Football's Magic Money Tree

[Chester Perry]

just before Christmas, Champions League Winners Bayern Munich announced their financial results for the 2019/20 season they remain profitable but Covid did have it's impacts- we look forward to @SwissRamble delivering his thoughts on them in the near future

https://fcbayern.com/en/news/2020/12/fi ... oronavirus

that's makes this the 6000th post on the thread - I am always somewhat startled when I see the number of posts and occasionally wonder if I have been wasting my time

[Vegas Claret]

just before Christmas, Champions League Winners Bayern Munich announced their financial results for the 2019/20 season they remain profitable but Covid did have it's impacts- we look forward to @SwissRamble delivering his thoughts on them in the near future

https://fcbayern.com/en/news/2020/12/fi ... oronavirus

that's makes this the 6000th post on the thread - I am always somewhat startled when I see the number of posts and occasionally wonder if I have been wasting my time

one of the best threads on here mate, some of it is above my head for sure but it's very interesting so for me you can keep it going

[Chester Perry]

again missed in December as a result of ny time away from the keyboard - the DFL have announced plans for a more equitable distribution of tv monies to clubs in an effort to aid financial recovery/security following the impact of Covid on the game in Germany - it should not come as a surprise given that Herman football from Clubs through to players and fans has done so much to help the game and it's infrastructure to survive at all levels - this from SportsProMedia

Bundesliga to distribute TV rights revenue more equally under new DFL model
Four-year plan sees at least 50% of TV money shared evenly among German soccer clubs.

Posted: December 8 2020 By: Tom Bassam

- Current system sees 70% of domestic rights revenue shared based on recent performance
- Equal share of international TV rights revenue also rises from 25% to 35% as overall pot to shrinks to €180m

The German Football League (DFL) is altering its revenue distribution model for both domestic and overseas broadcast rights from next season, in a bid to help its clubs manage the long-term financial impact of the Covid-19 pandemic.

A two-stage plan for revenue generated from the new domestic rights contracts between 2021/22 and 2024/25 is being put in place for the top two tiers of German soccer, the Bundesliga and the 2.Bundesliga.

During the first two seasons that the new model is in place a greater share of domestic rights revenue will be distributed equally from the €1.16 billion (US$1.4 billion) a year being paid by pay-TV broadcaster Sky Deutschland and digital sports media specialist DAZN.

In 2021/22 and 2022/2023, 53 per cent of the annual fee will be split equally among the clubs, before that drops to 50 per cent for the following two seasons.

Over the course of the four seasons revenue distribution weighted by performance (42 per cent rising to 43 per cent), youth development (three per cent rising to four per cent) and club interest (two per cent rising to three per cent) all increase as that equal share goes down.

Under the current system introduced in 2017, which allotted money based on the same four pillars, 70 per cent of domestic rights revenue was distributed based on club performance in the last five seasons.

DFL chief executive Christian Seifert said: “We are trying to make decisions in really uncertain times, which are primarily aimed at driving all 36 clubs through this crisis. These are not times for radical solutions, but for reliable solutions in which one looks ahead.”

Seifert, who recently announced plans to step down from the DFL, also confirmed that “concrete talks” would be held with private equity companies in February with regards to the sale of a stake in Bundesliga International, the league’s international sales arm.

The DFL’s international broadcast rights revenue will also be distributed more equally among the 18 top-tier clubs, rising from 25 per cent to 35 per cent in the next cycle. The rest will be handed out based on historical performance in European competition.

However, that will be a reduced overall amount. The impact of Covid-19 on media budgets and the exit of BeIN Sports as a broadcast partner for the Middle East and North Africa (MENA) region means the DFL is expecting €70 million (US$84.8 million) less income from that sector for the 2021/22 season than it brought in for the 2019/20 campaign, at around €180 million (US$218 million).

Seifert also told the media that the Bundesliga's 2020/21 season will see a drop in turnover of about €1 billion (US$1.21 billion) if fans are not permitted at venues for the rest of the campaign, some 20 per cent below the last regular season in 2018/2019. The 2019/20 season saw turnover fall by around €250 million (US$303 million) after the pandemic struck midway through the campaign.

"The overall loss of fans for the entire season will be about €650 million compared to 2018/19," Seifert said.

On the outlook for turnover in 2020/21, he added: "A total turnover loss of €1 billion or about 20 per cent."

Seifert said the overall loss from March 2020 to the summer of 2022 could be as much as €2 billion (US$2.42 billion).

[levraiclaret]

that's makes this the 6000th post on the thread - I am always somewhat startled when I see the number of posts and occasionally wonder if I have been wasting my time

No you are not CP, this is a valued resource, up there with CT's match reports, the players scores and the match threads in my view. Thanks for all your efforts.

[Nonayforever]

You are not wasting your time Chester. You should be proud of this thread. If more fans read just a fraction of the posts they would realise that Burnley are unique and not fighting on a level playing field and that in my opinion is why MG has decided to sell up.

[Chester Perry]

In case you didn't know - there will be no hiatus in this season - it would cost too much money - from the Mail

Government backs Premier League's decision to play on amid coronavirus chaos as they're confident that elite sport bubbles are safe... and there's no chance of pausing season due to Euros
The Government has backed the Premier League's decision to continue playing
Officials are confident elite sport bubbles are safe despite recent outbreaks
Man City and Fulham have been hit by positive cases leading to postponements
By ROB DRAPER FOR THE MAIL ON SUNDAY

PUBLISHED: 22:30, 2 January 2021 | UPDATED: 23:10, 2 January 2021

The Government backs the Premier League's decision to play on and resist a firebreak pause despite rising coronavirus cases, with the Department for Digital Culture Sport and Media understood to remain wholly supportive of the protocols, which were agreed to allow elite sport to return.

Government officials are confident that elite sport bubbles are safe, despite outbreaks at Fulham and Man City, while the Premier League maintain that the fact that cases at City have now been brought under control indicates that protocols do work.

There is also no chance of pausing the Premier League as in 2019-20, as that only was possible because UEFA agreed to postpone Euro 2020.

There is no chance that will happen again with national associations around Europe absolutely dependent on the TV contracts for Euro 2021 being fulfilled.

The Mail on Sunday understands that UEFA's TV deals will expire and have to be renegotiated if the tournament isn't played, so in reality the Premier League doesn't have room to pause.

Curtailment would be the only viable option and the clubs would sustain billions of pounds of losses if they couldn't complete the season.

League One and League Two clubs could extend the season and play into June without such worries though the Championship would also likely have many players called up for their countries for the Euros.

[Chester Perry]

@SwissRamble has a look at Real Madrid's 2019/20 financial results

https://twitter.com/SwissRamble/status/ ... 5968311296

he has also done one of his summary sheets

https://twitter.com/SwissRamble/status/ ... 8131592193

[Chester Perry]

I have posted about the relief fund distribution for the National League a few times - it looks like it is getting very serious now - from the Times

Investigation urged into distribution of Lottery money to National League clubs
Martyn Ziegler, Chief Sports Reporter
Sunday January 03 2021, 6.00pm, The Times

The culture secretary has been urged to launch an investigation into alleged conflicts of interest over the distribution of millions of pounds of Lottery money to National League clubs.

The £10 million was a rescue package to help clubs affected by the Covid crisis and was announced by Oliver Dowden in November, with the understanding that it would be distributed according to clubs’ lost gate receipts.

Instead, the National League board decided its own distribution formula based on a flat rate which has left some clubs with hundreds of thousands of pounds less than they were expecting. After initial criticism, the National League commissioned David Bernstein, the former FA chairman, to lead an independent review of the financial distribution but his findings — which are understood to have echoed some criticisms — have not been shared with the clubs.

Duncan Hart, a London FA council member and member of the Dulwich Hamlet Supporters’ Trust, has now written to Dowden asking him to step in and ensure that the next three-month block of funding, worth £11 million, is distributed differently.

Hart says that five of the nine National League board members were from clubs that benefited significantly more from the package than they would have done if it had been split according to expected gate receipts.

The letter states that Notts County received £287,000 less than they would have received if the formula had been based on average attendances, while Boreham Wood were “overcompensated” by £170,000.

“At the very least there is a clear conflict of interest for a board comprised of a small selection of National League member clubs to be charged with deciding how funding is allocated to all member clubs,” Hart writes.

Andrew Graham, the vice-chairman of Hereford FC, said he backed the calls made in Hart’s letter.

“It’s unacceptable that this is £10 million of public money and we don’t even know what the terms of reference were for the distribution model,” he said. “We were led to believe the package would cover each club’s lost gate receipts but that failed to happen.

“We have since seen clubs which usually have smaller attendances poaching strikers from what used to be seen as the bigger clubs, it’s farcical.”

Bernstein sent an open letter to the National League chairman Brian Barwick, the former FA chief executive, before Christmas expressing his unhappiness at the failure to share his report with the clubs and noting that there had been no response to his concerns about conflicts of interest and poor governance.

Bernstein told The Times: “We have had a very poor response to our report from the National League and it has not been circulated to the clubs, and nor has there been any sign of a change of governance. The model they came up with to distribute the money appeared extremely arbitrary.

“I would hope the government will listen to this. The funding and distribution for the January to March money really needs to be dealt with more independently. When it comes to dealing with public money it needs to be allocated properly and with visibility.”

It is understood the government is considering its response to the complaints.

Barwick, who was appointed OBE in the new year honours, did not respond when contacted by The Times.

In the National League’s top division clubs were allocated £95,000 or £84,000, and £36,000 or £30,000 in the two regional divisions.

It meant York City, with an average attendance of 2,700 in National League North, received £108,000 for October to December instead of £297,000 if allocated solely on gate receipts. Boreham Wood, with an average attendance of 724 in the National League, received £252,000 instead of £79,000.

Hart’s letter to Dowden states that Aldershot Town, Dagenham & Redbridge, Solihull Moors, Barnet and Dover Athletic all received substantially more money than if the cash had been distributed according to average usual attendances, and that those clubs all have representatives on the National League board. There is no suggestion of any wrongdoing on the part of any club.

Mark Ives, who took over as the National League’s interim general manager on January 1, said that Bernstein’s report would be shared with the clubs “sooner rather than later”.

“The vast majority of clubs have not complained about the distribution,” he said.

Ives added that the funding distribution model chosen by the board had not been put together by any club representative and took into account clubs would have some similar fixed costs such as pitch maintenance and utility bills.

[Chester Perry]

Rory Smith with a great thread lamenting the loss of a traditional matchday in the Premier League during the Pandemic

https://twitter.com/RorySmith/status/13 ... 2880062465

[Chester Perry]

Game of the People with a slightly different take on those Real Madrid financials - always good to look at the bigger picture

https://gameofthepeople.com/2021/01/04/ ... the-purse/

[Chester Perry]

The Premier League will no doubt be will aware of this but it does not inspire broadcasters to increase spend on the next TV deal - 1.9 million Brits illegally streamed Premier League matches in 2020 - from SportsProMedia

Study: Premier League games illegally streamed by 1.9m Brits in 2020
Four per cent of survey respondents admit to streaming at least one match without paying.

Posted: January 4 2021By: Ed Dixon

- Gen Z most likely to turn to piracy, with 6% admitting o doing so
- 3% streaming other sports illegally, which would equal almost 1.7m people

Almost 1.9 million people in the UK have admitted to illegally streaming Premier League games in 2020, according to new research from personal finance comparison site finder.com.

The survey asked respondents about their streaming habits and found that four per cent have watched at least one game from English soccer’s top flight without paying.

The study notes that the figures were likely to have been pushed higher by the controversial, short-lived scheme to make some Premier League matches available via pay-per-view (PPV) on Sky Sports and BT Sport. It has been estimated that three of the games priced at UK£14.95 (US$20.46) attracted less than 10,000 viewers each.

The Daily Mail also reported in October that the Premier League had averaged 39,000 PPV buys for its first nine games under the much-maligned broadcast model.

The league ditched its PPV experiment in November, subsequently making all top-flight games from 21st November and throughout the festive period available via one of its regular domestic broadcast partners.

The survey also found that there was a correlation between younger viewers and illegally streamed Premier League matches. Gen Z fans, aged between 18 and 24, were the most likely to stream illegally, with six per cent admitting to doing so. This was closely followed by five per cent of millennials and three per cent of Gen X viewers in the 40 to 54 age bracket.

In contrast, only one per cent of the silent generation, aged 75 and above, said they had watched Premier League soccer illegally.

Three per cent of respondents also admitted to illegally streaming other sports, which would equal almost 1.7 million people.

The survey, which looked at UK viewers’ use of streaming services from December 2019 to December 2020, showed that Netflix was the most popular platform, with 50 per cent using it over the course of the year. Amazon Prime came second with 38 per cent, while Disney+ was third with 20 per cent. Sky Go was used by 17 per cent, and Now TV, which includes selected Premier League games via Sky Sports, was used by 12 per cent of those surveyed.

[Chester Perry]

John Nicholson for Football365.com looks at the issues surrounding...

The pros and cons of shutting football down again
Date published: Monday 4th January 2021 10:35

Games are being called off. Fixtures are piling up. The virus is becoming ever more infectious, but no-one appears to have made a plan about what to do in this situation. Not UEFA. Not the FA. Not the EFL. Not the Premier League. There has been no thought as to how to operate in what was always going to be shifting and varied circumstances. No fall back position. Nothing. Football’s firm belief in its own exceptionalism meant it assumed it would just get through somehow. How else to explain this driving whilst blind policy?

And now the stupidity of this Mr. Magoo approach is being revealed as the idiocy it obviously was to anyone who had thought about it for even a moment before the season started. It was not hard to imagine a second wave of infections through the winter, so everyone should have worked out what to do if and when it happened, and made allowances in anticipation of the fact.

“The Premier League has not discussed pausing the season and has no plans to do so,” was the top-flight response after the Fulham v Spurs game was called off.

How have they possibly “not discussed” it? That’s downright irresponsible.

Clearly, they’re just hoping all the games can somehow be played, got out of the way and be voided from the football body like a painful kidney stone. It no longer seems to be anything to do with the validity or otherwise of the various competitions, but more to do with just completing the games to get TV money, whatever it takes, and sod the consequences.

Sam Allardyce wants a circuit breaker but the choice isn’t to merely pause the season or not, it is to shut it down or not. End it. Void it. Draw a line under it and stop football being played until we are all vaccinated. The alternative, if players continue to become infectious and sick in ever larger numbers, is to play games with ever more depleted teams, making it less a sport and more survivalism.

If players think lockdown rules don’t apply to them – and some clearly do not – then the virus is going to spread through the industry and force the season to be scrapped sooner rather than later anyway. The architecture of the fixture list is shuddering under the earthquake of the virus.

There’s no doubt that the whole thing is one giant mess, with league games, cup games, European games and international tournaments all queuing to pull up at football’s bus stop.

But it’s complicated. So what are the pros and cons of keeping going or shutting it down?

YES! SHUT THE WHOLE THING DOWN
* Because the playing schedule is not currently sustainable. As more games are cancelled, the pile-up increases with no relief in the summer as the Euros are still in the diary. There is no getting around this. There are too many games and not enough time to play them without a significant number of players being injured. As the virus spreads and more games are called off, the congestion will only get worse.

* Because playing more games in fewer days means more and more injuries. The clubs with bigger squads will therefore get an unfair advantage. It stops being a fair competition and becomes instead a war of attrition.

* Because the quality of the product is denuded by the volume of players being absent through injury or being so exhausted they can’t perform to the required level.

* Because it puts non-playing staff – the vast majority of whom are shamefully still not paid the Real Living Wage – at unnecessary risk, especially on match days.

* Because it is not a level playing field when some have radically more congested fixture lists than others. Injuries caused by that distort results even more. On top of that, some games have already had fans and some haven’t. Again, this has made an uneven competition where teams have not competed on the same basis. Whoever wins the titles and trophies will be forever asterisked in the history books. Any win will be so devalued as to make it worthless.

* Because it is poor TV entertainment made worse by staggering kick-offs to make sure everything is on a screen. And it all has to be on TV to avoid the Premier League answering the question: what is the point of games played if no-one can see them? Football as a societal, communal event is over, crushed under the wheels of the broadcasting juggernaut.

* Because without fans everything feels hollow and a little pointless. These are little more than glorified practice matches being played merely so the participants can be paid more money in one day than the typical viewer earns in a year.

* Because it isn’t ‘improving the morale of the nation’ as was claimed back in the summer by some of football’s more egregious exceptionalists, including the DCMS Minister for Muppetry, Oliver Dowden, because ‘the nation’ isn’t that bothered about football. That’s why so few watch it as a percentage of the population and why even a minority of those who have paid for a subscription to watch it actually do so. You and I might like it; the vast majority are indifferent and their ‘morale’ is unaltered by whether it is being played or not. They will not miss a cancelled season.

NO! KEEP IT GOING AT ALL COSTS!
* Because if the season is called off, some TV rights cash will have to be paid back and new payments withheld. You might think this is a pro, not a con. However, almost all this money is paid to players, managers and club executives. Turning off the cash tap again would mean everyone would effectively have to be paid out of the owners’ pockets. Owners would bitterly resent having to pay footballers for not actually playing football for a second time in a year, but know that legally everything is stacked against them if they tried to withhold wages and tell players and the PFA not to be such greedy bastards.

They also need to protect the capital value of the players for the future of the business. Without going nuclear, locking the doors and liquidating the club, they are legally obligated to keep paying the wages as stated in player contracts. While the rest of us might think multi-millionaires still collecting an average of £71k per week for not doing anything at all seems some shade of insane, that is the nature of Premier League contracts and economics. That is what, like it or not, we encourage and continue to endorse with our subscription money. So owners really need to keep the season going, just to keep the money coming in to pay the players, manager and executives.

* Because broadcasters are the bosses of the game and they would have nothing to show and would have to refund punters a percentage of their subscription money. They’d also lose advertising revenue, primarily from gambling companies. OK, they already amortise the losses on every game that overpaying for right fees while not having enough subscribers makes inevitable, across the wider company. But they paid a lot of money for this sport and a lot of people have gone to a lot of effort to put it on in a coronavirus secure way.

* Because the statistics industry will be made redundant. It is a lot of people’s livelihoods. With the expansion of statistical analysis at every level, and its integration with the betting/gambling industry from a macro to micro to granular level, it is a massive business and one almost entirely dependent on live football. For it to be turned off again for a few months would be financially disastrous for everyone.

* Because the football media machine would freeze up. You will not read or hear many in the media arguing for football to stop again, no matter how crucial it is that it does, because we all rely on it for income and work. Who argues for their own impoverishment? Given so much of the industry is freelance and the chancellor has pretty much spat in the face of freelancers, you can see their point. Cessation of gambling adverts which comprise so much of the income to so much football media, would cripple businesses and consequently cause unemployment. For individual writers, journalists and others who are shorn of all income, not supported by the state for reasons no-one can discern, and facing rising debts and even homelessness, football must keep going.

* Because hardcore football lovers – probably anywhere from one to three million people in UK based on TV viewing and match attendance figures – would be bereft without their favourite sport to distract them from the awfulness of the world. This should not be underestimated in importance, nor overestimated either.

* Because ending the season early and finalising a table on a points per game basis is fundamentally unfair. But to scrap it and begin it again next season, and not come to some sort of conclusion, would mean all the games played so far would’ve been a pointless waste of time and make everyone look foolish, even ghoulish, for even bothering to play football when a pandemic is killing thousands of people every week.

So what to do? There’s no easy way around this. No solution that does not have substantial consequences.

But surely, our guiding principle must be to put people’s health and safety above everything else and if we do that, the argument for curtailing the season becomes more and more persuasive as infection rates rise and stay high.

The debate may soon be moot. If enough players continue to behave with blatant selfishness and disregard for others, they may bring about the season’s demise themselves. When you are still selected for the team if you break the rules and if you still get paid lavishly whether you play or not, why would you care if you’re some sort of heinous modern version of Typhoid Mary? The rest of us might suffer one way or another if the season is cancelled, but ironically, the only people who will not suffer at all are Premier League players who will merely get richer and richer without even having to do the very thing they’re paid to do.

John Nicholson

[Chester Perry]

following the creation of a separate commercial rights company with Private Equity involvement Serie A has today revealed what can only be considered as extremely ambitious tenders for the domestic rights in the next cycle. Remember it is CVC who now control this process on their behalf. - From SportsBussiness.com

Serie A unveils packages as domestic broadcast rights tender issued
Martin Ross - January 4, 2021

Italian football’s Lega Serie A has today (Monday) launched its domestic broadcast rights sales process for the 2021-24 cycle, issuing a bid deadline of 10am (CET) on January 26.

The league has published separate invitation to tender documents for “communication operators” and “independent intermediaries”. A process has also been started for companies to express their interest in creating a thematic Serie A channel.

The rights for communication operators have been split up into three main packages, covering exclusive satellite platform rights (Package A), exclusive digital terrestrial platform rights (Package B) and co-exclusive internet, IPTV and mobile platform rights (Package C).

An optional ‘Gold’ package of ‘accessory rights’ has also been made available and can only be acquired by the purchaser of (at least) one of the main packages.

Package A commands a minimum reserve price of €500m ($613.4m) per season, with reserve figures of €400m and €250m per season set for Packages B and C, respectively. A minimum reserve price of €20m per season has been attached to the Gold package.

Alternatively, three packages of ‘mixed’ marketing packages are included in the ITT document. Package 1 includes rights across all platforms exclusively, while Package 2 comprises rights across all platforms but with only co-exclusivity for internet, IPTV and mobile rights. Package 3 includes the internet, IPTV and mobile rights held co-exclusively with the winner of Package 2.

A minimum reserve price of €750m per season has been set for Package 1, followed by prices of €250m and €150m per season for Packages 2 and 3, respectively.

The league’s stated aim of raising a minimum of €1.15bn per season from the sale of its domestic broadcast rights from 2021-22 to 2023-24 emerged at a league assembly meeting held last month. That represents an 18-per-cent increase on the €973m currently brought in annually through deals with pay-television broadcaster Sky Italia and subscription OTT platform DAZN.

The ITT for independent intermediaries offers a global package of rights and also carries a minimum reserve price of €1.15bn per season.

Sky Italia’s broadcast rights for the current rights cycle are comprised of two packages, the first of which, Package 5, includes rights to three matches per weekend for a total of 114 per season, including the 8:30pm game on Sunday. Sky also acquired Package 6 – four matches per weekend or 152 per season, including the 8:30pm match on Mondays.

Sky Italia was recently left reeling after its appeal against a ban on it acquiring exclusive digital media rights was thrown out by Italy’s Council of State. The decision means Sky’s ban on acquiring exclusive digital rights to sports properties is upheld and will extend through to 2022.

Sky Italia’s inability to target exclusive digital rights is expected to damage the level of bid that Lega Serie A could expect.

The launch of the domestic tender comes just weeks after Serie A clubs accepted an offer from private equity companies including CVC Capital Partners for a 10-per-cent stake in a new entity that will manage its media-rights business. That proposal, which is worth €1.7bn and also involves fellow private equity firm Advent International and Italy’s state-backed investor Fondo Strategico Italiano (FSI), has not yet been signed off, however, with no binding commitment in place.

International rights to the Italian top tier are already on the market following the issuing of an ITT (also from 2021-22 to 2023-24). That tender, which also includes rights to the Coppa Italia and Supercoppa Italiana, specifies that interested parties must lodge their bids by 10am on January 11.

In February, Italy’s antitrust authority (AGCM) cleared the way for the domestic rights auction after approving the guidelines set out by the league. The approval followed the green light given by Italy’s communications authority (AGCOM) and covers the sale of centralised rights to Serie A, the Coppa Italia and Supercoppa, along with the ‘Primavera’ youth league, cup and Supercoppa.

Within its approval, the competition watchdog backed the “preparation of packages that stimulate competition in the pay-television market, allowing more pay-television operators to be able to broadcast a large part of Serie A”.

[Chester Perry]

@YannickRamcke with a hugely detailed blog piece on Portfolio v featurisation of sports programming or How pure-sports streamers build up critical mass and #Amazon doesn’t need to—being opportunistic w/ limited impact on rights market instead.

https://www.offthefieldbusiness.de/sing ... rogramming

I suspect many of you will have enough of an headache from just reading this summary piece of the blog

https://shoutout.wix.com/so/8eNR8tgYq?l ... 0912#/main

[Chester Perry]

Gianni Infantino starts the year by renewing his quest for FIFA to be awarded the Nobel Peace Prize

https://twitter.com/tariqpanja/status/1 ... 6390884354

Simon Chadwick notes this latest effort and suggests that he has more important things at home to deal with first

https://twitter.com/Prof_Chadwick/statu ... 1071822851

[Vegas Claret]

the sooner FIFA and UEFA are disbanded the better, dodgy as ****

[Chester Perry]

There is finally a growing recognition that football is extremely unlikely to have fans back in economically viable numbers this season, it seems to me that all but one club in the Premier League (ours) had budgeted for it from October onwards and that was factored into their summer transfer spending and wage budgets. - this from the Telegraph (along with the new issue of players not adhering to the rules

Premier League gives up on return of fans as elite sport warned it must control 'Covidiots'
TOM MORGAN JANUARY 04, 2021

The Premier League is planning to scale back its lobbying for the return of crowds after Boris Johnson plunged the country into a third national lockdown.

The world’s richest league, and other elite sport, has been spared the axe despite being thrown into chaos by the new variant of Covid-19 – and its own ‘Covidiot’ scandal – and mounting calls for the football season to be suspended.

But the return of spectators looks as far away as ever, and, in contrast with its previous bullish position that stadiums are safe to welcome supporters back, executives at the league’s Paddington HQ are set to adopt a more risk-averse stance. A source close to talks said the league is expected to be among a host of sporting outfits to abandon attempts to pressure ministers to set a timetable for scaling up the return of crowds.

The Rugby Football Union is braced for England to begin their Six Nations campaign behind closed doors next month, while organisers of March’s Cheltenham Festival also admitted they had given up on packed stands a year after being the country’s last event to witness them.

But elite sport is nevertheless allowed to continue, with the Government deciding the protocols in place to prevent athletes spreading the virus are still robust enough not to call a halt to the Premier League and other competitions.

That is despite a record number of positive tests across sport, a wave of postponements, and a spate of rule breaches that have led to calls, led by West Bromwich Albion manager Sam Allardyce and former Football Association chairman David Bernstein, for football to be suspended.

Professor Gabriel Scally, president of the epidemiology and public health section of the Royal Society of Medicine, said elite sport should be reminded how lucky it is compared with the rest of society.

“They’re running the risk of having football shut down,” he told Telegraph Sport after seven Premier League stars were caught staging illicit Christmas gatherings.

“We can’t have one set of rules for the whole of the population, particularly people who are suffering economically, and another set of rules for football stars who are behaving like irresponsible adolescents. They’re not the role models that they should be.”

The FA is under mounting pressure to start banning players for flouting coronavirus rules after a member of its own judicial panel called for it to “seriously consider” doing so.

Malcolm Clarke, who also sits on the FA’s ruling council in his capacity as chairman of the Football Supporters’ Association, told The Telegraph so-called ‘Covidiots’ could be charged with bringing the game into disrepute.

The FA has failed to launch such a crackdown despite calls for tougher action from Bernstein and others following a string of rule breaches since the coronavirus crisis began, and despite other sports having imposed bans on transgressors.

Stressing he was speaking in a “personal capacity”, Clarke said policing players’ conduct in their own downtime was “the FA’s responsibility”.

The FA rules do cover conduct deemed to be “improper” or that “brings the game into disrepute” but, so far, it has yet to use them for Covid-related transgressions.

Clarke said: “You could argue without too much difficulty that it does bring the game into disrepute. The publicity that has been given to it almost demonstrates that.”

The FA already bans players for gambling and racism offences committed in their own downtime, suspending Kieran Trippier for 10 weeks and Edinson Cavani for three.

Clarke said breaking the Government’s coronavirus rules was “analogous” to those offences, adding: “It’s a socially irresponsible action done by people in high-profile positions. It is the FA’s responsibility and they should seriously consider it.”

Watford captain Troy Deeney warned that clubs would not ban their own players.

“They won’t do that because ultimately it comes down to winning games,” he told talkSPORT, hitting out at those who had broken the rules. “It’s on the Premier League to make that call and the FA.”

Oxford United announced they had suspended two unnamed players who allegedly attended a New Year’s Eve party – but both were from the club’s academy.
------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------

as the boys from vysyble say

#PremierLeague's 27th (of 38) 'matchday' is scheduled for 6th March. #FACup 6th round is scheduled for 20th March. Looks increasingly likely that crowd ban will continue for whole season. Club accounts for 2020-21 will be brutal.

https://twitter.com/vysyble/status/1346395083134951424

[Chester Perry]

Gianni Infantino starts the year by renewing his quest for FIFA to be awarded the Nobel Peace Prize

https://twitter.com/tariqpanja/status/1 ... 6390884354

Simon Chadwick notes this latest effort and suggests that he has more important things at home to deal with first

https://twitter.com/Prof_Chadwick/statu ... 1071822851

This is a rapid development - no doubt the world Cup is a significant consideration in the drive for it, but far from being the only one

https://twitter.com/Prof_Chadwick/statu ... 6738783233

[Chester Perry]

Fans of the Premier League in the US are starting (and I mean only starting) to get the feeling that we have over here when it comes to wanting to watch games as big matches are transferred to more premium services.

https://twitter.com/thegoalkeeper/statu ... 1300071427

of course that needs to be but into context - as Matt Slater does here

"This is relatively big news among US soccer fans. Having built an audience by letting fans see 10 games a weekend as part of a basic TV package, NBC is now moving the best games to a new streaming app, which charges $5/month. Result? Fury. Sadly, that deal is unavailable here."

https://twitter.com/mjshrimper/status/1 ... 7339655168

It should be remembered that the USA rights for the Premier League in the next cycle (possibly the next 2 as the Americans like long term deals) are up for tender

This is a good overview of where you can currently watch the Premier League in the US

https://worldsoccertalk.com/watch-premi ... -internet/

[rufus lumley]

It went very quite on the cyber attack at Manchester United I was thinking the secret might be leaked why they get so many penalties.

[Chester Perry]

It went very quite on the cyber attack at Manchester United I was thinking the secret might be leaked why they get so many penalties.

excellent point - I will see if I can find anything

[Chester Perry]

China shows it has a an unforgiving approach to those that question it's approach - which serves as a warning to anyone that want's to play Mesut Ozil in their team (Arsenal excluded him from their squad this season, is that a coincidence>) - from SportsProMedia

The Tip-Off | It appears to be personal for Daryl Morey and the NBA in China

By The Tip-Off Posted: January 5 2021

The National Basketball Association's (NBA) midwinter return recorded a huge bounce in US viewership, with a Christmas tip-off becoming the league’s most watched opening week since 2012. Over in China, however, there has been a notable absence from digital giant Tencent’s broadcasts of the new basketball season.

The Philadelphia 76ers have been left off the schedules, apparently for hiring former Houston Rockets general manager Daryl Morey. It was Morey’s October 2019 tweet supporting pro-democracy protestors in Hong Kong – and the defence of his speech by league executives – that drove a wedge between the NBA and the national authorities in basketball’s second-biggest market. Rockets games have also been missing from Tencent’s output.

It remains to be seen whether this represents a resumption of hostilities or the exercise of a personally directed grudge. State broadcaster CCTV appeared to herald a softening of the Chinese stance towards the league when it aired coverage of the NBA finals last year, though it has yet to find room for games so far in the 2020/21 campaign.

[Chester Perry]

Something else missed from my downtime last month - Rangers are being investigated for price fixing over shirt sales - previous deal with Hummel (who now supply Everton) not current one with Castore - from the BBC

Rangers face competition investigation over replica kit pricing
Published16 December 2020

Rangers FC and four sportswear retailers face an investigation by the UK competition watchdog over possible breaches of the law on pricing of replica kits.

Companies named in the announcement by the Competition and Markets Authority (CMA) trade as Elite Sports, JD Sports, Hummel and Greaves.

The CMA said it had reasonable grounds to suspect one or more breaches.

However, it is only gathering evidence and proceedings may not follow.

The investigation is centred on the price at which Rangers-branded football kits were sold in the United Kingdom.

A CMA statement said: "The CMA has not reached a view as to whether there is sufficient evidence of an infringement of competition law for it to issue a statement of objections or, ultimately, an infringement decision, to any party under investigation.

"Not all cases result in the CMA issuing a statement of objections or an infringement decision."
-------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------

official CMA statement

https://www.gov.uk/cma-cases/suspected- ... otball-kit

[Chester Perry]

It went very quite on the cyber attack at Manchester United I was thinking the secret might be leaked why they get so many penalties.

something else I seem to have missed during my December lay-off - from the Mai

EXCLUSIVE: Relief at Old Trafford as Manchester United finally see off hackers after club was being held to RANSOM for millions of pounds
The cyber attack on Manchester United has come to an end after two weeks
United were held to ransom amid fears data had been accessed by criminals
Sportsmail understands United didn't pay up and meet the hackers' demands
By CHRIS WHEELER FOR THE DAILY MAIL

PUBLISHED: 22:30, 4 December 2020 | UPDATED: 22:30, 4 December 2020

The cyber attack on Manchester United is finally over, two weeks after hackers targeted the club, it was revealed on Friday night.

United were being held to ransom amid fears top-secret data had fallen into the hands of the criminals or been encrypted so the club could no longer access it.

United would not comment on Friday night when asked if they had met the hackers' demands and paid up, although Sportsmail understands they have not.

The news will be greeted with relief around Old Trafford after some IT systems were disabled by the breach and staff were told not to use email.

Many employees were back online on Friday and the rest are expected to follow next week, with sources talking about it being 'almost business as usual'.

A team of technical experts have been working around the clock to repel the sinister attack since United fell victim to the ransomware virus — believed to originate from an email phishing scam — last month.

United notified the police, who alerted the National Cyber Security Centre, that warned in July of a growing threat to sports clubs from hackers.

There were concerns the criminals may have been able to steal sensitive information about United's stars and the club's transfer plans, as well as compromising match-day operations.

However, club insiders insisted on Friday night that United always had control of their IT systems and any delay in getting them back up and running was to make sure they were 100 per cent secure.

They pointed out that, in preparation for this kind of attack, the network had been segmented so only certain areas were affected.

As such, United were able to stage three home games against West Bromwich, Istanbul Basaksehir and Paris Saint-Germain, without serious disruption while the club's media channels remained in operation.

However, the episode has been embarrassing for United and they are still being investigated by the Information Commissioner's Office, who could fine the club up to £18m if supporters' data protection has been breached.

Meanwhile, United have revealed provisional plans for the return of 2,000 fans to Old Trafford for the clash with Leeds on December 20 if Greater Manchester comes out of Tier 3.

A Government review of the restrictions is due four days before United face their old rivals, and United hope to welcome back fans for the first time since the Manchester derby in March.

----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
SPORT'S CYBER-ATTACK PROBLEM
The UK's sports industry is now under near-constant cyber-attack, according to statistics from the Government's National Cyber Security Centre (NCSC), released this year.

United are the latest victims, with 70 per cent of sporting institutions, organisations and teams having suffered incidents of varying severity in the last 12 months - but they are the most high-profile.

The NCSC reported that one EFL club suffered a 'significant ransomware attack' which resulted in the loss of locally stored data in almost all of the club's computer systems and mobile phones. They say 'several servers were also affected, leaving the club unable to use their corporate email. The stadium CCTV and turnstiles were non-operational, which almost resulted in a fixture cancellation.'

An unnamed Premier League club came close to losing a £1m transfer fee after it was targeted, when a bank prevented the money from being stolen. One sports organisation, also unnamed, lost over £4m.

Last week, four British athletes have had intimate photographs and videos posted online in a cyber attack that has affected hundreds of female sports stars and celebrities.

'While cyber security might not be an obvious consideration for the sports sector as it thinks about its return, our findings show the impact of cyber criminals cashing in on this industry is very real,' said Paul Chichester, director of operations at the NCSC.

'I would urge sporting bodies to use this time to look at where they can improve their cyber security – doing so now will help protect them and millions of fans from the consequences of cyber crime.'
----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
Although United believe they can safely accommodate 23,500 fans adhering to social distancing, the 2,000 limit has been set for Tier 2 areas.

United will play in front of supporters for the first time this season on Saturday when they face West Ham at the London Stadium. Ole Gunnar Solskjaer takes on former United manager David Moyes, claiming the Old Trafford hot seat is a unique position.

'It's the biggest club in the world and a different animal to anything else,' said Solskjaer, who was given public backing by executive vice chairman Ed Woodward on Friday.

'You wouldn't want it any different because that comes from the passion our fans have, the passion the media have for us, our history, hunger for success and the standards we have set.' l

[Chester Perry]

Paid directors are not something that we are used to at Burnley, but that is likely to change, Manchester United have recently released the details of Ed Woodward's remuneration (the highest in the Premier League) and @SwissRamble kindly gives us a Premier League breakdown of top paid director by club - please take careful note of what he has to say about Chelsea and Manchester City, these directors are well rewarded just not in ways we can see

https://twitter.com/SwissRamble/status/ ... 7463048199

[Chester Perry]

The owners of Barnsley have bought AS Nancy - remember they used to own Nice before selling it to Ineos - from SportsProMedia

AS Nancy acquired by Chinese-American consortium
Chien Lee and PMG add fourth club to soccer portfolio.

Posted: January 5 2021By: Ed Dixon
AS Nancy acquired by Chinese-American consortium
AS Nancy

- Consortium also controls Barnsley, KV Oostende and FC Thun
- CFG had been close to Nancy deal before Covid-19 outbreak

French second-tier soccer club AS Nancy have been acquired by a consortium that includes Chinese-American businessman Chien Lee and advertising solutions firm Pacific Media Group (PMG).

Other investors include Partners Path Capital, Krishen Sud, the founder of Sivik Global Healthcare, and Gauthier Ganye, who has been appointed the new president of Nancy.

The value of the takeover has not been disclosed, but the deal makes Nancy the fourth soccer club to fall under the consortium’s ownership. The group already has stakes in Belgian top-flight team KV Oostende, English second-tier side Barnsley and FC Thun, who compete in the Swiss second division.

Ganye, who replaces Jacques Rousselot at Nancy, will also continue as executive president of KV Oostende, having previously served as chief executive of Barnsley and president of French top-tier club OGC Nice.

PMG’s successful takeover comes after City Football Group (CFG), owner of Premier League giants Manchester City, switched its focus away from acquiring Nancy. In April 2020, CFG said it planned to press ahead with a €14 million (US$17.1 million) acquisition, having been on the verge of wrapping up a deal the month prior, only for Covid-19 to suspend negotiations.

In September, CFG instead took a majority shareholding in Troyes, also in Ligue 2, to take its total number of clubs around the world to ten. Troyes were valued at between €7 million (US$7.97 million) and €10 million (US$11.39 million) after their most recent audit by the National Management Control Directorate (DNCG), the French financial regulator.

On the pitch, Nancy are in wretched form and are without a win in nine games, a run that has seen them slip to 17th in the Ligue 2 table.

[Chester Perry]

The PFA Charity accounts show the impact of TV rebates from the Premier League - remember they are entitled to 5% of the domestic broadcast income each season

https://twitter.com/KieranMaguire/statu ... 5787531265

[Chester Perry]

The always excellent Football Today Podcast asks why are ALK Capital investing in Burnley Football Club? - not listened to it yet, but there track record is brilliant

https://www.footballtodaypodcast.com/po ... ng-burnley

EDIT - it is ok but far from what i have come to expect

[Chester Perry]

The Athletic's Business of Sport podcast looks at small clubs in the FA Cup amid no fans at games

https://podcasts.google.com/feed/aHR0cH ... Q&hl=en-GB

[Duffer_]

The always excellent Football Today Podcast asks why are ALK Capital investing in Burnley Football Club? - not listened to it yet, but there track record is brilliant

https://www.footballtodaypodcast.com/po ... ng-burnley

EDIT - it is ok but far from what i have come to expect

Thanks for sharing. I agree with 'OK' - a useful summary but we are "provincial", not bloody "parochial"!!

[Chester Perry]

Dundee United players agree to pay cuts to help the club through the covid crisis - I suspect this will be the 1st of many attempts by clubs to get this done given the new lockdown and no sight of fan's returning

https://www.thecourier.co.uk/fp/sport/f ... ce=twitter

[Chester Perry]

I said this kind of thing would happen as a result of Project Big Profit - but Chelsea have decided they are going to open up Academies around the country, just not totally in their name (because the rules don't allow that) - from the Mail


REVEALED: Chelsea plot to poach top North East talent as they arrange affiliation with a leading junior club in Newcastle in response to Brexit restrictions... and Blues will do the same on the doorstep of other Premier League rivals!
- Chelsea have arranged affiliation with leading junior side Newcastle City Juniors
- The Blues are in the process of developing similar arrangements around the UK
- They will have to wait until players turn 14 before they can attempt to sign them
- Brexit rules mean players can't be signed from abroad by clubs until they are 18
By CRAIG HOPE FOR THE DAILY MAIL

PUBLISHED: 22:30, 7 January 2021 | UPDATED: 22:30, 7 January 2021

Chelsea have arranged an affiliation with a leading junior club in the heart of Newcastle and will do the same on the doorstep of other Premier League rivals as they react to Brexit restrictions on overseas recruitment.

The west London club have established a relationship with Newcastle City Juniors, who are based at Newcastle United's former Benwell training ground less than three miles from St James' Park.

Chelsea are in the process of developing similar arrangements around the UK and another affiliate close to Bristol City has been set up.

Such relationships are not allowed to become official under Premier League rules as clubs cannot have development centres more than an hour's drive from their academy base. Chelsea will also have to wait until players turn 14 before they can attempt to sign them.

This new strategy is seen as necessary given the restrictions on overseas recruitment.

Brexit rules mean English clubs will no longer be able to sign players from abroad until they are 18. There is also a new points-based criteria system that will limit the number of foreign players given permission to play in this country.

Chelsea, who have previously hoovered up foreign talent at an early age, now want to gain a greater knowledge of youth players in the UK and be in position to act at the first opportunity.

They will do this by increasing their scouting presence and setting up links with junior clubs such as Newcastle City Juniors, who currently have 56 of their former players contracted to professional clubs.

Sportsmail has spoken to several scouts who say domestic youth recruitment is about to become more competitive than ever. As one source said: 'We're all fishing in the same pond now. We need to be creative.'

Clubs are now thinking of ways to gain an advantage over rivals. Chelsea, for example, have loaned a camera system to City Juniors that enables the recording of training and matches for analysis and development purposes.

Newcastle United did not comment on the Chelsea link-up with City Juniors but we understand they accept they cannot stop Premier League rivals scouting in the area.

Brighton and Southampton are also currently looking to hire North East scouts.

A Chelsea spokesman said: 'Establishing and maintaining good relationships with grassroots clubs up and down the country is something we have always been keen on.'

[claretandy]

ALK only put in 15m, 80m loan to buy us.

https://twitter.com/KieranMaguire/statu ... 02656?s=19

[paulatky]

ALK only put in 15m, 80m loan to buy us.

https://twitter.com/KieranMaguire/statu ... 02656?s=19

It was always known they were using the clubs own money and future revenue to obtain loans to buy the club aka the Man Utd model used by the Glaziers

[Chester Perry]

It was always known they were using the clubs own money and future revenue to obtain loans to buy the club aka the Man Utd model used by the Glaziers

I must admit I had never thought it would be possible to borrow that much against the club - it's assets come nowhere near, though it seems they have stumped up some of the TV revenue and players as security too. The other thing I had not considered was using the cash reserves to fund a chunk of the deal - kicking myself over that it is Gordon Gekko 101

[rufus lumley]

Sticks in my throat but the model of having a family of very rich chicken farmers in charge looks a better option.

[Chester Perry]

Two more podcasts from Football uncovered which have brought to life true tales of the most weird and wonderful football owners in football history, that will have fans of all clubs scratching their heads as to how some of this was even possible!

first up QPR – The cautionary tale of reaching for the stars

https://podcasts.google.com/feed/aHR0cH ... A&hl=en-GB

episode 8 sees a change of tack - FIFA - The trials and tribulations of those who brought shame on the global game

https://podcasts.google.com/feed/aHR0cH ... w&hl=en-GB

[Chester Perry]

more examples of how MSD Holdings raise money which they then loan out - including contributions from our friend The Esk - it doesn't come cheap to them and definitely not cheap to those they lend too - remember that Includes Southampton and Derby (at the time of this fund raising also previously to Sunderland

https://twitter.com/KieranMaguire/statu ... 8756404224

[Father Jack]

I must admit I had never thought it would be possible to borrow that much against the club - it's assets come nowhere near, though it seems they have stumped up some of the TV revenue and players as security too. The other thing I had not considered was using the cash reserves to fund a chunk of the deal - kicking myself over that it is Gordon Gekko 101

So if we defaulted on the interest payments of c.£10m p/a then in theory MSD could force us to sell players to get their money back?
Does this not qualify as third party ownership in a roundabout way?

[Chester Perry]

So if we defaulted on the interest payments of c.£10m p/a then in theory MSD could force us to sell players to get their money back?
Does this not qualify as third party ownership in a roundabout way?

not really, just an undertaking to raise the necessary monies through specific fall back measures at specific times - it is theoretically open to abuse if a buying club is aware of the situation, but that is not really in the interest of MSD Holdings, they want a client to be in a position to keep the payments rolling - that is how they make money

[Chester Perry]

Gianni Infantino starts the year by renewing his quest for FIFA to be awarded the Nobel Peace Prize

https://twitter.com/tariqpanja/status/1 ... 6390884354

Simon Chadwick notes this latest effort and suggests that he has more important things at home to deal with first

https://twitter.com/Prof_Chadwick/statu ... 1071822851

Even following the accord in the Gulf region Gianni Infantino cannot hide his desperation to accrue more money by getting involved in things he really should stay away from - Amnesty call him out for singing the praises of Saudi Arabia

https://apnews.com/article/internationa ... P_Sportshe does have history in case you doubted it

https://twitter.com/tariqpanja/status/1 ... 4257634313

[Chester Perry]

This is pretty surprising from Barcelona - looking for investors to help against financial losses (as reported by Bloomberg) note that is is a club owned business not the business itself - that protects the clubs status in Spanish law

FC Barcelona Looks to Outside Investors as Financial Losses Mount
DAVID HELLIER JANUARY 08, 2021

Cash-strapped FC Barcelona is pitching investors on buying a piece of the club’s off the field businesses in an effort to stem losses from the Covid-19 pandemic.

In an investment teaser sent to potential investors and seen by Bloomberg, the club is proposing carving out its digital assets, worldwide football academies, sports knowledge group and merchandising businesses into a new subsidiary. The team would sell 30% to 49% of the interest in the new entity to outside investors, a first for a club that is wholly owned by its members and who would have to approve any such deal.

Yearly revenue for the new entity is expected to reach 386.1 million euros ($471.4 million) with earnings of 210.7 million euros in 2024-2025, according to the document. Goldman Sachs Group Inc. is advising on the potential deal, according to people familiar with the matter.

Barcelona declined to comment about the prospective deal.

FC Barcelona, home to Lionel Messi, has seen its finances particularly hard hit by the Covid-19 pandemic. Debt doubled to 488 million euros and the club reported a decline in revenue of more than 200 million euros in 2020 as fans have been barred from attending matches for almost a year.

In the past few years, Barcelona has been a heavy spender on players, such as Philippe Coutinho, Antoine Griezmann and Ousmane Dembele, but success in the transfer window hasn’t translated onto the field. Last season, Barcelona finished second to rival Real Madrid in the Spanish league and suffered an embarrassing 8-2 defeat to Bayern Munich in the UEFA Champions League quarter-final.

Messi spent much of the off-season agitating to be released from his contract before ultimately resigning to play what is likely his last season at Camp Nou. In the executive offices, the team will hold an election on Jan. 24 to select a new team president after Josep Maria Bartomeu resigned in October after his conflict with Messi soured his relationship with fans.

[Chester Perry]

The Financial Times with a report on the desperate efforts from the Premier League to play out the season uninterrupted and the financial implications that ride on it

https://www.ft.com/content/24c03dd0-114 ... pe=nongift

[Chester Perry]

The Telegraph are reporting that Derby have failed to pay their players on times - the club using the delayed takeover as an excuse - which tells us that Mel has been paying wages out of his own pocket

Exclusive: Derby County fail to pay players on time due to takeover delay but sale of club is imminent
JOHN PERCY DECEMBER 31, 2020

Derby County have failed to pay their players on time for December, but sources insist the takeover by Derventio Holdings is set to be completed imminently.

Interim Derby manager Wayne Rooney and the squad, plus senior members of staff, have been informed they may not receive their full salaries until next week due to a “delay” in the sale process.

Mel Morris, the current Derby owner, has agreed to sell the Championship club to Derventio Holdings, a company owned by Sheikh Khaled bin Zayed Al Nehayan, the cousin of Manchester City owner Sheikh Mansour.

A deal remains on course, insist Derby sources, and the club has received assurances that the funds for the takeover will go through, maybe even later on Thursday.

In a letter sent to players which has been seen by Telegraph Sport, Derby’s chief executive Stephen Pearce wrote: “On behalf of Derby County Football Club, Mel Morris, and prospective new owners Derventio Holdings, we collectively apologise, that due to an unexpected and last minute delay in the closing of the sale transaction, that your December pay will most likely be delayed until next week.

“We have been assured by Derventio that the closing funds have been remitted, but as at this morning they had not arrived in their lawyer’s client account.

“As soon as they arrive, the transaction will close and we will process any outstanding payroll amounts immediately.”

Negotiations have been at the final stages with Derventio Holdings since November and there was confidence that a deal could be completed before Christmas. However, the takeover is said to now be a formality.

Rooney’s hopes of landing the job permanently are linked to the takeover, with the former England captain expected to be confirmed as manager when the sale is completed.

Derby face Sheffield Wednesday on New Year’s Day with the club 20th in the Championship table.

last weekend Derby were insisting that their players had been paid paid all outstanding wages

https://footballleagueworld.co.uk/this- ... st-update/

this weekend it has emerged that still is not the case for a number of players

https://footballleagueworld.co.uk/this- ... st-update/

[Chester Perry]

last weekend Derby were insisting that their players had been paid paid all outstanding wages

https://footballleagueworld.co.uk/this- ... st-update/

this weekend it has emerged that still is not the case for a number of players

https://footballleagueworld.co.uk/this- ... st-update/

Today the Telegraph is reporting that senior Derby Players and Executives will get paid early this week as the monies for the takeover arrive with the lawyers this week (it was claimed they were dispatched over a week ago) - with the takeover itself to be completed in short time following - not holding my breath on this one

Derby takeover to go through this week with Wayne Rooney close to being named permanent manager
JOHN PERCY JANUARY 10, 2021

Derby's protracted takeover by Derventio Holdings is set to finally go through this week, with Wayne Rooney on the verge of being named as permanent manager.

After months of negotiations, the sale to Sheikh Khaled, a cousin of Manchester City owner Sheikh Mansour, is days away from full completion with sources close to the talks insisting it could even be sealed by Wednesday.

Funds for the takeover and player salaries were sent last week and it is understood all conditions of the sale have been approved, with an official announcement expected in the next few days. The deal will be closed when those funds arrive with the lawyers.

Telegraph Sport can reveal that Derby are currently under a transfer embargo after failing to pay their players on time at the end of last month.

Senior players and executives have still not been paid but those salaries will be paid early this week, which will remove the embargo placed on the club by the EFL.

Rooney is also in line to be named as permanent manager after impressing since taking the position on an interim basis in November.

The former England and Manchester United captain has taken charge of nine matches for the Championship club, winning three and drawing four. His appointment also seems certain to end his career as a player, after nearly two decades at the top level.

Rooney, 35, and the first-team were absent from Saturday's FA Cup defeat to National League North club Chorley following a severe outbreak of Covid-19 at Derby's training ground.

Sheikh Khaled has been in negotiations with Mel Morris, the current Derby owner, since May last year and there have been a number of delays to the process.

However, it is understood that the takeover is now fully agreed and Derby's turbulent start to the year will ease with confirmation of the sale believed to be imminent.

Morris is expected to remain as a consultant to the new owners.

[Chester Perry]

Forbes.com with their 2021 list of the worlds most valuable sports empires

From a #PremierLeague perspective...

No. 2- owner of #ArsenalFC
4 - #LiverpoolFC
8 - #ManUnited
10 - #ManCity
13 - shareholder in #LeedsUnited

oh and we still do not feature, current owners possibly less wealthy than previous owners, who were the least wealthy in the Premier League (by some distance)

https://www.forbes.com/sites/mikeozania ... 8171897d79

[FactualFrank]

Chester Perry, this very much reads like a very negative - we're in the **** - type of thread. So I'm assuming as a club we're knackered? That's all I see.

[Chester Perry]

Chester Perry, this very much reads like a very negative - we're in the **** - type of thread. So I'm assuming as a club we're knackered? That's all I see.

Frank are you talking about the MMT thread or my reference to our club, if the latter then we not necessarily in the doodoo but it certainly doesn't feel like Kansas anymore - to use a metaphor that has been running around my head for the last couple of weeks

[Chester Perry]

@SwissRamble looks at the 2019/20 financial results of AC Milan

https://twitter.com/SwissRamble/status/ ... 9395323904

also done one of his nice little summary packs

https://twitter.com/SwissRamble/status/ ... 2936356864

[Chester Perry]

It is that time of year again as the annual reports on Football start to come out - first up KPMG's European Champions report

https://footballbenchmark.com/library/t ... eport_2021

EDIT the media focus on this is around the scale of Covid losses forecast

https://www.dailymail.co.uk/sport/footb ... eport.html