Football's Magic Money Tree

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aggi
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Re: Football's Magic Money Tree

Post by aggi » Fri May 17, 2019 11:07 am

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

Likely to be someway offset, however, by a significant drop in the Wage bill. The £81m from last season included a £23m bonus for finishing 7th. Of course, from a financial perspective, retaining our PL status for another season was another giant step forward as the Club goes from strength to strength at least off the pitch.
I would suspect a lot of that bonus is down to staying in the premier league though so I'd expect a chunky one (although not as high) this season.

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Re: Football's Magic Money Tree

Post by Chester Perry » Fri May 17, 2019 11:20 am

aggi wrote:I would suspect a lot of that bonus is down to staying in the premier league though so I'd expect a chunky one (although not as high) this season.
I have a theory that squad and staff bonus is all the PL prize money earned if we stay which this year is £11.5m

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Re: Football's Magic Money Tree

Post by Chester Perry » Fri May 17, 2019 11:46 am

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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Re: Football's Magic Money Tree

Post by Chester Perry » Fri May 17, 2019 5:01 pm

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

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

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

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Re: Football's Magic Money Tree

Post by Chester Perry » Sat May 18, 2019 11:20 am

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

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

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

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Re: Football's Magic Money Tree

Post by Chester Perry » Sat May 18, 2019 12:00 pm

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

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

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

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Re: Football's Magic Money Tree

Post by Chester Perry » Sat May 18, 2019 12:27 pm

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

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

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

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

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

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

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Re: Football's Magic Money Tree

Post by Chester Perry » Sat May 18, 2019 2:41 pm

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

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

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Re: Football's Magic Money Tree

Post by Chester Perry » Sat May 18, 2019 4:43 pm

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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


The rabbit hole is growing (see post #683)

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

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Re: Football's Magic Money Tree

Post by Chester Perry » Sat May 18, 2019 5:28 pm

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

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

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

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

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Re: Football's Magic Money Tree

Post by Chester Perry » Sat May 18, 2019 7:17 pm

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

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

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

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

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Re: Football's Magic Money Tree

Post by Royboyclaret » Sat May 18, 2019 9:27 pm

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

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

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

https://twitter.com/RobHarris/status/11 ... 1040248837" onclick="window.open(this.href);return false;
Tend to agree that Manchester City's dominance of the game will ultimately result in it's ruination. Will it be the treble again next year and the year after. Is that what the game really wants?

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

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Re: Football's Magic Money Tree

Post by Chester Perry » Sat May 18, 2019 9:56 pm

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

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

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

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

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Re: Football's Magic Money Tree

Post by Royboyclaret » Sat May 18, 2019 10:09 pm

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

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

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

https://www.reuters.com/article/us-etih ... M027F?il=0" onclick="window.open(this.href);return false;
Ah, right. Never a club to miss out on a potential marketing opportunity.

Pretty poor really and hardly necessary.

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Re: Football's Magic Money Tree

Post by Chester Perry » Sun May 19, 2019 10:55 am

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

EDIT: I will add this article from at @MiguelDelaney

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

No apologies for including 3 articles from one paper - it is all great writing and all asks pertinent questions in a week where journalists are being absolutely pilloried for doing so
Last edited by Chester Perry on Sun May 19, 2019 11:55 am, edited 1 time in total.

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Re: Football's Magic Money Tree

Post by Chester Perry » Sun May 19, 2019 11:19 am

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

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

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Re: Football's Magic Money Tree

Post by Chester Perry » Sun May 19, 2019 11:43 am

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

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

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

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

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Re: Football's Magic Money Tree

Post by Chester Perry » Sun May 19, 2019 1:12 pm

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

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

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

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Re: Football's Magic Money Tree

Post by Chester Perry » Sun May 19, 2019 1:37 pm

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

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

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Re: Football's Magic Money Tree

Post by Chester Perry » Sun May 19, 2019 1:49 pm

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

https://twitter.com/AndyhHolt/status/11 ... 4434219009" onclick="window.open(this.href);return false;
Rovers fans going nuts at @AndyhHolt after this thread had the "temerity" to suggest Jack Walkers actions were not "fit and proper" (he also mentiond Eddie Davis and Ellis Short) it is a mini version of the city fans - the world is going down the pan becasuse people defend the things they love out of blind loyalty and refuse to acknowledge another point of view

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Re: Football's Magic Money Tree

Post by Chester Perry » Sun May 19, 2019 2:28 pm

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

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

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Re: Football's Magic Money Tree

Post by Chester Perry » Sun May 19, 2019 2:36 pm

After signing a massive TV rights deal

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

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

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

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

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Re: Football's Magic Money Tree

Post by Chester Perry » Sun May 19, 2019 2:42 pm

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

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

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Re: Football's Magic Money Tree

Post by Chester Perry » Mon May 20, 2019 10:17 am

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

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

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

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Re: Football's Magic Money Tree

Post by Chester Perry » Mon May 20, 2019 10:31 am

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

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

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

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

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Re: Football's Magic Money Tree

Post by Chester Perry » Mon May 20, 2019 10:39 am

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

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

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Re: Football's Magic Money Tree

Post by Chester Perry » Mon May 20, 2019 11:13 am

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

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

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

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

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Re: Football's Magic Money Tree

Post by Chester Perry » Mon May 20, 2019 11:45 am

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

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

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Re: Football's Magic Money Tree

Post by Chester Perry » Mon May 20, 2019 11:51 am

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

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

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Re: Football's Magic Money Tree

Post by Chester Perry » Mon May 20, 2019 11:54 am

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

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

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

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Re: Football's Magic Money Tree

Post by Chester Perry » Mon May 20, 2019 12:17 pm

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

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

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

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Re: Football's Magic Money Tree

Post by Chester Perry » Mon May 20, 2019 12:22 pm

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

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

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Re: Football's Magic Money Tree

Post by Chester Perry » Mon May 20, 2019 12:30 pm

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

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

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Re: Football's Magic Money Tree

Post by Chester Perry » Mon May 20, 2019 12:36 pm

It has been an interesting few days for RSC Anderlecht

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

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

2nd they announce Vincent Kompany as their new coach

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

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

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

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

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Re: Football's Magic Money Tree

Post by edlass » Mon May 20, 2019 1:02 pm

#1129



For Europe’s Soccer Chief, the Outrage Arrives in Waves

A Champions League restructuring and a looming fight with Manchester City have UEFA’s Aleksander Ceferin sitting atop a soccer economy that feels as if it’s pulling itself apart.

“Sometimes,” the UEFA president Aleksander Ceferin said, “we forget how dirty this industry is.”CreditCreditAndreas Solaro/Agence France-Presse — Getty Images

BUDAPEST — Facing a floor-to-ceiling window that offered sweeping views of the Danube, the river that flows through 10 European countries, Aleksander Ceferin paused for a moment to consider his words.

Ceferin, a Slovenian lawyer elected in February to a second term as the leader of UEFA, European soccer’s governing body, has become accustomed to carefully tempering his comments, to steering clear of trouble in whatever he chooses to say publicly, but this month he knows his every word will be parsed even more than usual.

In the past week alone, UEFA has found itself fighting fires on three fronts. First, there was criticism of a behind-the-scenes effort to reshape the Champions League, club soccer’s most important competition and UEFA’s financial engine, by effectively excluding most of Europe from the tournament. Then came anger from England over the choice of Azerbaijan’s capital, Baku, as the host of next week’s Europa League final. But the loudest fury arrived on Monday, when the newly crowned English champion Manchester City learned, through a report by The New York Times, that it could be facing a Champions League ban related to an investigation into its finances.

Each problem sat squarely on the desk of Ceferin last week in his temporary office, a converted suite in a luxury hotel in Budapest. And each will test his ability to balance the competing interests of rich clubs and small leagues, to defend his integrity amid serious accusations from powerful interests, and to navigate a difficult moment for European soccer in which some are questioning UEFA’s ability — and even its willingness — to enforce its rules.

“Sometimes,” Ceferin said, “we forget how dirty this industry is.”

Ceferin, 51, is still relatively new to this world. The former president of Slovenia’s soccer federation, he emerged from obscurity to become one of the most powerful men in sports after a scandal removed his predecessor, Michel Platini, from office in 2015. Now three years into the job, Ceferin is facing perhaps the most crucial period of his tenure, and he knows the decisions he and UEFA soon will take could define the future of the European game for a generation or more.

Manchester City’s chairman Khaldoon al-Mubarak, right, with the club’s chief executive, Ferran Soriano. City has vowed to fight any effort by UEFA to bar it from the Champions League.CreditJohn Sibley/Reuters

The Champions League is perhaps the most significant issue, since the plan put forward earlier this month — proposed and favored by a group of the biggest clubs from the richest leagues — could upend an already-frayed ecosystem in which resource-poor clubs risk being pushed further to the margins, and all but excluded from the continent’s elite tournaments.

The plans leaked after a meeting Ceferin and his executive committee held with a group representing Europe’s domestic leagues. The leagues denounced the plan, with the most vocal of their leaders, Javier Tebas of the Spain’s La Liga, darkly suggesting that UEFA had no interest in listening to stakeholders beyond a small cartel of top clubs.

Tebas’s reaction, according to Ceferin, was designed to stoke public anger. If so, it worked. Fans and commentators almost immediately took to social media to reject the proposal. Ceferin likened some of the loudest voices to a new breed of politicians who stoke anger to fuel their movements.

“Look,” he said, “one way of operating is shouting, ‘The rich will take everything!’ And this is typical of the populist shouting in European politics.”

“He’s loud,” Ceferin added of Tebas. “I think it’s part of his tactics to operate like that. But I don’t think it’s very productive.”

Neither Tebas nor anyone else, he noted, had proposed an alternative. And anyway, Ceferin insisted, nothing has been decided yet — except for the fact that matches in European competitions will not be played on the weekends, a guarantee that was announced Friday. The bigger clubs had sought those windows to maximize the attractiveness and value of Champions League games to broadcasters, even if it threatened to severely damage the marketability, and perhaps even the viability, of domestic leagues.

Ceferin was elected on a platform that championed support for Europe’s small- and medium-sized soccer nations, regions that have seen the power of their clubs eroded by the ubiquitous popularity of a handful of top teams and leagues whose televised matches are often more popular than the in-person domestic alternative. That influence is the real imbalance, Ceferin said.

While UEFA, which pays $240 million each year to Europe’s national leagues in so-called solidarity payments, the continent’s behemoths — the Premier League, Bundesliga and La Liga — pay nothing to their continental counterparts. Ceferin suggested that must change.

“Solidarity means not only solidarity from the UEFA’s side, but also the Big Five leagues who sell rights to the small countries and affect directly the revenues of the local leagues,” he said.

With so much at stake, and opponents circling, Ceferin’s personal conduct — particularly his close friendship with the Juventus president Andrea Agnelli, who helped draw up the Champions League restructuring plan — has come under scrutiny.

The Juventus president Andrea Agnelli, who is pushing a plan to remake the Champions League, asked Ceferin, a close friend, to be the godfather to his daughter.CreditFabio Frustaci/EPA, via Shutterstock

He says that he has heard the stories about how Agnelli arranged for Ceferin to take a spin in a Ferrari (Ceferin said that he has never sat in one); about the private jet trips on the Italian’s plane (they have never even flown commercial together, Ceferin said); and even the whispers about the motivation behind Agnelli’s decision to choose Ceferin to be the godfather to his six-month old daughter (Ceferin called it an “honor,” one that transcended soccer).

Still, the close relationship between the men and their families and his decision to accept Agnelli’s offer to serve as godfather at such a delicate time professionally has raised eyebrows in soccer circles, given the high stakes of the Champions League negotiations, with several officials privately raising the issue in recent weeks.

“Those rumors in football that are shared all the time are so illogical, and so stupid,” he added. “One day it is Agnelli is important, and he can influence everything because of my personal friendship with him. Next day P.S.G. is, because they are buying are rights. Then the third day we help only Real Madrid, and that’s why they were four times in the final.”

Meting out potential punishment to Manchester City is a different, and potentially more serious, problem for Ceferin and UEFA. City, a global billboard of sorts for the ruling family of Abu Dhabi, has vowed to defend itself to the bitter end in the face of a potential Champions League ban. If it succeeds in avoiding punishment, as Qatari-owned P.S.G. has done while facing similar accusations of violating financial controls, that could alter the balance of power in European soccer in an era of nation-state club owners.

Ceferin said he would not comment on the case while it is continuing, and besides, he added, it’s in the hands of an independent panel whose work he has no control over. But he rejected the suggestion that UEFA would shy away from sanctioning any club, whether it was an exceedingly wealthy one like Manchester City or a rich and well-connected one like P.S.G., whose chairman, Nasser el-Khelaifi, sits on UEFA’s executive committee at the same time he controls the organization’s broadcast partner beIN Sports.

“If you do it right, you don’t sell yourself, if you are not involved in any strange business, if you are not corrupted, then you go straight forward and be fair to anyone,” Ceferin said.
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Re: Football's Magic Money Tree

Post by Chester Perry » Mon May 20, 2019 1:04 pm

That message that tv audiences want unpredictability (see post #1132) is not universally accepted, I have previously posted how audiences in the East tend to follow players rather than clubs. This article shows research that audiences in fact just want to see the big stars perform at their best, you can here the joy cry out from the ECA

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

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Re: Football's Magic Money Tree

Post by Chester Perry » Mon May 20, 2019 1:10 pm

Thanks edlass - somehow I had missed the news about about definite block on weekends for European Club competitions, It is very welcome though

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Re: Football's Magic Money Tree

Post by Chester Perry » Mon May 20, 2019 1:29 pm

Liverpool have announced a new training kit sponsor, paying a reputed £20m a season for the privilege, while we now have a valuation for Southampton's new shirt sponsor as being £7.5m (a record for them).

https://offthepitch.com/a/kit-deal-move ... lubs-world" onclick="window.open(this.href);return false;

Look at those 2 figures for a minute, one is for training kit only and one is for the main shirt on view every week in the PL. That Liverpool deal is more than half the PL clubs (including ourselves) make from all their commercial activities in a season, and as of next season 8 PL clubs will earn less from TV monies as a result of clubs like Liverpool forcing through changes in the distribution on TV monies - not to mention all the EFL clubs who get solidarity payments which are dropping for the same reason next season. That £20m is more than what Leagues 1 and 2 get combined in Solidarity payments

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Re: Football's Magic Money Tree

Post by Chester Perry » Mon May 20, 2019 1:47 pm

If anyone is worried that Man City have been getting a lot of stick recently, try this

News broke today about the wages being earned in Qatar by migrants building the stadium's for the World cup
https://www.mirror.co.uk/news/world-new ... t-16170439" onclick="window.open(this.href);return false;

the first of which opened to much fanfare and appreciation last week
https://twitter.com/Prof_Chadwick/statu ... 7392456704" onclick="window.open(this.href);return false;

Of course Qatar is more widely known for it's state ownership of PSG, Bein sports and it's rapid rise to prominence in the Asian Football Confederation, UEFA (Chair of both PSG and Bein Sports sits on the Executive committee) and FIFA.

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Re: Football's Magic Money Tree

Post by Chester Perry » Mon May 20, 2019 1:57 pm

Is Kylian Mbappe after a pay rise? or just fluttering his eyes at Madrid in one of their carefully orchestrated moves

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

He is 20 has won a world cup already together with a few domestic trophies (will in all probability be a billionaire before he is 30) and now suggests he is at turning point in his career.

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Re: Football's Magic Money Tree

Post by Chester Perry » Mon May 20, 2019 2:07 pm

We know much about the difficulties of being a small fish in the big pond in the PL and Championship and thanks to the likes of @AndyhHolt in Leagues 1 and 2 also, but what about further down the pyramid?

This tweet from the Chairman of Witton Albion shows the battle is just as fierce to stand still at that level too.

https://twitter.com/WittonAlbion/status ... 6397604864" onclick="window.open(this.href);return false;

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Re: Football's Magic Money Tree

Post by Chester Perry » Mon May 20, 2019 2:10 pm

looking back on todays posts I have to say how much I love having a thread that is so diverse and yet so thematically bound - thanks to all who read and contribute it keeps me going
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Re: Football's Magic Money Tree

Post by Chester Perry » Mon May 20, 2019 3:06 pm

as though we didn't know - see post #1140 - PSG in talks to extend Mbappe's contract

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

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Re: Football's Magic Money Tree

Post by Chester Perry » Mon May 20, 2019 5:55 pm

John Nicholson aims his ire at football pricing based on Market forces (not unlike a number of others as we have seen) in is usual rambunctious manner

https://www.football365.com/news/f-mark ... every-turn" onclick="window.open(this.href);return false;

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Re: Football's Magic Money Tree

Post by Royboyclaret » Mon May 20, 2019 6:42 pm

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

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

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

https://twitter.com/AndyhHolt/status/11 ... 6348037121" onclick="window.open(this.href);return false;
Interesting that Andy Holt sees a ground sale as even a consideration. Surely it won't happen.

Of course we had a seven year period, 2006 to 2013, when our Club did not own Turf Moor. One day the full story will emerge as to how close we came to failing to return the Turf to it's rightful ownership and the additional cost required to make sure it happened.

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Re: Football's Magic Money Tree

Post by Chester Perry » Mon May 20, 2019 6:58 pm

Royboyclaret wrote:Interesting that Andy Holt sees a ground sale as even a consideration. Surely it won't happen.

Of course we had a seven year period, 2006 to 2013, when our Club did not own Turf Moor. One day the full story will emerge as to how close we came to failing to return the Turf to it's rightful ownership and the additional cost required to make sure it happened.
He was using it as a test of a hypothesis that fans (of his club at least) want stability and security of existence over the risk/reward scenario - don't think one fan voted for the risk/reward, though not surprising given the history of the club, he acknowledges that at bigger clubs the mentality is different

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Re: Football's Magic Money Tree

Post by Royboyclaret » Mon May 20, 2019 7:24 pm

Chester Perry wrote:He was using it as a test of a hypothesis that fans (of his club at least) want stability and security of existence over the risk/reward scenario - don't think one fan voted for the risk/reward, though not surprising given the history of the club, he acknowledges that at bigger clubs the mentality is different
Mel Morris at Derby clearly considered the risk was well worth the potential reward (was it a £40m valuation of the Ricoh?).

The important thing to ensure is that, when the ground is ready to be returned to it's rightful ownership, the relevant clauses are inserted into the contract.

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Re: Football's Magic Money Tree

Post by Chester Perry » Mon May 20, 2019 8:18 pm

£80m for Pride Park Roy - Though he has grand plans to develop the site to give more revenue

https://www.derbytelegraph.co.uk/news/b ... ans-819597" onclick="window.open(this.href);return false;

I assume that these restaurants would be open through the week given that is is a business industrial area that is about to grow substantially (don't believe Morris owns that bit though)

https://www.derbytelegraph.co.uk/news/b ... on-2752696" onclick="window.open(this.href);return false;

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Re: Football's Magic Money Tree

Post by Royboyclaret » Mon May 20, 2019 8:30 pm

Of course, for some reason I had Coventry City on my mind.

Have we debated Derby on this thread previously, Chester?

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Re: Football's Magic Money Tree

Post by Chester Perry » Mon May 20, 2019 9:34 pm

Not that I can recall Roy, bit surprising considering how they have dodged FFP this last couple of years - of course given their popularity on the board there may have been a specific thread

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