Football's Magic Money Tree

[Chester Perry]

so this is an interesting one in terms of optics - a club that has committed in the region of £1 billion in transfer fees over the last 14 months (and is still looking to spend) is removing a travel subsidy reputedly worth £250k per season for its fans that travel on official coaches - Chelsea probably still have players who earn £250k in little more than a week

Chelsea accused of ‘penny-pinching’ for removing fans’ subsidised coach travel
Supporters’ trust furious as £10 subsidy for away games removed
Decision comes despite breaking British transfer record twice
https://www.theguardian.com/football/20 ... ach-travel
https://archive.is/lJNj4

[bfc8]

Followed this for a while now, excellent commentaries on football finances.

[Chester Perry]

Miguel Delaney looks at the row between UEFA, ECA and UEC, with UEFA insistence that clubs outside the ECA are represented by the European Leagues (of which the ECA clubs are also members)

There is an interesting little detail in this - Burnley FC is still an associate member of the ECA (no voting rights) thanks to our European sojourn in 2018 (one that still leaves the club ranked No 77 in Europe according to UEFA

The secret ‘war’ behind European football
Uefa are having football ‘kidnapped and hijacked’ from them in an ‘unnecessary war’ between competing representative club bodies, it is claimed
https://archive.is/ExT40

that UEFA ranking for Burnley FC

https://www.uefa.com/nationalassociatio ... /#/yr/2023


Burnley FC UEFA club ranking.JPG

I suspect there is going to be quite a bit of press about the Union on European Clubs (UEC), the group set-up to meet the clubs that the ECA does not cater for, in the next few days - and I would not be in the least bit surprised if Burnley becomes members of the UEC sometime soon

Today the UEC rang the bell on round two of their campaign against the monopoly that UEFA grant the ECA

Battle for future of European football intensifies with Belgian club barred from ECA
Union Saint-Gilloise blocked after joining body of smaller clubs
ECA hopes to show it is not just about the elite sides
https://www.theguardian.com/football/20 ... d-from-eca

[Chester Perry]

Howard Wilkinson and the FA must wonder what went wrong with their Elite Player Performance Plan - yes England is now producing highly technical and athletic players, but so few of them are getting games at the clubs that have spent small fortunes developing them )often including private education at the biggest clubs (who each may be paying school fees for 100 or more Academy starlets at a time).

The Academy system has become structured in a way that it is far too easy for the biggest clubs to hover up all the talent at low cost and spit out much of it at the other end without there ever being a chance to play for the club that developed you, more than ever these young professionals are being treated as commodities in the buy low sell high (discard waste) world of modern football. It is little wonder (however disappointing) that the smaller clubs in the Premier League are not all sold on the idea of a Cat One Academy

Developing young players to trade in the future is nothing new - Bob Lord practically invented the concept on these shores, but he would only sell when the value was maximised after a couple of seasons as a regular starter. Sir Alex Ferguson developed a knowing model of playing academy graduates a handful of times before selling then profitably to EFL clubs. What we are seeing now it something different altogether and it is not just about whether the players could develop into first team regulars as John Brewin highlights in todays Guardian

Forget building with youth: club academies now exist to boost revenue
With Premier League sides horse-trading their best young talent, there is no chance of another Class of 92 today
https://www.theguardian.com/football/bl ... nue-stream

[Paul Waine]

so this is an interesting one in terms of optics - a club that has committed in the region of £1 billion in transfer fees over the last 14 months (and is still looking to spend) is removing a travel subsidy reputedly worth £250k per season for its fans that travel on official coaches - Chelsea probably still have players who earn £250k in little more than a week

Chelsea accused of ‘penny-pinching’ for removing fans’ subsidised coach travel
Supporters’ trust furious as £10 subsidy for away games removed
Decision comes despite breaking British transfer record twice
https://www.theguardian.com/football/20 ... ach-travel
https://archive.is/lJNj4

Friend of mine is a member of Chelsea Supporters' Trust. He told me he was involved in drafting the CST comments. He complains of "penny pinching" following "venture capital" acquisition of the club. On another occasion he's told me that Abromavich was the best owner Chelsea have ever had.

[Chester Perry]

Given what we know of the UK governments role in the PIF's purchase of Newcastle United, and the ongoing arguments whether both Newcastle and Manchester City are state sponsored projects. It seems unlikely that this objective is going to meet with support when it really comes down to it

from the Guardian

Premier League clubs ask government to block nation-state ownership
Teams ask UK government for move to be in regulator’s brief
Equality, diversity and inclusion not a central part of code
https://www.theguardian.com/football/20 ... -ownership

[Chester Perry]

Probably not the end of the Football Leaks story but for Rui Pinto this appears to be positive news

Rui Pinto: Football Leaks founder handed four-year suspended sentence by Portugal court
https://www.bbc.co.uk/sport/football/66786085

[Chester Perry]

Another excellent Blog Piece from Martin Cloake's 'The Football Fan' looking at the latest progress on the Governments white paper following the Fan Led Review into Football - it is well worth taking the time to read and we see that many of the issues I have with the owners of Burnley Football Club are subject to discussion here

The regulation will not be compromised
Reform of English football governance is proceeding slowly, too slowly perhaps, but it is important to recognise the gains that are being made.
https://open.substack.com/pub/martinclo ... dium=email

[Chester Perry]

What happens when a confederation doesn't appear to follow it's own rules about single owners with multiple clubs in continental club competition - we may be about to find out, though in Asia it is not always likely to end in the way we would expect in the West

Asian Football Confederation may be sued for allowing multi-club ownership
Asian Champions League features three PIF-owned Saudi clubs
Two City Football Group clubs cleared to play in competition
https://www.theguardian.com/football/20 ... ball-group
https://archive.ph/8Xp8A

[Chester Perry]

Meanwhile in England following a few cases of clubs effectively being sold before new owners are cleared the EFL the Guardian looks at the new more stringent process

How to buy a football club: new EFL guidance offers ‘clearance, not approval’
Several EFL clubs have changed hands this year but regulations have toughened up to stop them falling into the wrong hands
https://www.theguardian.com/football/20 ... s-analysis
https://archive.ph/OU4Iu

[Chester Perry]

Earlier this week The Athletic produced this investigative piece into a new owner that appears to avoided much of the process described above - This article is essentially what the legal people approved for publication, the word is that there is much more, that is much worse that they were not allowed to publish

Investigation: The football club owner with four names believed to have been convicted of fraud
https://archive.ph/1kHPU

[Chester Perry]

This is the Everton takeover deal I was referring to - it has been known about for some time now

Everton are set to be sold for around £600m to American investment fund 777 Partners as early as NEXT WEEK, with Farhad Moshiri's unpopular reign nearing an end as the club fight to save their new stadium build and Premier League status
- The £600million deal is expected to be concluded by the start of next week
- It's understood American investment fund 777 Partners are the preferred bidder
- A deal would bring to an end Farhad Moshiri's painful reign behind the controls
https://www.dailymail.co.uk/sport/footb ... tners.html
https://archive.is/SqysK

It will be interesting to learn just how much this deal - that has still to get past a couple of tough hurdles - is valued at

here we have reports on it by

The Guardian
Everton’s Farhad Moshiri agrees sale of club to American firm 777 Partners
American firm will acquire Moshiri’s 94.1% stake in club
Takeover remains subject to Premier League approval

https://www.theguardian.com/football/20 ... 7-partners

The Telegraph

A contaminated cloud hangs over Everton – fans are left wondering why 777 has bought them
777 Partners owe Everton fans a detailed explanation as to what makes a cash-strapped, relegation-threatened club such a coveted purchase
https://archive.ph/OVCq6#selection-2367.4-2371.141

[Chester Perry]

Meanwhile those aforementioned hurfles are looked at here by The Esk

Significant barriers to conclusion of Moshiri & 777 partners “agreement”
https://theesk.org/2023/09/15/significa ... agreement/

[Chester Perry]

There is always a danger in giving these kind of interviews - but there is not dount that Tony Bloom is Football's owner of the moment, unlike 777 Partners about whom there is little posititive to be said. This interview with Martin Samuel is from The Times

Brighton owner Tony Bloom: Poker still influences a lot of what I do
The man they call The Lizard reveals how his club sell their best players at peak prices but still keep on improving
https://archive.ph/fXzNu

[Chester Perry]

Another excellent Blog Piece from Martin Cloake's 'The Football Fan' looking at the latest progress on the Governments white paper following the Fan Led Review into Football - it is well worth taking the time to read and we see that many of the issues I have with the owners of Burnley Football Club are subject to discussion here

The regulation will not be compromised
Reform of English football governance is proceeding slowly, too slowly perhaps, but it is important to recognise the gains that are being made.
https://open.substack.com/pub/martinclo ... dium=email

Given the recent re-iteration by DCMS that an Independent Football Regulator is incoming - this news is not too surprising - it is substantially less than what the EFL were demanding but more than double what they currently receive - Martin Zeigler for The Times

Premier League set to agree £130m funding boost for EFL
Money would be tied to top flight’s media-rights income and could result in clubs at the top of the Championship receiving an extra £4m a year
https://archive.ph/UZKSm

[Chester Perry]

The Vultures are at the door

we have only heard part of the general fiasco that 777 partners have appeared to create in their rampant march into football - this detailed investigative expose from Josimar highlights absolutely nothing that is good or positive about this or any other of their activities - yet they would still probably pass an owners and directors test, nost least because for a short while at least they make visible actual money

The 777 football mystery
Multiple club-owner 777 – a US private investors group – has a patchy record in honouring its financial commitments and is the subject of several court actions in the USA. So who are they, and where does the money come from?
https://josimarfootball.com/2023/07/03/ ... l-mystery/
https://archive.is/QGO9Q

As 777 Partners close in on Everton - earlier this month Josimar publish their latest article of them

Standard delivery
https://josimarfootball.com/2023/09/02/ ... -delivery/
https://archive.ph/H7Dy6

[Chester Perry]

The investigative nature of Josimar never ceases as these two recent articles about organisations that are linked as partners/sponsors of Manchester City show - when will football learn to undertake proper due diligence on these matters?

first up

City of dreams
Qnet, an official partner of Manchester City since 2014, has been implicated in human trafficking investigations, and faces ongoing allegations that it is a Ponzi scheme which contributes to suicide and financial ruin.
https://josimarfootball.com/2023/08/31/city-of-dreams/
https://archive.ph/NRnmm

second

“Everyone who hears the name is afraid”
While Manchester City was celebrating its latest Premier League triumph, a young man was running for his life from a Cambodian “cyber slavery” compound connected to the club’s mysterious betting partner 8XBet.
https://josimarfootball.com/2023/09/15/ ... is-afraid/
https://archive.ph/xAxp4

[Chester Perry]

The more you read about this Everton deal the more you think Moshri has just sought to recoup as much as he can from his gross overspending - even if he has to wait some time to see that money return to him. The problem is that he is expecting 777 partners to manage the club successfully enough for that to happen. and there is little evidence that they will do that

here is Matt Slater in The Athletic

Everton, 777 Partners and a ‘takeover’ that poses more questions than it provides answers
https://archive.ph/NgxRB

and here is Andy Hunter in The Guardian

Farhad Moshiri plots exit after ruinous reign but Everton’s future still unsure
777 Partners in line to replace current owner but Americans have a reputation of not improving their other clubs
https://www.theguardian.com/football/20 ... ill-unsure
https://archive.ph/Rb1v2

While this piece in the Telegraph is the first to suggest the hoped for sum that Moshri is looking to recoup -

Everton sale to American firm 777 Partners features remarkable performance-related clause
There remains deep uncertainty about the takeover and Telegraph Sport understands price of deal could depend on Everton's on-pitch results
https://archive.ph/F5kcZ#selection-2345.4-2349.142

[Chester Perry]

Six years ago today this thread started by looking at the latest financial results of Manchester United, they have not improved significantly since (Covid has contributed to that but is not the whole explanation), though that may be about to change.

Of course much of the last year has been dominated by stories and indeed a process that MAnchester United was for sale - some may challenge that notion given the recently expressed notion that the Glazers have added £4 billiion to the asking price.

I their latest blog the chaps from vysyble look at that situation and others, particularly the fact that American ownership is potentially moving into a majority situation in the Premier League and that as a consequence real change, first mooted and examined in Project Big Picture and then attempted with Super League. The expectation (vysyble would say 'necessity') is for another such projected to be put in place by these American owners to get the returns they (and their advisors - most notably the Raine Group) seem to be demanding.

Way to go
https://vysyble.com/blog-029
https://archive.ph/Bgp0z

[Chester Perry]

Anyone who has watched the Everton situation since the arrival of Moshri will not be surprised by this revelation - to many observers including a number of fans at Goodison the influence of Usmanov on proceedings was always apparent -

Questions mount over Alisher Usmanov’s links with Everton FC
Sources claim five football managers held talks over top job in presence of now-sanctioned oligarch
https://www.theguardian.com/football/20 ... everton-fc

Is Moshri a proxy? - the investigation really needs to start in the Isle of Man and where the money for most of Moshri's spending at Everton comes from - Blue Heaven Holdings

of course we have been here before
Paradise Papers: Who is in control of Everton?
https://www.bbc.co.uk/news/uk-41878954

The Guardian keep on digging into Alisher Usmanov's relationship with Farhad Moshri and Everton

Everton owner received £400m from Alisher Usmanov companies, documents suggest
Exclusive: Questions mount over ties between Farhad Moshiri and tycoon, before he was put under sanctions
https://www.theguardian.com/business/20 ... ad-moshiri
https://archive.ph/5mljB

[Chester Perry]

The vultures are at the door

we have heard of Private Equity buying rights for leagues but national teams too!! just how desperate were the Australian FA

Football Australia considered selling off Matildas and Socceroos to private equity firm for 99 years
Exclusive: Document shows rights to national teams, A-Leagues and data of all football participants, including children, was part of possible deal
https://www.theguardian.com/sport/2023/ ... privatised
https://archive.ph/xdvhN

[Chester Perry]

Meanwhile those aforementioned hurfles are looked at here by The Esk

Significant barriers to conclusion of Moshiri & 777 partners “agreement”
https://theesk.org/2023/09/15/significa ... agreement/

Considering most of the contributions on the subject we have seen recently from The Esk, this Guardian report about the financial perils are not a surprise, particularly interesting is the notion that The Premier League may be more embarrassed by a club the size of Everton going to the wall than approving 777 partners to take over - despite the stories of a stringent tightening of the Owners and Directors assessment

Everton’s financial future could be in doubt unless takeover approved
Controversial investment firm 777 Partners waiting for approval
Club’s debt and cashflow problems have increased significantly
https://www.theguardian.com/football/20 ... 7-partners
https://archive.ph/xPwSW

[Chester Perry]

Given the recent re-iteration by DCMS that an Independent Football Regulator is incoming - this news is not too surprising - it is substantially less than what the EFL were demanding but more than double what they currently receive - Martin Zeigler for The Times

Premier League set to agree £130m funding boost for EFL
Money would be tied to top flight’s media-rights income and could result in clubs at the top of the Championship receiving an extra £4m a year
https://archive.ph/UZKSm

By my maths the deal spoken of here in The Guardian - re Premier League solidarity payments to the EFL is less than originally speculated, though there is no surprise about all the trappings being attached to it - in my understanding it would be a doubling of current payments

Premier League offers EFL extra £358m over three years – with strings attached
Extra EFL Trophy games wanted and parachute payments stay
Cost controls an issue as EFL holds talks with its clubs
https://www.theguardian.com/football/20 ... s-attached

[Chester Perry]

As always The Unofficial Partner Podcast with another fascinating discussion - so much of this directly relates to our club and current owners strategy

UP342 The Squeezed Middle of The Premier League
https://www.unofficialpartner.com/podca ... ier-league

the blurb

Every market has a top, middle and bottom.

The Premier League is among a small global elite of sports rights holders which is doing just fine, thank you. Billions of dollars in media revenue chases must-see content.

But even within the league, different business models apply.

The elite 'top four, or six' are chasing European football, and with it an additional pot of TV money flowing from UEFA competitions.

Then there's the rest. The clubs that exist outside that bubble, for whom life is harder, struggling to perform on the pitch on reduced budgets, while fighting off the cataclysmic economic shock that is relegation to the Championship.

This is the Premier League's version of the squeezed middle, between the top six and the EFL.

This podcast looks at the commercial options open to those clubs, with our guest Charlie Boss, Chief Commercial Officer of Southampton Football Club, which was relegated from the Premier League last season.

Charlie joins Squeezed Middle regular Ben Wells, CEO of PTI Digital, the strategy and technology consultancy, who previously held senior commercial roles at Chelsea FC, Reading FC and Bath Rugby.

[Chester Perry]

So this is an interesting take on recent diplomatic discussions between the Governments of Abu Dhabi and the UK (remembering - ahem - that officially Manchester City is privately owned by the brother of Abu Dhabi's rule not an official vehicle of state).

My first take is that the Independent regulator of Football was to be independent of both Government and Football though technically a government appointee in the same way as other regulators, a firewall of a sort would be in play, so that it the regulator would not be a political tool for the government of the day. Part of that is the legislation by which it is formed and contained.

From the Telegraph

Manchester City legal dispute shows why Government’s role as football regulator will be so difficult
Independent regulator would be managed by a government that is reliant on investment from states it may be asked to investigate
https://archive.ph/YrA60

[Chester Perry]

Considering most of the contributions on the subject we have seen recently from The Esk, this Guardian report about the financial perils are not a surprise, particularly interesting is the notion that The Premier League may be more embarrassed by a club the size of Everton going to the wall than approving 777 partners to take over - despite the stories of a stringent tightening of the Owners and Directors assessment

Everton’s financial future could be in doubt unless takeover approved
Controversial investment firm 777 Partners waiting for approval
Club’s debt and cashflow problems have increased significantly
https://www.theguardian.com/football/20 ... 7-partners
https://archive.ph/xPwSW

This makes for a spicy twist to the takeover if true - the case is scheduled to be heard this month

EXCLUSIVE: Leeds, Leicester and Burnley write to Everton's future owners 777 Partners to tell them they will sue the club for £300m if they are found guilty of breaking Premier League spending rules to escape relegation
Burnley, Leeds and Leicester have written a joint letter to 777 Partners
They intend to sue if Everton are found guilty of breaching spending rules

https://12ft.io/proxy?q=https%3A%2F%2Fw ... rules.html

[Vegas Claret]

This makes for a spicy twist to the takeover if true - the case is scheduled to be heard this month

EXCLUSIVE: Leeds, Leicester and Burnley write to Everton's future owners 777 Partners to tell them they will sue the club for £300m if they are found guilty of breaking Premier League spending rules to escape relegation
Burnley, Leeds and Leicester have written a joint letter to 777 Partners
They intend to sue if Everton are found guilty of breaching spending rules

https://12ft.io/proxy?q=https%3A%2F%2Fw ... rules.html

surely we can't sue Everton ? It has to be the actual PL doesn't it considering they accepted their accounts ?

[GodIsADeeJay81]

surely we can't sue Everton ? It has to be the actual PL doesn't it considering they accepted their accounts ?

If it can be proven that Everton actively sought to break the rules then yes we can sue Everton

[Vegas Claret]

If it can be proven that Everton actively sought to break the rules then yes we can sue Everton

can we not sue both and get 200 ?

[Chester Perry]

Another excellent and insightful podcast from Unofficial Partner - this time with Richard Scudamore and Omar Chaudri - There are some very interesting points made by Scudamore particularly around Jeopardy and gow that contrasts with US Sport

UP344 The Premier League Product with Richard Scudamore
https://www.unofficialpartner.com/podca ... -scudamore

the blurb

Unofficial Partner|10/3/2023

Our guest is Richard Scudamore, who was CEO and then Executive Chairman of The Premier League from 1999 to his retirement in 2018, a transformational period in the history of English football and the sports business more broadly.
Scudamore's reign in charge saw the media rights for the league rise from £1.2billion for the 2001-04 cycle to over £5billion for 2014-16.

He was formerly chief executive of the Football League, now EFL, and is a founding board member of the Football Foundation.

A qualified level 5 referee, Scudamore is a lifelong Bristol City fan and was appointed Commander of the British Empire (CBE) in the 2019 New Year Honours.

Joining the conversation is Omar Chaudhuri, Chief Intelligence Officer of Twenty First Group.

This is an episode of The Product, a series created in collaboration with Twenty First Group the tech-led sports intelligence company which works across multiple sports, using data to help organisations drive sporting success and unlock commercial value.

[Chester Perry]

There are those on this board who take issue with my posts about the cost of going to the match at our club - there have been price rises for each of the last 3 seasons, and they show no sign of abating going forward. Now with a huge demand, season ticket sales have been capped, memberships introduced for priority ticketing and dynamic pricing introduced for hospitality seating - If demand continues to surge, I expect the season ticket cap to be reduced, membership being compulsory for the purchase of a match ticket and potentially dynamic pricing in certain areas of the ground for those match tickets.

Many have argued are prices are relatively cheap in comparison with our fellow Premier League (even Championship clubs), which is true but no real defence given the local economy. The desire is to attract more high spending occasional match goers - 'legacy' fans are great for providing the atmosphere and ensuring the clubs survival in challenging periods but they do not bring in the income that is desired.

The problem is that those same 'legacy fans' are part of the actual product on sale to the tourist match goer and the global TV audience - the problem is they are not treated as such and certainly not respected as such by clubs and the games authorities and media partners - Here Martin Cloake draws attention to the issue in the last blog from 'The Football Fan

If a crowd makes no noise in the stadium, is it really there?
The case for matchgoing regulars, and why a little more kindness may not go amiss. *This post also contains house music.
https://martincloake.substack.com/p/if- ... ise-in-the
https://archive.is/EBefe

Last week Inter Miami, having looked at where dynamic pricing of matchday tickets (post the signing of Lionel Messi) had affected their revenue opportunities - launched it season ticket pricing for next season - with huge year on year uplifts. With dynamic pricing already appearing on these shores in hospitality seats, and demand at some clubs being assuaged my annual membership fees (just to have a chance to buy a match day ticket) paid by in excess of 100,000 members at some clubs, I wonder how how long before these American practises are brought to these shores.

- here in The Athletics Sports Business section the question is asked

Inter Miami ticket price debate: Are Messi-driven increases justified or unsustainable?
https://archive.ph/oMfeF

[Chester Perry]

As 777 Partners close in on Everton - earlier this month Josimar publish their latest article of them

Standard delivery
https://josimarfootball.com/2023/09/02/ ... -delivery/
https://archive.ph/H7Dy6

It has been quite a few weeks for 777 partners since the news broke about the deal they have in place for Everton, including a sanction from FIFA re overdue transfer payments from the Brazilian member of their current stable.

Josimar Football follow up their last article on them with more revelations and details of another litigation that started against them last week - it seems rather clear to the average fan that they should not be allowed anywhere near a football club - inevitably Josimar have moved to a subscription to read system (it is difficult to blame them)- so our thanks go to whoever posted this to the internet archive

Dark Blue
https://archive.ph/stPIT

[Chester Perry]

Probably not the end of the Football Leaks story but for Rui Pinto this appears to be positive news

Rui Pinto: Football Leaks founder handed four-year suspended sentence by Portugal court
https://www.bbc.co.uk/sport/football/66786085

It seems that there is still an air of threat hanging of Rui Pinto, with many outstanding charges still to be heard along with the possibility of appeal - though how he managed his current suspended sentence is a complex tale of indirect intervention and circumstance

Here Josimar provide the detail

Saved by the Pope
The man behind Football Leaks was tried for 89 computer intrusion offences and one extortion attempt. The court found him guilty of almost all of them. But an amnesty for young offenders approved due to Pope Francis’s recent visit to Portugal cleared him of 79 of those charges.
https://archive.ph/Vsvuj

[Chester Perry]

this is interesting from the perspective of this thread, I don't know how many clubs Metro Bank is banker for, but I do know that Everton is definitely one - Everton also have a loan with Metrobank - which was reduced earlier this year but is still likely to be over £15m (Everton also owe Rights and Media Funding £200m)

Metro Bank shares plunge on fund raising reports
https://www.bbc.co.uk/news/business-67016375


The Metrobank charge note against Everton can be found here
https://find-and-update.company-informa ... 24/charges

[Big Vinny K]

this is interesting from the perspective of this thread, I don't know how many clubs Metro Bank is banker for, but I do know that Everton is definitely one - Everton also have a loan with Metrobank - which was reduced earlier this year but is still likely to be over £15m (Everton also owe Rights and Media Funding £200m)

Metro Bank shares plunge on fund raising reports
https://www.bbc.co.uk/news/business-67016375


The Metrobank charge note against Everton can be found here
https://find-and-update.company-informa ... 24/charges

Really surprised Metrobank are even in this sector - let alone lending money to the likes of Everton.
Their founder Vernon Hill has written some pretty interesting books.
I’m retired from the sector now but they don’t seem to have pushed on as much as they expected they would. Their model is at odds with the new challenger banks like Starling, Monza, Tide, Atom etc.
I know they were making a push on the commercial and SME sector but I don’t think they got the growth they were anticipating so maybe they moved into the football sector because it was area that most other Banks had pulled out of ? If they have done this then it won’t be a surprise to see their demise.

There was a time where I worked where we had 25% of the football clubs (back in the 1990s) and when you sell your soul to the likes of Ken Bates there really was no turning back !!!

[IanMcL]

Metro Bank. I think they let me have a credit card 25 years ago, with £20k credit - which I used to shift my credit owing around, for free. Invested all the sloths money at 6/7%. Amazing times.

Correction. It was Citi Bank.

[Big Vinny K]

https://www.bbc.co.uk/news/business-67016375.amp

Pure coincidence as I haven’t really been following their progress since retiring from banking.
But not surprised at all as their model was the absolute opposite of the direction of travel in the last decade or so.

Who’ll go bust first - Metro or Everton. Race to the bottom.

[Chester Perry]

The Athletic looks at what inward investment for the city and region the new ownership at Newcastle has brought and does some analysis of the Abi Dhabi impact on Manchester. Academics like Simon Chadwick calls these middle East countries 'rentier states' because their future economies are not being built on Domestic Output rather on the proceeds of services owned in other countries. While local and central government have been supportive of the inward investment it seems that there will be little future return from the monies spent in this country for the services provided and that future revenue/monetary circulation drop off is a problem that is only growing.

Saudi influence in Newcastle: A story of property, prosperity and power
https://archive.ph/2NSHE

[Chester Perry]

Some interesting comments here that create a bit of a double-take for the reader given who it is that is saying them
- you still have to think that there a number of founder members of the ECA who would cheerfully jump into a super League bed with Saudi money

from the Guardian

Saudi money could force European football ‘in new direction,’ ECA claims
Vice-chair of ECA wants substantial reforms to level playing field
‘People realise football is becoming too much about money’
https://www.theguardian.com/football/20 ... -direction
https://archive.ph/CIsVy

[Chester Perry]

It has been mooted for a few months now and of course it was stated as being the only way of increasing domestic revenues several years ago by Claire Enders, and proved with those huge 6 year international deals - The FT is saying the next cycle of Premier League rights will be sold for a 4 year cycle rather than the traditional (European competition authority dictated) three

Premier League: broadcast auction rejig plays to a foreign crowd
International bidders could help revive annual domestic screening fees, which have flatlined
https://archive.ph/83Y44

[Chester Perry]

I missed this big read in the Financial Times a couple of weeks back - but is worth the trouble of reading and includes looks at UEFA's new financial rules (a model which the Premier League still haven't switched too) and the way UEFA club competitions are going to change from next season

Can European football clubs ever be profitable?
Momentum is growing for tougher financial regulation as transfer fees and wages for star players rocket
https://archive.ph/5o5s2

[Chester Perry]

This poster is not in the least surprised by this report today in The Athletic's sports Business section, given the years of posting about it on this thread

Football crypto products ‘put supporters at financial risk’, says UK MPs’ report
https://archive.ph/hxS46

You can read the full DCMS report here

NFT's and Blockchain: The risks to sport and culture
https://committees.parliament.uk/public ... 5/default/

Just a reminder that our club is involved with Fan Tokens via Sorare - and now we are in the Premier League Sorare have a League deal too

Previously it was announces that investigation of NFT and block chain opportunities were taking place with YellowHeart and that the club were exploring the possibility of a Digital Securities with block chain associations with INX Limited - both appear to have died a death - thankfully

Current sponsors/partners in this space (with varying degrees of credibility) include:
Uphold - a crypto exchange (possibly the most credible one in the world) is a Principal Partner
Rapidz - Blockchain Partner
GPS - Foreign Exchange Partner
Seat Unique - Official Premium Seating Partner - which includes dynamic pricing another questionable move

[Chester Perry]

I have deliberately steered clear of the farce that is the World Cup host selection of 2030 and 2034 together with Euro 2028- there is no real bidding competition anymore - it is all so political and predictable - I even predicted the multi -continent model starting in South America around 2 years back on tis thread - here Miguel Delaney gives a brief summation of what has happened and why

How Fifa and Uefa turned choosing tournament hosts into a ‘stitch-up’
With the UK and Ireland awarded the 2028 European Championships, football governance is experiencing a familiar trend
https://www.independent.co.uk/sport/foo ... 27083.html
https://archive.ph/4Ne3A

[Chester Perry]

Tariq Panja looks at the 777Partners situation in football and Everton for the New York Times

The Mystery Company With One Foot in the Premier League
777 Partners had been scooping up big-name soccer teams for two years when it bid for Everton. Doubts about its finances could kill the deal.
https://archive.ph/slICG

the most interesting notion I have heard about the multi-club group that 777Partners have put together - with Everton being by far the biggest in terms of value and turnover has come from our friend Paul 'The Esk' he is considering the idea that what 777 partners are doing is buying undervalued struggling assets (with debt) so that they can then sell a pre-packaged multi-club operation to a an investment group from the US - there is a certain logic to it given the leagues represented in the group

[Chester Perry]

The German clubs didn't get enough votes to carry through the motion for the Bundesliga to sell some of its media rights to Private Equity (the vultures are not at the door as it were). Effectively that means a 2nd rejection in just over a year

German Football Rejects Media Rights Sale to Private Equity
- DFL fails to secure two-thirds majority to procced with deal
- CVC, Blackstone and Advent were interested in investing
https://archive.is/9LxF3

It appears that the Bundesliga is going to try for a third time in as many years to get Private Equity funding to help develop the league - In some ways it feels like those that run the league will keep trying until they get the vote they want - and yes The cultures are at the door

BUNDESLIGA RENEWS PURSUIT OF PE MONEY TO BOLSTER GLOBAL STANDING
https://12ft.io/proxy?q=https%3A%2F%2Fw ... 4741729%2F

[Chester Perry]

This poster is not in the least surprised by this report today in The Athletic's sports Business section, given the years of posting about it on this thread

Football crypto products ‘put supporters at financial risk’, says UK MPs’ report
https://archive.ph/hxS46

You can read the full DCMS report here

NFT's and Blockchain: The risks to sport and culture
https://committees.parliament.uk/public ... 5/default/

Just a reminder that our club is involved with Fan Tokens via Sorare - and now we are in the Premier League Sorare have a League deal too

Previously it was announces that investigation of NFT and block chain opportunities were taking place with YellowHeart and that the club were exploring the possibility of a Digital Securities with block chain associations with INX Limited - both appear to have died a death - thankfully

Current sponsors/partners in this space (with varying degrees of credibility) include:
Uphold - a crypto exchange (possibly the most credible one in the world) is a Principal Partner
Rapidz - Blockchain Partner
GPS - Foreign Exchange Partner
Seat Unique - Official Premium Seating Partner - which includes dynamic pricing another questionable move

The chaps from Sheridan's Sport (a legal firm) use their weekly blog to look at this DCMS report and offer a a couple of interesting opinions

The Culture, Media and Sport Committee Report: NFTs and the Blockchain: the risks to sport and culture
https://sheridanssport.substack.com/p/t ... um=reader2

[Chester Perry]

This excellent article in today's Guardian is on the face of it a report of a hearing in Europe this week about the future of European club football competition, but actually covers a whole range of issues that have been covered in this thread over the last 3 or four years.

Breakaways or crossing borders: what is the future of European football?
With the game at an inflection point there comes a warning that ‘in a few weeks’ time its future is going to be pretty dark’
https://www.theguardian.com/football/20 ... n-10-years
https://archive.ph/U0kvi

[bfcjg]

https://uk.yahoo.com/sports/news/sheikh ... 35533.html
United back to square 1.

[Chester Perry]

https://uk.yahoo.com/sports/news/sheikh ... 35533.html
United back to square 1.

This is a direct result of the Joel and Avram Glazer along with their advisers The Raine Group keep pushing the price up - the rest of the Glazers are desperate to cash in and that is why it looks like Jim Ratcliffe is going to buy a minor share in the club at an inflated price

[bfcjg]

United fans dead against Ratcliffe.