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Re: Football's Magic Money Tree

Posted: Mon Jun 03, 2019 8:16 pm
by Chester Perry
This Qatar-Leeds story is just not going away - This from Tariq Panja in the New York Times

Qatar May Buy Into English Team Leeds - By Tariq Panja - June 3, 2019


Qatar, the gas-rich Gulf state that has gained an outsized influence in global soccer, held advanced discussions to buy a stake in the storied English team Leeds United on Monday, according to two people with direct knowledge of the discussions.

Qatar stunned the sports world when it secured the rights to host soccer’s World Cup in 2022. Since that vote in 2010 it has been among the most consequential nations in soccer, buying and investing huge amounts to turn Paris Saint-Germain into a powerhouse team and also becoming the biggest buyer of soccer rights on the continent through its BeIN Sports network.

The move for Leeds, which missed out on a return to the Premier League after losing a playoff semifinal to Derby last month, would be Qatar’s first foray into English soccer and most likely will lead to further scrutiny into its affairs at home and abroad. Human rights groups have drawn attention to the treatment of workers building World Cup stadiums, while there have been allegations of wrongdoing over the way in which Qatar convinced FIFA members to choose it to host the World Cup.

The talks with Leeds, which won the last of its three English championships in 1992, are at an advanced stage and stem from a close personal relationship between the club’s majority owner, Andrea Radrizzani, and Nasser al-Khelaifi, the businessman who fronts most of Qatar’s investments in sports. A close friend of Qatar’s emir, al-Khelaifi is president of P.S.G. and chairman of beIN Sports. He once backed Qatar’s joint sports television venture in Asia with Radrizzani, who ran MP Silva, a global sports rights buyer.

The Financial Times first reported talks between Qatar Sports Investments — the vehicle that controls its sports assets — and Leeds on May 25.
Spokesmen for Radrizzani, Q.S.I. and Leeds declined to comment. Last year, the Leeds owner sold a 10 percent stake to 49ers Enterprises, the investment division of the San Francisco 49ers. The initial talks with Qatar involve a stake sale, though there could be a provision for a full buyout later on, according to a person with knowledge of the discussions.

An investment in Leeds would be Qatar’s third in club soccer teams. As well as P.S.G., which is now home to soccer’s two most expensive players, Neymar and Kylian Mbappé, the Gulf team owns K.A.S. Eupen, a minor Belgium team. That investment is part of a plan to improve the skills of young Qatari nationals, who may form part of its national team in the World Cup, now just three years away.

Should a deal be completed, there are also likely to be other complications. European soccer’s governing body does not allow teams with a single owner to compete against each other in continental competitions. While that seems a long way off, with Leeds not even in the Premier League, Qatari money in Paris has shown how quickly a formidable team can be assembled to compete with Europe’s finest.
--------------------------------------

I have previously postulated that any investment could be business diplomacy and reading that doesn't make me think they want to own the club outright at this stage - in fact you could say they may be looking at another club where Qatari players could be sent to develop further in advance of the 2022 world cup

Re: Football's Magic Money Tree

Posted: Mon Jun 03, 2019 8:50 pm
by Chester Perry
I said in post #1283 that thigs were going to heat up around the UEFA Club Competitions post 2024 - there Lars-Christer Olsson spoke for the domestic leagues - here Edwin Van der Sar does his bit for the ECA - from yesterday's Times


Wealth gap harms the competitive balance in European club football - Edwin van der Sar

It has been a wonderful season of Champions League football. For me, as chief executive of Ajax, it has been a particularly special season and, if the semi-final had finished a few seconds earlier, perhaps it would have been even more so.

However, I want to look past this season and consider the longer-term trends in European football. A lot of people have watched Ajax’s performances in Europe this year and called us “a fairytale”. But why are we, a club with such a rich history in the Champions League, seen as a fairytale? Why were we the first Champions League semi-finalist from outside England, Spain, Italy, Germany or France since 2006?

It’s simple — we are a big club with a rich history in the Champions League, but from a relatively small country with only €9m domestic broadcasting revenues each season.

There’s a huge and growing financial gap between those rich five leagues and the rest. To give you an idea of the size of that gap, in 2007 the top five domestic leagues earned €2.6bn more than the next 50 leagues in Europe.

A decade later, that figure had grown to €5.8bn. With the wealth increasingly concentrated in the top five, their clubs will increasingly dominate European competitions year after year — hence the all-English finals in the Champions League and Europa League this year.

When you add the fact that clubs from these leagues are guaranteed places in the group stages of the Champions League each season, you end up with what we have now; a locked system where great clubs on the outside such as Benfica, Porto, PSV, Celtic, Galatasaray or Ajax struggle to get in the door.

This is why it is disappointing when people criticise Uefa’s consultation process over the future of European competitions and the European Club Association (ECA), of which I am one of four vice-chairmen, without considering the flaws in the current system. It is a system that sees my club and others from so-called “second tier leagues” competing against clubs from the top five leagues whose incomes dwarf ours — indeed, these are clubs whose player wage bills alone are greater than our total revenues.

This wealth gap is harming the competitive balance in European club football at a time when the Champions League is ever more important to Ajax as the only means, next to transfer income, of bridging the gap with teams in those big leagues.

Furthermore, the current system makes bridging that gap difficult and unpredictable for clubs such as ours even when we perform well on the pitch. This year, we reached the Champions League semi-finals and won the league and cup double in the Netherlands, but we will still have to go through two qualifying rounds to get to next year’s group stages. It leaves me wondering whether I can risk giving my best players new contracts when a slip-up in a qualifier in August can totally disrupt our financial planning for the season.

Meanwhile, clubs finishing fourth in the biggest leagues go straight to the group stages and can plan their budgets in the knowledge that they are guaranteed at least six group games and, most likely, income from knockout rounds too.

This is the “stability” I was referring to when I addressed the meeting organised by the European leagues in Madrid. It’s not about making “special cases” out of any clubs, it’s about recognising that winning things should mean something.

One of the ECA’s fundamental beliefs is that all clubs across Europe who are good enough to develop and play regularly in European competitions should have a fair chance to do so. This means more certainty for more clubs from more associations playing more matches in Europe. So competitions, formats and rules should be looked at with a view to enabling this — across the whole system. Not just the Champions League, which everyone likes to talk about, but the Europa League (a competition increasing in competitiveness and attractiveness for fans and clubs every year) and, from 2021, a third competition that will give more clubs the opportunity to make their names on the European stage.

Regular participation in a system that rewards clubs based on performance in all the competitions will do two things: it will improve financial stability for clubs from the less wealthy leagues, and improve the quality of their teams and the football they play, thus giving them the opportunity to progress further each year on and off the pitch.

This is what increased promotion and relegation in European competitions would do. It’s not about a “closed shop” or removing the risk of failure — it’s about making sure clubs are rewarded for their performance on the European playing field, not for the relative strength of their league.
Such reform can be put in place in consultation with all stakeholders to find a solution that will improve the European club competitions and benefit everyone. Domestic leagues are strong, vibrant, unique competitions that all clubs and players dream of winning. European competitions sit alongside them and allow the very best teams to excel at home and abroad. It should not be all about the money in certain big leagues. It should be about a fair and equitable system across Europe for all clubs, whoever and wherever they are.

Maybe the critics of Uefa’s plans to reform its European club competitions in 2024 think that “might makes right” and only teams from rich leagues should be allowed to dream of European glory. I believe football is about what clubs do on the pitch, not how big their league’s TV deal is, and this is what we at the ECA are fighting for as we work with Uefa and other stakeholders on creating a structure for European club competition that is better and fairer for all. Uefa’s competitions are where the best teams from each association can compete with each other to show the world what they stand for, like Ajax did this season.
_________________________

I have to say that I am still not seeing it - unless there is a cap on the number of teams from a single domestic league - you could foresee a situation where all the PL teams allowed into Europe work their way up to the top competition and lock out other PL teams from European competition. Alternatively if you put a glass ceiling on promotion (with maximum numbers from a single domestic league that isn't fair either

Re: Football's Magic Money Tree

Posted: Mon Jun 03, 2019 9:00 pm
by Chester Perry
Meanwhile the Bundesliga continues with it's own efforts to close the gap to the Premier League

https://www.sportbusiness.com/news/bund ... programme/" onclick="window.open(this.href);return false;

Re: Football's Magic Money Tree

Posted: Mon Jun 03, 2019 9:21 pm
by Chester Perry
5 years ago Luton were breaking out of Non League football (having arrived there following a 30 point penalty for financial irregularities) - Next season they kick off in the Championship. Their return has been impressive - their plans going forward are huge - can they actually do it - warning it involves a lot of property development - from this months edition of FCBusiness

https://cloud.3dissue.com/6374/7271/131 ... .html?r=12" onclick="window.open(this.href);return false;

there is also some extend articles on Spurs and their new home in the issue

Re: Football's Magic Money Tree

Posted: Mon Jun 03, 2019 9:42 pm
by Chester Perry
In post #868 I mentioned that FIFA were considering opening a clearing bank to provide clear insight into the transfer process - today in Paris this has moved a step nearer, also the loaning/farming of players to loan as an enterprise (http://www.uptheclarets.com/messageboar ... fa#p879153" onclick="window.open(this.href);return false;) is closer to be regulated - from offthepitch.com

FIFA backs transfer market reform: Liverpool to play in Qatar - by James Corbett

FIFA Council back transfer reforms. First step to “Bank of FIFA”?
Club World Cup to be hosted in Qatar in 2019 and 2020.

PARIS - FIFA’s ruling council has backed initial reforms of the transfer market that may bring its ultimate control under world football’s governing body.

Meeting in Paris on Monday, its 36 member Council agreed to endorse principles agreed upon by its Football Stakeholders Committee last Autumn that sought to create a “clearing house” to process transfers with the aim of “protecting the integrity of football and avoiding fraudulent conduct.”

Under the proposals FIFA seek to create a system by centralising and simplifying all payments associated with player transfers.

These encompass solidarity, training compensation, agents’ commissions and transfer fees. It has also endorsed the mandatory introduction of an electronic transfer system at national level following the model in place for international transfers – the Transfer Matching System (TMS).

Clearing House
As part of these reforms FIFA has offered all its member associations, free of charge, the domestic transfer system (DTMS) for the online management of their national transfers, and the FIFA Connect platform for the electronic registration of all players at national level.

Last Autumn FIFA’s Football Stakeholders’ Committee laid out the need for ‘”New and stronger regulations for agents to be established with agreement on the principle of introducing compensation and representation restrictions, payment of agents’ commissions through the clearing house and licensing and registration of agents through the Transfer Matching System.”

Although FIFA did not publish more details today, the endorsement of this proposal may ultimately lead to the so-called “Bank of FIFA” – a clearing house for all international transfer business.

In April FIFA’s new director of legal affairs, Emilio García Silvero, said the body was seeking to establish its own bank as it seeks to bring regulation to the international transfer market.

Regulate the loan system
The proposal, Silvera said, was an attempt to ultimately regulate the entire flow of money that moves in a player transfer.

FIFA also gave the green light to the regulation of the regulation of the transfer loan system. This should, FIFA said, benefit “the purpose of youth development as opposed to commercial exploitation.”

“The number of loans per season and between each club shall be limited and bridge transfers and sub-loans shall be prohibited,” it added.

The moves by the world governing body pre-empt the efforts of the UEFA president Aleksander Ceferin to regulate the loan system. Speaking at the weekend Ceferin said that UEFA was considering “Limitation of the squads… forbidding or limiting the loans.”

Club World Cup in Qatar
The FIFA Council also confirmed – in the teeth of widespread misreporting on the matter that it has been cancelled – that the Club World Cup will take place in Qatar in 2019 and 2020, ahead of a test event for an expanded competition in 2021 at an as yet undesignated location – to be decided in October.

The tournament will include newly crowned European champions, Liverpool, CAF Champions ES Tunis, New Caledonia’s Hienghène Sport of Oceania, the Qatar champions Al Sadd, plus the still to be decided Asian, Concacaf and Conmebol champions.

FIFA said in a statement that the “the seven-team competition will serve as valuable test events in the build-up to the FIFA World Cup 2022, even more so since their timing – usually around early December – corresponds with that of the next FIFA World Cup, allowing for testing under similar climatic conditions.”

Re: Football's Magic Money Tree

Posted: Mon Jun 03, 2019 9:52 pm
by Chester Perry
In post #1297 I said the Qatar-Leeds story was just not going away - now this from the Telegraph

Leeds United owner Andrea Radrizzani travels to Qatar to talk with PSG owners about buying stake in club
- Jason Burt, Chief Football Correspondent - 3 June 2019 • 4:48pm

Leeds United owner Andrea Radrizzani is in Doha to discuss Qatar taking a stake in the Championship club which narrowly missed out on promotion to the Premier League.

Qatar Sports Investments, which controls Paris Saint-Germain, has been looking to invest in an English club with potential and a strong heritage for some time and it is understood talks are taking place with Leeds.

They are not the only club being considered by QSI but Telegraph Sport understands that Radrizzani is meeting with the group’s chairman, Nasser Al-Khelaifi, who is also PSG’s president, in the Qatari capital.

The two men have a good relationship going back several years, dating from when Al-Khelaifi, the head of BeIN Sports, and Radrizzani , a co-founder of M&P Silva which he has since sold, negotiated television rights.

Radrizzani bought Leeds in 2017, initially acquiring a 50 per cent stake before fully buying out Massimo Cellino.

QSI has been considering a move into investing in England, not least because of the huge broadcast deals negotiated by the Premier League. Buying into a Championship club, and helping get it promoted, appears to be part of their thinking.

QSI bought PSG in 2011 and has invested heavily in the French giants, signing players such as Neymar and Kylian Mbappe, to make them one of the biggest clubs in the world.

It remains to be seen whether talks progress with Leeds and, significantly, whether QSI wants to take a controlling interest or just a minority stake.
Radrizzani , an Italian entrepreneur, has denied that he is interested in selling the club which reached the Championship play-offs after finishing third in the table before being knocked out by Derby County.

Despite that disappointment, manager Marcelo Bielsa has given Leeds a boost by agreeing to remain in charge for next season, but it remains to be seen what investment there will be in the squad.

Leeds, like many Championship clubs, are under pressure from the Financial Fair Play rules and while they are keeping within the limits it may affect their ability to spend on players. Radrizzani has already said he expects it to be a difficult summer.

Leeds have countered claims that Radrizzani is considering selling the club, or a further stake. He reduced his 100 per cent holding a year ago when 49ers Enterprises, the investment branch of the San Francisco 49ers, bought £11 million worth of shares, thought to be around 25 per cent of the club.

Leeds say Radrizzani will remain as chairman and majority shareholder for next season.

---------------------------------------
I still feel Roma is the currently preferred option if they leave PSG (only because they cannot buy Barcelona)

Re: Football's Magic Money Tree

Posted: Mon Jun 03, 2019 10:10 pm
by Chester Perry
today Gianni Infantino was given the presidency of FIFA for another term at the FIFA Congress in Paris - there was supposed to be an election on Wednesday, but given that he was the only candidate they decide not to bother and just give it him - Four years ago many in the game though Michel Platini might replace Sepp Blatter. Instead Blatter and Platini were banned from the game and Platini's deputy was given the role does it sounds like Renaissance Italy to you too).

I have posted a few times about Blatter recently (see post #1022 for instance). Today Michel Platini took the chance to speak to selected journalists from 6 countries who were in Paris for the FIFA Congress.

https://www.theguardian.com/football/20 ... no-regrets" onclick="window.open(this.href);return false;

Re: Football's Magic Money Tree

Posted: Mon Jun 03, 2019 10:19 pm
by Chester Perry
When posting #1282 this morning I completely missed the fact that Liverpool have now earned over £250m in TV monies this season - a first for a PL club apparently - so much for even distribution and competitive balance

https://www.dailymail.co.uk/sport/footb ... 0m-TV.html" onclick="window.open(this.href);return false;

and as also posted today see post #1292 - they stand to earn up to £8m more from the Supercup and Club World Cup

Re: Football's Magic Money Tree

Posted: Mon Jun 03, 2019 10:29 pm
by Chester Perry
Call it Schadenfreude, but I have to smile when a European club thinks a quoted price for a player is grossly inflated, Premier League clubs have long been used to having an PL price quoted at them for a player when the rest of Europe is quoted significantly less, but when it comes back to them they don't like it - tell me how this is different to the stories about Jadon Sancho's price tag

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

EDIT - this is the kind of thing I am talking about

https://eightyfivepoints.blogspot.com/2 ... emier.html" onclick="window.open(this.href);return false;

Re: Football's Magic Money Tree

Posted: Tue Jun 04, 2019 11:01 am
by Chester Perry
The FA has finally replaced Vauxhall as it's lead sponsor - BT will take their place in a 5yr deal worth around £50m

https://www.bbc.co.uk/sport/football/48509079" onclick="window.open(this.href);return false;

Re: Football's Magic Money Tree

Posted: Tue Jun 04, 2019 11:15 am
by Chester Perry
I first posted rumours that Sunderland was for sale in post #951 - In post #1035 it was suggested that they may have had a buyer and in post #1192 the current owners refuted the story saying they were looking for investors inly - well it looks like that new investor will be a majority shareholder

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

Re: Football's Magic Money Tree

Posted: Tue Jun 04, 2019 11:32 am
by Chester Perry
The Irish Times looks at the ticketing history of the Champions League final and how it is only going to get worse for fans of the game and especially those of the finalists

https://www.irishtimes.com/sport/soccer ... -1.3913593" onclick="window.open(this.href);return false;

EDIT - a useful depiction of the ticketing allocation to this years UEFA finals

https://twitter.com/SBI_Barcelona/statu ... 3396636678" onclick="window.open(this.href);return false;

Re: Football's Magic Money Tree

Posted: Tue Jun 04, 2019 11:38 am
by Chester Perry
In a well timed (though actually late post) @SwissRamble gives a review of Sunderland's 2017/18 financial results - this gives a picture of the club when Ellis Short sold it to the consortium that now look like they are going to make a profit of over 600% in the space of a year - who said you can't make money out of football club ownership.

https://twitter.com/SwissRamble/status/ ... 2482498561" onclick="window.open(this.href);return false;

Re: Football's Magic Money Tree

Posted: Tue Jun 04, 2019 11:48 am
by Chester Perry
An informative thread from Simon Chadwick on the Qatar-Leeds thing - it is helpful and unhelpful at the same time, but is clear on the internecine nature of the politics

https://twitter.com/Prof_Chadwick/statu ... 3707140098" onclick="window.open(this.href);return false;

Re: Football's Magic Money Tree

Posted: Tue Jun 04, 2019 2:14 pm
by Chester Perry
Intriguing article on salaries in the PL assessing who and which clubs perform best against the mean in managing costs

http://eightyfivepoints.blogspot.com/20 ... ow-to.html" onclick="window.open(this.href);return false;

While the base data (especially transfermarket values and the role of bonuses in salaries) may be called into question it is still a very interesting exercise

and here is a breakdown by club

https://eightyfivepoints.blogspot.com/p ... ge_23.html" onclick="window.open(this.href);return false;

Re: Football's Magic Money Tree

Posted: Tue Jun 04, 2019 2:43 pm
by Chester Perry
The Associated press are running a live news feed update from the FIFA Congress in Paris

https://apnews.com/3bbec0d32a7b403dacef97afcb1d00a3" onclick="window.open(this.href);return false;

the 12.30pm update shows that the Gulf crisis is being fought on all fronts - Qatar won the Asian Cup in February this year - it also adds spice to the Leeds link-up though current speculation is that the Qatar group is only buying 10% of the club

Re: Football's Magic Money Tree

Posted: Tue Jun 04, 2019 2:47 pm
by Chester Perry
Fan-owned football clubs is regarded by many in this country (and on this board) as a kind of nirvana - but is it that easy - a new book investigates

https://footballcollective.org.uk/2019/ ... -politics/" onclick="window.open(this.href);return false;

Re: Football's Magic Money Tree

Posted: Tue Jun 04, 2019 4:03 pm
by Chester Perry
While the UEFA Champs League final on Saturday was a turgid affair, the previous evenings African version was somewhat more chaotic - with one finalist walking off and their opponent being awarded the title. The reason a disputed goal that they wanted referring to VAR - which they had been told was set-up for the final, only to be told it wasn't working when they called for it's use.

https://www.bbc.co.uk/sport/football/48491032" onclick="window.open(this.href);return false;

Re: Football's Magic Money Tree

Posted: Tue Jun 04, 2019 4:43 pm
by Royboyclaret
Chester Perry wrote:Intriguing article on salaries in the PL assessing who and which clubs perform best against the mean in managing costs

http://eightyfivepoints.blogspot.com/20 ... ow-to.html" onclick="window.open(this.href);return false;

While the base data (especially transfermarket values and the role of bonuses in salaries) may be called into question it is still a very interesting exercise

and here is a breakdown by club

https://eightyfivepoints.blogspot.com/p ... ge_23.html" onclick="window.open(this.href);return false;
Fascinating stuff. Surely the reference to Barnes in the first graph cannot be our Ashley?......More likely to be a younger Harvey-Barnes at Leicester.

The second graph seems to infer that all our players are paid in relation to their perceived market value, something that we already knew.

Re: Football's Magic Money Tree

Posted: Tue Jun 04, 2019 5:00 pm
by Chester Perry
Royboyclaret wrote:Fascinating stuff. Surely the reference to Barnes in the first graph cannot be our Ashley?......More likely to be a younger Harvey-Barnes at Leicester.

The second graph seems to infer that all our players are paid in relation to their perceived market value, something that we already knew.
I also think there are some who are paid higher because of their value to us e.g. Ben Mee whois likly to be amongs our top earners, but unlikely to be amongs our most valuable. Then there is young Dwight who is already close to being our most valuable asset but will not be amongs the highest paid. Of course fees paid will have a baring on the salaries as well.

Re: Football's Magic Money Tree

Posted: Tue Jun 04, 2019 5:11 pm
by Royboyclaret
Chester Perry wrote:I also think there are some who are paid higher because of their value to us e.g. Ben Mee whois likly to be amongs our top earners, but unlikely to be amongs our most valuable. Then there is young Dwight who is already close to being our most valuable asset but will not be amongs the highest paid. Of course fees paid will have a baring on the salaries as well.
In the Burnley graph all our players appear to be within the middle white area. It would be interesting to put names to the dots.

Re: Football's Magic Money Tree

Posted: Tue Jun 04, 2019 5:35 pm
by Chester Perry
Royboyclaret wrote:In the Burnley graph all our players appear to be within the middle white area. It would be interesting to put names to the dots.
That is the let down - though if you had the transfermarket data at the time it was compiled it would be possible to deduce

Re: Football's Magic Money Tree

Posted: Tue Jun 04, 2019 5:50 pm
by Chester Perry
Article from Forbes.com on the potential own goal of FIFA deciding that the next 2 editions of the Club World Cup be in Qatar


Qatar Club World Cup 2019 Could Be Own Goal By FIFA - by Steve Price

FIFA confirmed on Monday that the 2019 and 2020 Club World Cup tournaments will be played in Qatar. They will be the last two tournaments in their current format before FIFA’s proposed expansion of the tournament.

For Qatar, it is a chance to test out stadiums and infrastructure ahead of the 2022 World Cup, the head of Qatar’s World Cup organizing committee told Al Jazeera the Club World Cup would give them a chance to test out plans for fan zones and the sale of alcohol to fans, and learn from the experience ahead of Qatar 2022.

Liverpool are one of the sides that will be heading there this December. They will be joined by Mexican side Monterrey, possibly Tunisian side Esperance, who were named African champions in controversial circumstances last week, Hienghene Sport from New Caledonia, and the champions of South America, Asia, and the hosts Qatar.

But using the Club World Cup as a dress rehearsal for Qatar 2022 is just about the only positive of choosing the Gulf state as a host for these matches.

The proposed Club World Cup enlargement faces opposition from clubs in Europe, and one of the justifications for the revamp is that the current Club World Cup is “unloved”.

Part of that is because it is played in the middle of the European season when soccer fans have plenty of other games to choose from. Another factor is the location.

Since Liverpool’s last appearance in the Club World Cup final, when Rafa Benitez’s side lost one-nil to Sao Paulo in 2005, the tournament has only been played in Japan, the United Arab Emirates and Morocco.

FIFA talks about growing the game and taking it to new regions, which is fair enough when it does actually “grow the game”, but at the same time, it is alienating the fans of the clubs that are playing in these games. The 20,000 empty seats in Baku for the Chelsea’s Europa League final win over Arsenal last month should have been a wakeup call, a clear sign that by careless expansion, choosing venues based on geopolitics or chasing the highest bidder, FIFA could kill the goose that lays the golden egg.

The decision to play the Club World Cup in Qatar shows that FIFA hasn’t learned anything from Baku. These decisions are a huge part of what has made the Club World Cup “unloved”. The tournament’s average attendances in Japan and Morocco were around 30,000. They dropped to below 20,000 when the Club World Cup was moved to the United Arab Emirates, with one match having just 4,000 fans in attendance. The attendance figures probably won’t be any higher for the upcoming tournaments in Qatar, and if they are, how many of those fans will actually be traveling from Liverpool or South America to watch their team?

Without the passion of supporters who watch their teams every week, is it any wonder why the Club World Cup feels like a bunch of glorified friendly games? If it were played in Madrid or Rio de Janiero then the tournament would create a buzz that would attract TV viewers and sponsors alike. Creating this kind of atmosphere at the tournament will be the real challenge for Qatar’s organizing committee.

The geopolitics at play also makes Qatar seem a bit of an odd choice, especially as a lot of FIFA members are still unhappy about the country being awarded the 2022 World Cup.


Prof Simon Chadwick
@Prof_Chadwick

If true, a very interesting development. Suggests Infantino & FIFA are still playing Middle East politics. Awarding tournaments to Qatar without consideration for KSA, UAE etc. would be a dangerous strategy, suggesting other things are happening behind the scenes.
Rob Harris

@RobHarris
Replying to @RobHarris
Following on from those false reports of no Club World Cup this year - in fact sources say Qatar to host the FIFA event and in 2020
https://apnews.com/10957cf21be24326b96b190ab1f7feaf" onclick="window.open(this.href);return false;

1:04 PM - Jun 3, 2019

Gianni Infantino spent a lot of time over the past few years making overtures about Qatar sharing the World Cup with regional rivals like the UAE, so while there is no way the UAE deserved this tournament, especially given the poor attendances at the 2019 Asian Cup and at the previous Club World Cup, giving it to their biggest regional rivals is hardly going to get the UAE or Saudi Arabia onside for the 2022 World Cup, which could cause further problems down the line, both logistical and political.

Qatar and the United Arab Emirates have been using soccer as PR, to present their countries in a positive light. At the same time, this had drawn more attention to the darker side of those two countries, such as the conditions of migrant workers at the World Cup stadiums in Qatar.
There have been calls for a boycott of the 2022 World Cup, but when it comes to soccer’s biggest tournament, many fans will watch the World Cup no matter what.

The Club World Cup on the other hand, well, fans aren’t overly keen on watching it or traveling to Doha to watch the games anyway. The World Cup may be “too big to fail”, but the Club World Cup certainly is not.

----------------------------------------------------------------

The thing that struck me was - why Qatar? given the gulf issue when FIFA's new tournaments are to be funded to the tune of £25bn by Saudi Arabia via Softbank

Re: Football's Magic Money Tree

Posted: Tue Jun 04, 2019 6:53 pm
by Chester Perry
I said things were hotting up re the reforms of UEFA's club competitions post 2024 - today Reinhard Rauball, president of the DFB and Borussia Dortmund had his turn, interesting stuff from am ECA member - From the Telegraph


Germany and England launch joint assault on Champions League reform plans - Tom Morgan, Sports News Correspondent, in Paris
4 June 2019 • 5:40pm

Proposals to abandon the current Champions League qualification criteria could "destroy" the European football pyramid, the head of the German leagues said as he vowed to torpedo the plans with the help of England.

Reinhard Rauball, president of the DFB and Borussia Dortmund, suggested the campaign for reforms led by the European Clubs' Association (ECA) threatened great footballing traditions.

"Our league comes first and we have to take care that a successful league is not destroyed," he told reporters, after a Uefa meeting in Paris. The ECA's plan, to be discussed further at a summit on Friday, would mean 14 group matches instead of six, and a promotion/relegation system to replace all clubs qualifying directly from domestic competition.

Rauball is heartened that a host of senior football figures in the English game have also voiced opposition to changes which could see the competition become a "closed shop".

The former Manchester United CEO David Gill, who is the deputy chairman of Uefa's club competitions committee, has also expressed serious concerns to colleagues, pointing out the success of Tottenham Hotspur and Ajax as evidence the competition is healthy.

Rauball said the changes have little hope, however, without widespread support in the Premier League and Bundesliga. “Our league, the Bundesliga, decided 100 per cent that we don’t go this way with the ECA," he said. “David Gill thinks in the same way. The German and British leagues are opposing it and I don’t think it is possible we will find a solution without Germany and without England. It’s a special situation for Bayern and Borussia Dortmund which is my club [as they are in ECA], but our league comes first and we have to take care that a successful league is not destroyed."

He said the relegation reforms were "a typical American kind of competition, a kind of closed shop". "In Europe we have a traditional football pyramid, and in Germany we have the league with the highest attendances, more than 42,000 average, and that has been developed step by step," he said. "So we don’t want to destroy it with one decision. We have to make clear that the national league is most important. If you make a pyramid like the ECA we would destroy all the clubs and that is what is dangerous. We are traditionalists and we want that this is the future of football as well.”

Aleksander Čeferin, the Uefa president, has responded carutiously to the potential reforms, which would need to take place with governing body agreement from 2024. He pointed out that 900,000 tickets had been requested on official channels for the Champions League final between Liverpool and Tottenham, one of the most in-demand matches in footballing history.

The French president, Emmanuel Macron, also waded into the debate by criticising the reforms after a meeting with Fifa president Gianni Infantino. Speaking to media, Macron said: "We must defend our model, our clubs, and I think it's not a good idea to sacrifice the viability of our model for the benefit of some at the European level."
__________________________________

The ECA themselves, who like to project a unified image are having another special General Assembly in Malta this Thursday and Friday to "discuss, share and exchange views amongst ECA members on the development of UEFA Club Competitions post 2024."

https://www.ecaeurope.com/news/eca-spec ... -6-7-june/" onclick="window.open(this.href);return false;

Re: Football's Magic Money Tree

Posted: Tue Jun 04, 2019 7:00 pm
by Chester Perry
As reported in the article above the French President has been outspoken in his desire to stop the ECA proposals

https://apnews.com/f8cf4a4edc2146adb871e697ecb65a41" onclick="window.open(this.href);return false;

Re: Football's Magic Money Tree

Posted: Wed Jun 05, 2019 12:57 am
by Chester Perry
The Daily Mail thinks it knows why FIFA had to back down on a 48team World Cup in 2022

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

Re: Football's Magic Money Tree

Posted: Wed Jun 05, 2019 11:17 am
by Chester Perry
I posted on Monday (see post #1303) about Gianni Infantino's re-election by default - and the way is ascent to power it felt like some Italian Renaissance story (see post #624 for a truly disturbing read about his back story) - Ahead of his re-election confirmation as FIFA president, Gianni Infantino says he's banished scandals and corruption despite losing members of his council for misconduct during his first term (The victors write the history - as they say).

https://apnews.com/edb8f6208e0441ec94600605db6f642a" onclick="window.open(this.href);return false;

the Associated Press live feed from the congress continues here

https://apnews.com/68af4ccea93142988cec7d182b595b58" onclick="window.open(this.href);return false;

@RobHarris tells us all we need to know about how Infantino manages things
https://twitter.com/RobHarris/status/11 ... 8869514240" onclick="window.open(this.href);return false;

and this was the agreed way to elect Infantino - and I am being perfectly serious - this was the election vote

https://twitter.com/martynziegler/statu ... 3247265793" onclick="window.open(this.href);return false;

The official version is "elected by acclamation"

Re: Football's Magic Money Tree

Posted: Wed Jun 05, 2019 11:50 am
by Chester Perry
While the season across the big European leagues may have ended - football itself carries - to many opportunities for someone somewhere to shake the Magic Money tree - The players could do with a rest though

http://www.espn.com/espn/feature/story/ ... mer-soccer" onclick="window.open(this.href);return false;

Re: Football's Magic Money Tree

Posted: Wed Jun 05, 2019 11:59 am
by Chester Perry
Notts County live to fight another day as the winding up case was adjourned for the 2nd time in the High Court a few minutes ag0

https://www.bbc.co.uk/sport/football/48526238" onclick="window.open(this.href);return false;

Their lawyers went into court with this appeal

https://www.fourfourtwo.com/news/notts- ... ill-health" onclick="window.open(this.href);return false;

Re: Football's Magic Money Tree

Posted: Wed Jun 05, 2019 12:06 pm
by Chester Perry
Interesting announcement from Falkirk

https://www.falkirkfc.co.uk/2019/06/04/ ... ouncement/" onclick="window.open(this.href);return false;

Rumours are that the group who are to buy Sunderland are also to buy Falkirk - a new farming operation begins?

Re: Football's Magic Money Tree

Posted: Wed Jun 05, 2019 12:20 pm
by Chester Perry
As Liverpool consider the implications of the sheer size of their support (police were estimating 1m people welcomed them home on Sunday), their revenue (£250m+ earnings from tv alone this year - see post #1304)) and how to approach the continuing expansion of Anfield

https://www.telegraph.co.uk/football/20 ... -capacity/" onclick="window.open(this.href);return false;

things are rather different in the lower reaches of the pyramid where the final stages of an FA - Dragons Den - type operation are being played out at Wembley today to secure £25k of funding for facilities improvement - Barlick FC are one of the finalists

https://twitter.com/BuildbaseUK/status/ ... 0171953152" onclick="window.open(this.href);return false;

the competition

http://www.thefa.com/news/2018/dec/14/b ... eal-141218" onclick="window.open(this.href);return false;

Re: Football's Magic Money Tree

Posted: Wed Jun 05, 2019 3:00 pm
by Chester Perry
Following the president of Borussia Dortmund coming out against the ECA proposals for UEFA Club Competitions post 2024 yesterday (see post #1320) - today 7 Spanish clubs including Atletico Madrid have done the same

https://apnews.com/93b4c4b6a4ea434eb1e7f600115e6a19" onclick="window.open(this.href);return false;

and word is the Premier League clubs have done the same at their meeting today

https://twitter.com/RobHarris/status/11 ... 0760667137" onclick="window.open(this.href);return false;

So much for the ECA unified approach - that gathering in Malta tomorrow is going to be interesting

Re: Football's Magic Money Tree

Posted: Wed Jun 05, 2019 6:56 pm
by Chester Perry
@David_Conn and his Guardian write up for FIFA#s re-elected (by acclamation no-less - see post #1323) President Gianni Infantino

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

Re: Football's Magic Money Tree

Posted: Wed Jun 05, 2019 7:11 pm
by Chester Perry
The only surprise is that it took so long - Man City have asked CAS to throw out UEAF's case against them

https://apnews.com/f82796098ff24e01b180a193c09a4d26" onclick="window.open(this.href);return false;

Re: Football's Magic Money Tree

Posted: Wed Jun 05, 2019 7:15 pm
by Chester Perry
Follow up to post #1314 it is looking likely that the African Champs League final will be replayed

https://twitter.com/tariqpanja/status/1 ... 2468368384" onclick="window.open(this.href);return false;

Re: Football's Magic Money Tree

Posted: Wed Jun 05, 2019 7:30 pm
by Chester Perry
Is it because he is the next-gen star of the world's 3rd largest economy or because he really has potential superstar talent - he is already in part responsible for a previous FIFA sanction and transfer ban at Barcelona - A number of Europe's biggest and best club's want to sign Japan's Takefuso Kubo now he has turned 18

https://en.as.com/en/2019/06/05/footbal ... 30173.html" onclick="window.open(this.href);return false;

Either way his agent certainly knows the colour of money

Re: Football's Magic Money Tree

Posted: Wed Jun 05, 2019 7:35 pm
by Chester Perry
Following the insults and posturing which have reach new heights this week (it is still only Wednesday) UEFA President Aleksander Ceferin has asked all sides to come together for discussions in September.

https://apnews.com/bd4458a573f444a1b5cb91e5c3b7e9b6" onclick="window.open(this.href);return false;

Re: Football's Magic Money Tree

Posted: Wed Jun 05, 2019 7:50 pm
by Chester Perry
In post #1257 I said Milan were up on UEFA Charges again for the same reason as the Year before - the penalty for that charge was suspended because Milan took their case to CAS - the judgement from CAS has still not been made so UEFA have decided to suspend the adjudication proceedings for the current charges until the CAS case is completed

https://www.uefa.com/insideuefa/about-u ... 08565.html" onclick="window.open(this.href);return false;

Re: Football's Magic Money Tree

Posted: Wed Jun 05, 2019 8:36 pm
by Chester Perry
As we have seen again today (see posts #1330, #1334) - Uefa charges/judgements can be suspended as clubs use their wealth to take actions against them - with FIFA they do not seem to have the same confidence - Chelsea look like they will fall under the transfer ban this summer - from the Telegraph

Chelsea could be forced to start transfer ban this summer to avoid three-window punishment - Matt Law, Football News Correspondent
5 June 2019 • 5:48pm

Chelsea could be forced to start serving their two-window transfer ban this summer over fears the punishment could be extended if they attempt to delay it.

And that means any successor to Maurizio Sarri will have to prepare for the nightmare scenario of losing Eden Hazard without being able to replace him before the start of next season.

Fifa have already turned down an appeal from Chelsea against the ban handed to them for the transfer of young foreign players.

An appeal has been made to the Court of Arbitration for Sport, but there has not yet been confirmation of an application being made for the ban to be frozen in the meantime.

The feeling around Stamford Bridge is growing that Chelsea are likely to start serving their ban this summer, regardless of when they find out the result of their appeal to CAS.

Chelsea are refusing to comment on the situation, but sources claim that there is a real fear the ban might be extended to three transfer windows if they lose their appeal and are judged to have tried to delay it.

The blow of being prevented from signing players this summer would be softened slightly by the fact Chelsea already have Christian Pulisic joining them and can make midfielder Mateo Kovacic’s loan permanent.

Kovacic’s signature from Real Madrid must be agreed before his loan deal officially expires, so that his registration does not need changing.
The uncertainty caused by the transfer ban has been increased by Sarri’s desire to return to Italy with Juvenus and another change of head coach.

While Sarri attempts to finalise his Juventus switch, for which Chelsea want around £5 million in compensation, the club are considering who would be best to replace him.

Frank Lampard, Nuno Espirito Santo, Javi Graci and Steve Holland are all among the candidates to succeed Sarri, but will have to consider how to keep Chelsea competitive while losing Hazard and potentially not being able to replace him.

Real Madrid managing director Jose Angel Sanchez flew to England for talks with Chelsea over Hazard this week.

He has since returned to Spain amid conflicting reports over whether or not any progress had been made during negotiations.

Hazard is waiting to be told whether or not a move is close while he is away with the Belgium national team.


Chelsea have secured the future of David Luiz, who signed a new two-year contract, and the club are now hopeful of tying Callum Hudson-Odoi to a new five-year deal.

Hudson-Odoi handed in a transfer request to try to engineer a move to Bayern Munich in January, but had forced his way into the team before suffering the ruptured Achilles tendon that ended his season.

Relations between Chelsea and the teenager’s representatives have since improved and Hudson-Odoi has become more optimistic of holding down a regular starting place at Chelsea - particularly with Hazard set to leave.

Decisions on the futures of a number of Chelsea’s army of loanees have been shelved, with the expectation being the club will have to bring some of them back into the first-team squad if the ban starts this summer.

The thought is that players like Michay Batshuayi, Kurt Zouma, Reece James, Tammy Abraham and Mason Mount will be considered for places in the first-team squad next season.

______________________________________________

Of course there is much speculation that a number of Premier League clubs (possibly most of, if not all the big 6) are under similar investigation to that of Chelsea's. Could be one way of levelling the playing field across Europe for a year or so - Though I am sure some agent/player would find a legal argument about restriction of trade and earnings if all the big clubs were hit at the same time

Re: Football's Magic Money Tree

Posted: Wed Jun 05, 2019 11:06 pm
by Chester Perry
In post #1328 I suggested that the Premier league had decided to come out against the proposed ECA changes to UEFA Club Competitions post 2024. Here the Telegraph gives us a bit more detail

Opposition to Champions League reforms given further backing by Premier League - Tom Morgan, Sports News Correspondent
5 June 2019 • 6:16pm

Dramatic proposals to overhaul the Champions League from 2024 are likely to be watered down after Premier League clubs agreed to oppose the plans later this week.

English clubs joined a growing chorus of opposition in Britain, Germany and Spain by expressing unanimous condemnation of a new relegation and promotion system, which, critics claim, would make the tournament a "closed shop".

After a meeting between club executives, a Premier League official said they all agreed the changes "would be detrimental to domestic leagues across the continent".

"Critically, qualification for the Champions League and the Europa League must continue to depend on current domestic performance," a statement said. "The clubs have asked the Premier League to now work with Uefa, fans and other stakeholders across Europe, to identify constructive proposals which improve European club competitions without harming domestic football."

The European Club Association's current plan, to be discussed further at a summit on Friday, would see 14 group matches instead of six, and a promotion/relegation system to replace all clubs qualifying directly from domestic competition. However, the Premier League said all English teams involved would voice their opposition at the meeting. With the majority of Spanish La Liga clubs and the head of the German leagues also voicing opposition, the ECA will almost certainly need to refine its bid to Uefa.

The former Manchester United CEO David Gill, who is the deputy chairman of Uefa's club competitions committee, had already expressed serious concerns to colleagues, pointing out the success of Tottenham Hotspur and Ajax as evidence the competition is healthy.

On Wednesday, Gianni Infantino, the Fifa president, also indicated the plans would not be ideal for spreading football globally.

Aleksander Ceferin, the Uefa president, has responded cautiously to the potential reforms, which would need to take place with governing body agreement from 2024. He pointed out 900,000 tickets had been requested on official channels for the Champions League final between Liverpool and Tottenham.

The Premier League's AGM also agreed it should become the first competition in world football to show video assistant referee (VAR) decisions in certain conditions on big screens.

"If the VAR believes there is a definitive video-clip which helps explain an overturned decision to fans, it will be broadcast on giant screens," a statement said. "In addition, the Premier League is investigating the possibility of messages and video-clips being viewed on handheld devices via an app."
-----------------------------------------------------------

The surprise is that all - that means Man City, Man Utd, Liverpool, Chelsea, Spurs and Arsenal all agreed with the decision - which I find surprising, particularly city, It will be interesting to see if any turn about face in Malta. There is still plenty of wriggle room in the statement I feel

EDI T - The official Statement from the Premier League

https://www.premierleague.com/news/1235540" onclick="window.open(this.href);return false;

The Independent with their two penneth

https://www.independent.co.uk/sport/foo ... 46111.html" onclick="window.open(this.href);return false;

Re: Football's Magic Money Tree

Posted: Wed Jun 05, 2019 11:20 pm
by Chester Perry
Mo Salah shows how the Magic Money Tree can work for those who put the effort in

https://twitter.com/FootballLaw/status/ ... 6180134912" onclick="window.open(this.href);return false;

Re: Football's Magic Money Tree

Posted: Thu Jun 06, 2019 3:12 pm
by Chester Perry
Was it only yesterday that Gianni Infantino boasted that we had a new FIFA now that is respected for it's integrity and free of corruption, fraud and malpractice. - FIFA vice president Ahmad was detained and questioned by French authorities today.

https://apnews.com/c22087720f5943e098e7863dddcbc965" onclick="window.open(this.href);return false;

The Guardian has a story about the shocking levels of abuse in Afghanistan, only some of which FIFA has been looking into 0 the rest seemingly ignored

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

Sadly this indifferent attitude from Football authorities is/has been widespread as historic abuses in this country has been brought to light in recent criminal cases

Re: Football's Magic Money Tree

Posted: Thu Jun 06, 2019 3:58 pm
by Royboyclaret
Real Madrid agree an initial £88m deal for Eden Hazard.

For a club that's skint they still appear to be able to fund these lavish transfers.

Re: Football's Magic Money Tree

Posted: Thu Jun 06, 2019 4:10 pm
by Chester Perry
In post #1291I noted that the Qatari authorities have released their 4th Workers Welfare Report and posted a link to it, many took it at face value, others look deeper

The thread linked below details An investigation by German outlet @wdrsportinside shows what it means to be a guest worker in Qatar's construction sites, including in those related to the 2022 World Cup, and what's the human cost of it all.

https://twitter.com/ftamsut/status/1136298752556355585" onclick="window.open(this.href);return false;

An English language video of the report - it is 9 mins long

https://twitter.com/bpbest/status/1136561850139779072" onclick="window.open(this.href);return false;

Re: Football's Magic Money Tree

Posted: Thu Jun 06, 2019 6:05 pm
by Chester Perry
Following post #1330 - Man City going to CAS - today CAS have confirmed the request from MAn City

https://twitter.com/RobHarris/status/11 ... 2489981953" onclick="window.open(this.href);return false;

The Manchester Evening News looks at what it all actually means

https://www.manchestereveningnews.co.uk ... s-16388388" onclick="window.open(this.href);return false;

Re: Football's Magic Money Tree

Posted: Thu Jun 06, 2019 6:39 pm
by Chester Perry
Everton's major Shareholder Farhad Moshiri has increased his stake in the club and cementing his defacto control - from Offthepitch.com

Everton’s major shareholder increases stake again - by Peter Høyer

Farhad Moshiri, Everton’s majority shareholder, now owns 77.2 per cent of the club’s shares.
The move follows through on the intention Moshiri announced last September, after his previous ownership expansion.

Everton announced on Thursday that majority shareholder Farhad Moshiri has increased his holding in the club to 77.2 per cent.

This increase comes after Moshiri lifted his shareholding in September 2018 from 49.9 per cent to 68.6 per cent, and confirmed that he expected to increase it further to 77.2 per cent no later than July 2019.

The new increase has now been achieved with the purchase of an additional stake of just over 8.6 per cent from the Grantchester family.

Money of importance
Back in February 2016, Moshiri paid £87.5 million for his original 49.9 per cent stake, valuing the club at £175 million. The Toffees have not announced how much the increase in shareholding has cost Moshiri.

The stake increase is of great importance to Everton as the club in 2018 reported a stunning operating loss of £98 million. The club lost £13 million of their bottom line despite a turnover of £189 million, which is more than a doubling of the club’s 2013 revenue.

-----------------------------------------------------------------

How long before he tries to take them private

Re: Football's Magic Money Tree

Posted: Thu Jun 06, 2019 6:56 pm
by Chester Perry
I have posted about Chelsea's FIFA case a few times - and about the surprising change from FIFA to not suspend the transfer ban pending appeal = as it has done on 3 prior occasions. The current edition of the European Leagues Organisation's Legal Newsletter takes a deeper look at the fine points of that decision - warning can be a bit heavy/dry/academic and runs to 9 pages, but still curiously fascinating

https://europeanleagues.com/wp-content/ ... ter-EL.pdf" onclick="window.open(this.href);return false;

Anyone interested in looking through past newsletters - the breadth of information in them is very good - can find them here

https://us12.campaign-archive.com/home/ ... 0754a84ca1" onclick="window.open(this.href);return false;

Re: Football's Magic Money Tree

Posted: Thu Jun 06, 2019 7:12 pm
by Chester Perry
Apparently Jurgen Klopp is a Football Club Commercial Managers dream (and their Kit suppliers) this explains all that talk about a potentially massive new kit deal that has been doing the rounds the last couple of months

https://offthepitch.com/a/massive-comme ... en-manager" onclick="window.open(this.href);return false;

just be careful not to confuse those retail sales numbers with what the club gets - manufacturers, retailers and transporters (amongst others) have to take their cut out of it.

Re: Football's Magic Money Tree

Posted: Thu Jun 06, 2019 7:17 pm
by Chester Perry
Simon Chadwick provides a wide-ranging thread on why Qatar's QSI will not be giving up on PSG - the linked article on Soft Power is a particularly informative read

https://twitter.com/Prof_Chadwick/statu ... 7912088576" onclick="window.open(this.href);return false;

Re: Football's Magic Money Tree

Posted: Fri Jun 07, 2019 12:59 am
by Chester Perry
In post 1013 I linked to an article about league bodies looking at sponsorship for VAR - It appears the Premier League has decided it will not pursue that root this season at least

https://media.sportbusiness.com/news/va ... er-league/" onclick="window.open(this.href);return false;