post by Chester Perry » Sat Jun 22, 2019 9:26 pm

German football club fans possess traits that are much admired in this country (and very probably many others), one of which is their insistence on a "right" way of going about their business, seemingly acting with a extreme level of solidarity and refusal to bend to the will of big business. Paderborn were promoted last season and have just lost their Sporting Director to Red Bull Leipzig, part of the deal to allow that was for Paderborn to enter a sporting partnership with RB Leipzig - Paderborn fans were having none of it and soon their Leipzig counterparts wanted it stopping also. So a deal that promised so much to those that negotiated it has been ripped up 2 weeks after it was made

@FTamsut has the story

https://twitter.com/ftamsut/status/1141699383844581376" onclick="window.open(this.href);return false;

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Re: Football's Magic Money Tree

Post by Royboyclaret » Sat Jun 22, 2019 10:01 pm

Chester Perry wrote:It is possible that buying Hillsborough and leasing it back is not enough to get Sheffield Wednesday past FFP (they are still to release their accounts for 2017/18, @Kieran Maguire reports on a massive share issue at the club

https://twitter.com/KieranMaguire/statu ... 2355350529" onclick="window.open(this.href);return false;
For Sheffield Wednesday to withhold their accounts for this amount of time makes you wonder exactly what hidden gems will eventually be revealed. There was a whisper on the football grapevine earlier this week (which I must stress has not been confirmed) that suggests they might well be the next club to walk the financial precipice.

And in the meantime what do they consider to be appropriate?.........An exclusive training camp in Portugal followed by a tour of Germany for pre-season games........Mmmm.

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Re: Football's Magic Money Tree

Post by Chester Perry » Sat Jun 22, 2019 10:46 pm

Royboyclaret wrote:For Sheffield Wednesday to withhold their accounts for this amount of time makes you wonder exactly what hidden gems will eventually be revealed. There was a whisper on the football grapevine earlier this week (which I must stress has not been confirmed) that suggests they might well be the next club to walk the financial precipice.

And in the meantime what do they consider to be appropriate?.........An exclusive training camp in Portugal followed by a tour of Germany for pre-season games........Mmmm.
It is possible that Sheff Wed are employing the full Mel Morris FFP avoidance playbook - @KieranMaguire talks to Radio Sheffield about his latest revelations, The owner has set up 4 new companies about which we currently know nothing

https://www.bbc.co.uk/sounds/play/p07c5kw5" onclick="window.open(this.href);return false; EDIT from 3h 34m in - lasts about 8 mins
Last edited by Chester Perry on Sat Jun 22, 2019 11:49 pm, edited 1 time in total.

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Re: Football's Magic Money Tree

Post by Royboyclaret » Sat Jun 22, 2019 11:13 pm

Chester Perry wrote:It is possible that Sheff Wed are employing the full Mel Morris FFP avoidance playbook - @KieranMaguire talks to Radio Sheffield about his latest revelations, The owner has set up 4 new companies about which we currently know nothing

https://www.bbc.co.uk/sounds/play/p07c5kw5" onclick="window.open(this.href);return false; from 3h 54m in - lasts about 8 mins
An interesting piece as ever from Kieran Maguire (from 3hrs 34mins - Chester).

The Mel Morris situation at Derby and potentially this one at Wednesday reminds me so much of what happened here back in 2006 when we were essentially potless and Barry Kilby along with John Sullivan formed a company called Longside Properties and effectively bought Turf Moor from the club and rented it back. All was fine for a while until Barry became uncomfortable being landlord and tenant and sold it on again to a company called Lionbridge.

That's when the problem really kicked in and in the end we were fortunate in 2013 to have the ground returned to it's rightful ownership. Few people know just how precarious that final situation became.

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Re: Football's Magic Money Tree

Post by Chester Perry » Sat Jun 22, 2019 11:49 pm

Royboyclaret wrote:That's when the problem really kicked in and in the end we were fortunate in 2013 to have the ground returned to it's rightful ownership. Few people know just how precarious that final situation became.
It always amazes me that so many Burnley fans are now so blase about our situation at that time (not saying that Kilby and co were doing anything but saving the club and it's creditors), but then again so many football fans in this country are blase about this practice of spinning off the various functions/assets of the club into seperate companies. They think short term about it all and kid themselves that because the owner is apparently rich he must know what he is doing (and what they are doing must be good for the club) and do not seem to recognise that any of those companies could be sold/witheld from sale at the whim of the owner (much as Norman Smuthwaite threatened at Port Vale) it is so often done to protect the financial interests of the owner and not the club


NB apologies for the typo on the time slot in that radio interview.

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Re: Football's Magic Money Tree

Post by Chester Perry » Sun Jun 23, 2019 12:28 pm

In post #1433 (http://uptheclarets.com/messageboard/vi ... start=1432" onclick="window.open(this.href);return false;) I posted an article about Michel Platini being arrested in France, here the same paper explains why and what the French police were looking to learn

https://www.mailonsunday.co.uk/sport/sp ... etics.html" onclick="window.open(this.href);return false;

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Re: Football's Magic Money Tree

Post by Chester Perry » Sun Jun 23, 2019 4:46 pm

Following our discussion yesterday about Sheff Wed post #1465 (http://uptheclarets.com/messageboard/vi ... start=1464" onclick="window.open(this.href);return false;) and post #1467 through post #1470 (http://uptheclarets.com/messageboard/vi ... start=1466" onclick="window.open(this.href);return false;) it appears that Sheff Utd also are split into a myriad of companies and also do not directly own their ground

https://twitter.com/KieranMaguire/statu ... 5027848192" onclick="window.open(this.href);return false;

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Re: Football's Magic Money Tree

Post by Royboyclaret » Sun Jun 23, 2019 5:18 pm

Chester Perry wrote:Following our discussion yesterday about Sheff Wed post #1465 (http://uptheclarets.com/messageboard/vi ... start=1464" onclick="window.open(this.href);return false;) and post #1467 through post #1470 (http://uptheclarets.com/messageboard/vi ... start=1466" onclick="window.open(this.href);return false;) it appears that Sheff Utd also are split into a myriad of companies and also do not directly own their ground

https://twitter.com/KieranMaguire/statu ... 5027848192" onclick="window.open(this.href);return false;
So it now appears that Sheff Wed have indeed followed Sheff Utd's lead. Sheff Utd Football Club do not own Bramall Lane and are charged an annual rent of £310,000 by Sheff Utd Limited.

This is not a new concept and in 2006 Longside Properties (Barry Kilby and John Sullivan) bought Turf Moor for £3.2m and from that date until 2013 BFC paid an annual rent of £330,000 (with a further change of ownership in 2009).

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Re: Football's Magic Money Tree

Post by Chester Perry » Sun Jun 23, 2019 5:30 pm

Many many clubs are doing it now - just doesn't feel right to me though I understand the myriad of different reasons for doing so

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Re: Football's Magic Money Tree

Post by Chester Perry » Mon Jun 24, 2019 4:58 pm

Are Qatar having problems getting all the infrastructure ready for the World Cup or is this for something else

https://twitter.com/DM_Harding/status/1 ... 0119902208" onclick="window.open(this.href);return false;

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Re: Football's Magic Money Tree

Post by Chester Perry » Mon Jun 24, 2019 5:02 pm

the long and drawn out battle for ownership of Sheffield United may be drawing to a close (i say may, it is entirely possible any judgement will go to appeal)

https://www.thestar.co.uk/sport/footbal ... end-305246" onclick="window.open(this.href);return false;
Last edited by Chester Perry on Tue Jun 25, 2019 2:24 am, edited 2 times in total.

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Re: Football's Magic Money Tree

Post by Chester Perry » Mon Jun 24, 2019 9:18 pm

There is a growing groundswell of support for an Independent regulator for Football especially in the lower leagues, @AndyhHolt has been banging this particular drum for some time and it is a popular concept within various supporter groups. Tomorrow Chester MP Chris Matheson will present his case for the introduction of such using the 10 min Rule Bill

https://twitter.com/ChrisM4Chester/stat ... 5934923776" onclick="window.open(this.href);return false;

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Re: Football's Magic Money Tree

Post by Chester Perry » Mon Jun 24, 2019 9:28 pm

Part 7 of the Mathew Briggs doc

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=HrxmHfNT7tU" onclick="window.open(this.href);return false;

- you can catch the rest here http://www.uptheclarets.com/messageboar ... start=1420" onclick="window.open(this.href);return false;


The BBC did a long article on this series last week - https://www.bbc.co.uk/sport/football/48372551" onclick="window.open(this.href);return false;

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Re: Football's Magic Money Tree

Post by Chester Perry » Tue Jun 25, 2019 12:00 am

As the world adapts the fact that "Influencers" are actually paid to promote various goods the law is catching up - with sports starts and especially footballers having all kinds of commercial contracts (Ronaldo signed one for over $800m with Nike a couple of years ago) they are being required to clearly signal those items they are being paid to promote across social media - Here one of the country's top sports law firms gives a brief about how individuals should proceed to best protect themselves

https://mailchi.mp/7e4cf4c48c45/the-she ... c788c890e4" onclick="window.open(this.href);return false;

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Re: Football's Magic Money Tree

Post by Chester Perry » Tue Jun 25, 2019 2:08 am

Now that he is free to exert his influence over the summer transfer market - Mino Raiola is weighing up just how much commission he can get - The Guardian look at what managers hate but his clients love

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

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Re: Football's Magic Money Tree

Post by Chester Perry » Tue Jun 25, 2019 2:23 am

In post #877 (http://uptheclarets.com/messageboard/vi ... &start=876" onclick="window.open(this.href);return false;) and #885 (http://uptheclarets.com/messageboard/vi ... &start=884" onclick="window.open(this.href);return false;) following Necastle announcing their financial results GodIsADeeJay81 and Royboyclaret note that the Newcastle fans are quite deluded about the financials of their club (I blame Sir John Hall getting carried away in the 90's). What is apparent though is that delusion has not changed.

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

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Re: Football's Magic Money Tree

Post by Chester Perry » Tue Jun 25, 2019 7:04 pm

Unlicensed football agent and private airplane booker Willie McKay (see post #555 http://uptheclarets.com/messageboard/vi ... &start=554" onclick="window.open(this.href);return false;) is looking likely to be going to jail for Fraud - From the Telegraph


Exclusive: Willie McKay facing up to two years in prison after being charged with fraud - Ben Rumsby
25 June 2019 • 5:00pm

Willie McKay has been charged with fraud, Telegraph Sport can reveal.

The man who booked Emiliano Sala’s doomed flight is due to appear in court next month after being charged with two counts of fraudulent transfer of property.

News of McKay’s latest brush with the law comes a day after Telegraph Sport revealed police had issued a harassment warning to the Scot following a complaint he threatened to “burn” Cardiff City and to “kill everybody” there.

Charges were issued following a probe by the Insolvency Service, which said on Tuesday: “William McKay is due to appear at Manchester Magistrates Court on 31 July having been charged with two counts of fraudulent transfer of property.”

If found guilty, McKay faces up to two years in prison.

The Scot was issued with a harassment warning last month after being accused of making threats to Cardiff chairman Mehmet Dalman, chief executive Ken Choo, player-liaison officer Callum Davies and one other man.

As revealed by Telegraph Sport, the Metropolitan Police launched an investigation after McKay, who turned 60 this month, found out where one of his alleged victims lived and confronted him at a nearby cafe before committing what the force described as a “possible public order offence”.

It said the incident was not being treated as “threats to kill” amid claims the Scot subjected the same man later that day to threatening phone calls in which he said, “I’ll shoot the lot of you”, and, “You don’t know who you’re dealing with”.

Confirming its investigation into the February 22 altercation had “now concluded”, the Met said: “A man, aged in his 50s, was interviewed under caution on Tuesday, 28 May. He was not arrested. The man was issued with a first instance harassment warning.”

The force issued a statement less than a week after the pilot McKay asked to organise Sala’s fatal January 21 flight was arrested on suspicion of manslaughter by an unlawful act.

Dave Henderson, 64, was held by Dorset Police amid an investigation into the striker’s death, including into accusations the man drafted in to fly the plane, Dave Ibbotson, was not properly licenced.

McKay has repeatedly stated he had no input into the selection of Ibbotson – who is missing presumed dead – while Henderson has yet to comment on his own arrest or role in the tragedy.

He has also denied threatening Cardiff officials or that he was issued with a harassment warning by police.

Following the Telegraph’s reporting of the outcome of the Met investigation, McKay responded to requests for comment with threats relating to the reporter's family.

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Re: Football's Magic Money Tree

Post by Chester Perry » Tue Jun 25, 2019 7:26 pm

The Mail are getting a tad overexcited at the prospect Man City will be banned from the Champions League as a result of FFP malpractice - must be a quite day - not a bad overview of the case though

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

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Re: Football's Magic Money Tree

Post by Chester Perry » Tue Jun 25, 2019 7:53 pm

There are plenty of people who will tell you that the way the Glazers leveraged Man United to buy the club and get the club to pay the interest has had no significant affect on them. @KieranMaguirre thinks differently (like me)

https://twitter.com/KieranMaguire/statu ... 2909073408" onclick="window.open(this.href);return false;

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Re: Football's Magic Money Tree

Post by Chester Perry » Tue Jun 25, 2019 8:23 pm

It appears they were a number of financial reasons why Newcastle let Rafa Benitez leave - from Offthepitch.com

- Newcastle bosses look outside Britain for a new manager after Benitez leaves - by Martin Hardy - 24 June 2019 5:09 PM
- Lee Charnley, the MD at Newcastle, is well-connected outside Britain and it seems likely he would fancy a young promising continental manager.
- The new manager installed at Newcastle should accept less influence on deals and transfer-budgets than previous managers.
- Benitez salary a problem as lengthy talks end in bitter split.

Managing Director at Newcastle United, Lee Charnley, will lead the hunt for Rafael Benitez’s replacement, but it seems highly unlikely that Newcastle will return to the kind of high profile, big-earning manager that Benitez was.

That would appear to rule out Jose Mourinho and Arsene Wenger who have both been mentioned in relation with the position in the last month.
Indeed offthpitch.com has learned that Benitez’s salary became a problem as contract talks broke down after months of negotiation.

Names that have been installed at short odds include former Newcastle managers Chris Hughton and Alan Pardew, but both are not expected to feature

Ease power
Instead, having developed strong contacts on the continent over recent years, and watched the emergence of young, foreign coaches, Newcastle and Charnley could go down that route

Certainly the desire to ease power away from the manager’s dugout, a favoured approach of Ashley and his managing director at St James’ Park, now seems absolutely inevitable.

They will want the new man in charge, who may even be given the title of head coach, as Steve McClaren, the man to precede Benitez had, to work much more closely with their recruitment team.

Part of Benitez’s contract was that he retained the final say on any incoming players and there was believed to have been a clash last summer over the possible arrival of two young forwards.

Newcastle are now searching for their ninth permanent manager in the 12 years that Mike Ashley has been in control of the club.

Internal row
Offthepitch.com has already been told that the man to replace Benitez will not be Garry Monk, who was installed as the early favourite on Sunday evening.

The bitter internal row at Newcastle United that saw Rafa Benitez leave the club on Monday lunchtime did not just centre over recruitment and the amount he would have to spend, but also what he would earn.

Benitez officially left his position as manager of Newcastle United after 38 months when the club released a terse email at 12.30 on Monday morning in which they said: “It is with disappointment we announce Rafael Benítez will leave Newcastle United upon expiry of his contract.

“We have worked hard to extend Rafa’s contract over a period of time, however it has not been, and will not be, possible to reach an agreement with Rafa and his representatives.”

Not prepared to offer improved terms
Key elements that had plagued talks which have gone on between representatives of the club and Benitez for 18 months were the size of the budget - £50 million a year plus whatever was gained in player sales - the size of the wage bill and whether Benitez would be allowed to sign players in their late twenties.

Newcastle stood firm on what would be available. They also, as revealed by Offthepitch.com in March, remain keen to sign younger players and they were also not prepared to offer improved terms on the contract that Benitez would actually sign.

Benitez’s initial contract when he joined Newcastle in March 2016 was believed to have been around £5 million-a-year. After leading Newcastle in the Championship in his first full season at the club, he saw that deal rise to £6 million-a-year.

Varying levels of the length of a potential new deal were discussed, ranging from five years, to three years, until finally a 12-month short-term option appeared the most likely to break the impasse.

Cleared their homes
However, offthepitch.com understands that the amount included in that deal, the same basic of £6 million-a-year that had been agreed when he signed the three-year deal, was not up for negotiation.

That appears to have played a role in the haste with which Benitez’s time in charge at St James’ Park came to a dramatic halt on Monday.
Offthepitch.com revealed on Monday morning that Benitez’s staff had already cleared their homes and their desks, the biggest indicator to that point that the relationship of just over three years was at an end.

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Re: Football's Magic Money Tree

Post by rob63 » Tue Jun 25, 2019 8:57 pm

Chester Perry wrote:Following our discussion yesterday about Sheff Wed post #1465 (http://uptheclarets.com/messageboard/vi ... start=1464" onclick="window.open(this.href);return false;) and post #1467 through post #1470 (http://uptheclarets.com/messageboard/vi ... start=1466" onclick="window.open(this.href);return false;) it appears that Sheff Utd also are split into a myriad of companies and also do not directly own their ground

https://twitter.com/KieranMaguire/statu ... 5027848192" onclick="window.open(this.href);return false;
It's online today that Sheff Utd are looking to re-name Bramhall Lane under a sponsorship deal...... they take the view that now they've reached the Premier League it would be foolish not to maximise their income whilst they're in it.
How about Sell-out Lane?

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Re: Football's Magic Money Tree

Post by rob63 » Tue Jun 25, 2019 9:24 pm

Chester Perry wrote:It appears they were a number of financial reasons why Newcastle let Rafa Benitez leave - from Offthepitch.com

- Newcastle bosses look outside Britain for a new manager after Benitez leaves - by Martin Hardy - 24 June 2019 5:09 PM
- Lee Charnley, the MD at Newcastle, is well-connected outside Britain and it seems likely he would fancy a young promising continental manager.
- The new manager installed at Newcastle should accept less influence on deals and transfer-budgets than previous managers.
- Benitez salary a problem as lengthy talks end in bitter split.

Managing Director at Newcastle United, Lee Charnley, will lead the hunt for Rafael Benitez’s replacement, but it seems highly unlikely that Newcastle will return to the kind of high profile, big-earning manager that Benitez was.

That would appear to rule out Jose Mourinho and Arsene Wenger who have both been mentioned in relation with the position in the last month.
Indeed offthpitch.com has learned that Benitez’s salary became a problem as contract talks broke down after months of negotiation.

Names that have been installed at short odds include former Newcastle managers Chris Hughton and Alan Pardew, but both are not expected to feature

Ease power
Instead, having developed strong contacts on the continent over recent years, and watched the emergence of young, foreign coaches, Newcastle and Charnley could go down that route

Certainly the desire to ease power away from the manager’s dugout, a favoured approach of Ashley and his managing director at St James’ Park, now seems absolutely inevitable.

They will want the new man in charge, who may even be given the title of head coach, as Steve McClaren, the man to precede Benitez had, to work much more closely with their recruitment team.

Part of Benitez’s contract was that he retained the final say on any incoming players and there was believed to have been a clash last summer over the possible arrival of two young forwards.

Newcastle are now searching for their ninth permanent manager in the 12 years that Mike Ashley has been in control of the club.

Internal row
Offthepitch.com has already been told that the man to replace Benitez will not be Garry Monk, who was installed as the early favourite on Sunday evening.

The bitter internal row at Newcastle United that saw Rafa Benitez leave the club on Monday lunchtime did not just centre over recruitment and the amount he would have to spend, but also what he would earn.

Benitez officially left his position as manager of Newcastle United after 38 months when the club released a terse email at 12.30 on Monday morning in which they said: “It is with disappointment we announce Rafael Benítez will leave Newcastle United upon expiry of his contract.

“We have worked hard to extend Rafa’s contract over a period of time, however it has not been, and will not be, possible to reach an agreement with Rafa and his representatives.”

Not prepared to offer improved terms
Key elements that had plagued talks which have gone on between representatives of the club and Benitez for 18 months were the size of the budget - £50 million a year plus whatever was gained in player sales - the size of the wage bill and whether Benitez would be allowed to sign players in their late twenties.

Newcastle stood firm on what would be available. They also, as revealed by Offthepitch.com in March, remain keen to sign younger players and they were also not prepared to offer improved terms on the contract that Benitez would actually sign.

Benitez’s initial contract when he joined Newcastle in March 2016 was believed to have been around £5 million-a-year. After leading Newcastle in the Championship in his first full season at the club, he saw that deal rise to £6 million-a-year.

Varying levels of the length of a potential new deal were discussed, ranging from five years, to three years, until finally a 12-month short-term option appeared the most likely to break the impasse.

Cleared their homes
However, offthepitch.com understands that the amount included in that deal, the same basic of £6 million-a-year that had been agreed when he signed the three-year deal, was not up for negotiation.

That appears to have played a role in the haste with which Benitez’s time in charge at St James’ Park came to a dramatic halt on Monday.
Offthepitch.com revealed on Monday morning that Benitez’s staff had already cleared their homes and their desks, the biggest indicator to that point that the relationship of just over three years was at an end.
In other words they want a young coach, desperate to make a name for himself in a foreign land, who'll do as he's told, keep his mouth shut & toe the party line while keeping the punters parting with their hard-earned!
I'm saying he, unless Ashley thinks he can get round the Equal Pay Act & get a woman to work for less money - wouldn't put it past him!
Just surprised he doesn't try to get someone on a Zero Hours contract! :lol:

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Re: Football's Magic Money Tree

Post by Chester Perry » Tue Jun 25, 2019 10:51 pm

The Yorkshire Evening Post has published a list of the Richest owners in the EFL - There are a few standout's for you to pick and a lot of unknown's some of which are supposedly Billionaires or were until they go involved with football club ownership

https://www.leeds-live.co.uk/sport/leed ... d-16482809" onclick="window.open(this.href);return false;

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Re: Football's Magic Money Tree

Post by Chester Perry » Tue Jun 25, 2019 11:10 pm

@Marcotti gives us a breakdown of all the nuances in the transfer process and marketplace

https://www.espn.com/soccer/blog/marcot ... s-and-more" onclick="window.open(this.href);return false;

The final section on misconceptions is great

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Re: Football's Magic Money Tree

Post by Royboyclaret » Tue Jun 25, 2019 11:30 pm

Chester Perry wrote:The Yorkshire Evening Post has published a list of the Richest owners in the EFL - There are a few standout's for you to pick and a lot of unknown's some of which are supposedly Billionaires or were until they go involved with football club ownership

https://www.leeds-live.co.uk/sport/leed ... d-16482809" onclick="window.open(this.href);return false;
Think I counted 19 specific cases of Championship clubs with owners worth £175million or higher. The remainder, classed as unknown, included Venky's down the road where the figure involved will be considerably higher. Even Trevor Hemmings at PNE has now amassed over £1billion.

At the last count I recall Mike and John between them came in around £88million, the only conclusion to draw is that we must be doing something right at Burnley.

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Re: Football's Magic Money Tree

Post by Chester Perry » Tue Jun 25, 2019 11:40 pm

Royboyclaret wrote:Think I counted 19 specific cases of Championship clubs with owners worth £175million or higher. The remainder, classed as unknown, included Venky's down the road where the figure involved will be considerably higher. Even Trevor Hemmings at PNE has now amassed over £1billion.

At the last count I recall Mike and John between them came in around £88million, the only conclusion to draw is that we must be doing something right at Burnley.
Given that Mike owns nearly half the club and for the last couple of years it has been valued some way north of £300m (not that I think we are really worth that) I always find it strange that these holdings never seem to impact the wealth estimates of the owners

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