Football's Magic Money Tree

[Billyblah]

....but probably relieved that Sheikh Yer Moneymaker Jassim has pulled out.
They should be careful what they wish for.

[Chester Perry]

there are many who will tell you this is nonsense, but I am not one of them and large parts of this thread even just the previous page are testament to that

‘Football’s fabric will disappear’: the fear of Sunderland pioneer Sir Bob Murray
Former chairman who worked to transform the community and club worries owners now lack a sense of the game’s place
https://www.theguardian.com/football/bl ... e-football
https://archive.ph/u0r1b

[Chester Perry]

These owners should pay attention to Claire Enders a lot more - it is not more or all games that will necessarily provide greater media income domestically - in fact the last 4 cycles have shown that the average price per game has continued to fall - what the broadcasters want is longer deals with which to earn back their substantive investment - The only benefit of selling all games is the step towards selling global rights to a single service provider like apple and i think we are possibly 2 cycles away from such a deal - it is not surprising to see that it is the 'vulture club' who are behind these discussions

IN THE MONEY: American Premier League investors leading talks to scrap historic 3pm blackout and televise ALL 380 games
Informal discussions are taking place among club officials in favour of a change
Chelsea's owners are among those in favour of ending the 3pm blackout
https://12ft.io/proxy?q=https%3A%2F%2Fw ... games.html

[Chester Perry]

The LFP - French Ligue - appear to have not learned their very expensive lessons about the true value of their TV rights

THE LFP HOPING TO ACHIEVE €1BN A YEAR IN FRENCH FOOTBALL TV RIGHTS REVENUE IN NEXT CYCLE
https://www.getfootballnewsfrance.com/2 ... ext-cycle/
https://archive.is/Ol7NE

Of all the things you can predict in football, this is probably one of the easiest

Ligue 1 broadcast rights auction scrapped as minimum valuation not met
https://archive.ph/ShKaa

[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

So while Everton are pleading their case against Premier League charges behind closed doors, the prospective turnover is facing a few twists and turns

The Telegraph have this story

Everton face £60m 777 Partners loan if deal collapses
Uncertainty over Everton's future remains with the loan from 777 required to cover a second month’s worth of wages
https://archive.ph/1EYqS

one interesting thing about that is the implication that wages are running at £20m a month - that is £240m a year before bonuses which seems on the large side given the cost cutting

another is the mention of the questions from the club's Fan Advisory Board to 777 Partners, which can be found here
https://thefsa.org.uk/wp-content/upload ... t-2023.pdf

Those questions seem to go beyond the remit of a Fan Advisory Board as set up by the Premier League


Meanwhile the investigations of the journalists at Josimar continue with this latest looking at some of the business operations of 777 Partners group companies that recent litigation is bringing to light

Brains trust or gold dust?
777 Partners, which is currently trying to add Everton to its multi-cub portfolio, owned and operated companies which were accused in court of “predatory conduct” for targeting brain damaged former American football players making concussion claims against the NFL.
https://archive.ph/gtTQd

[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

Yesterday Matt Slater, gave the most detailed account of the existing and proposed deals I have ever seen - it is a shame that the tone is so flippant ant the money flows are not in tabular form because the amount the Premier League gives away is eye-watering to all other Leagues

The Premier League’s ‘new deal for football’ and what it means for the EFL
https://archive.ph/xHnWe

It is no surprise that the Premier League wants all clubs to move to UEFA's cost controls mechanism or indeed that it wants an 85% threshold for its members (and those in receipt of 'sustainability' payments - known as parachute payments) with everyone else at 70% like UEFA - this enables the 10-12 clubs who have no chance of UEFA club competition qualification to make the distortion in club revenues less of an issue and therefor the Premier League more competitive in depth - one of its long standing selling points

It is the added conditions to the deal that as always are the most controversial - with the one on young players ans set fees, looking like an extension of the system used in EPPP that is particularly striking.

As for the regulator, that can always be changed by the regulator/government

[Chester Perry]

It is a growing trend in Football for ownership groups to sell stakes in their group to 'minority owners' - one that seems a particular favourite with American groups and one that we at Burnley have had to become attuned to.

The Athletic looks at the rise of the Minority Owner in Football

So you want to be a minority owner: Why just a piece of a Premier League club is enough
https://archive.ph/iqFUl

[Chester Perry]

So while Everton are pleading their case against Premier League charges behind closed doors, the prospective turnover is facing a few twists and turns

The Telegraph have this story

Everton face £60m 777 Partners loan if deal collapses
Uncertainty over Everton's future remains with the loan from 777 required to cover a second month’s worth of wages
https://archive.ph/1EYqS

one interesting thing about that is the implication that wages are running at £20m a month - that is £240m a year before bonuses which seems on the large side given the cost cutting

another is the mention of the questions from the club's Fan Advisory Board to 777 Partners, which can be found here
https://thefsa.org.uk/wp-content/upload ... t-2023.pdf

Those questions seem to go beyond the remit of a Fan Advisory Board as set up by the Premier League


Meanwhile the investigations of the journalists at Josimar continue with this latest looking at some of the business operations of 777 Partners group companies that recent litigation is bringing to light

Brains trust or gold dust?
777 Partners, which is currently trying to add Everton to its multi-cub portfolio, owned and operated companies which were accused in court of “predatory conduct” for targeting brain damaged former American football players making concussion claims against the NFL.
https://archive.ph/gtTQd

The above Telegraph article refers to this one in The New York Times re 777 Partners ability to provide the requisite financial information to the UK authorities - though 777 Partners claim they have done so

Everton Sale Stalls Amid Questions About Buyer’s Financials
The U.S. firm bidding for the Premier League club, 777 Partners, has failed to provide required information to a British regulator.
https://archive.ph/h4afo

[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.

I have been lauding the Unofficial Partner Podcast for years now - and it is still at the forefront of thinking and discussion in the sports/media/tech arena - This series on the squeezed middle is extremely good and so much is relevant to our club and how it has operated previously and to a large extent to how it is still operating.

This weeks episode in the series is just as insightful

UP348 The Squeezed Middle - The Valuation Question
https://www.unofficialpartner.com/podca ... n-question

the blurb

Unofficial Partner|10/17/2023
This is part of our Squeezed Middle series on the strategic options available to the people running professional sport.
The focus in this episode is the impact of those choices on the commercial income and capital value of sports teams, leagues and federations.
Our guests are Ben Wells and Andrew Umbers.
Ben is CEO of PTI Digital, the strategy and technology consultancy.
Andrew is co-founder and partner of Oakwell Sports Advisory, the leading strategic and financial advisor in sports and sports technology. Andrew was formerly MD at Credit Suisse and more recently, he served as Chairman at Leeds United.

You can hear the previous episodes in the Squeezed Middle series by searching Unofficial Partner in Apple, Spotify or your favourite podcast app.

What is the Squeezed Middle?
There is a small global elite of sports rights holders which are doing just fine. Billions of dollars in media revenue chases must-see content, from the NFL in the US, Premier League in England, the IPL in India through to the major quadrennial extravaganzas such as Olympics and World Cups.

Likewise, there are clubs and institutions in the lower reaches of the sporting pyramid for whom not much has changed and who cut their cloth according to the local demand for traditional revenue generators such as sponsorship, match day tickets and merchandise.

It's the middle of the market where much of the pain is being felt.

The situation was described in a recent essay by our guest Ben Wells (here - The Squeezed Middle and Sport’s Commercial Rethink https://www.ptidigitalgroup.com/2023/06 ... l-rethink/):
'Economic crises tend to cause money to move in one of two ways: to quality or to price. Those in the middle, who are not able to compete on either front, are squeezed.

In the last 12 months, not one major Olympic NGB was able to sign a primary sponsor, with the biggest deal of the year – British Cycling’s tier-two sponsorship with Shell – bringing significant amounts of criticism. In parallel Müller ended its long-running main sponsorship of UK Athletics after seven years. UK Athletics is currently teetering on the brink of bankruptcy.

This isn’t a situation unique to athletics. Headlines in rugby, cricket and the second and third tiers of football report of similar tales of woe – the result of unsustainable commercial models – trying to grow revenues in a business built around live events, which are limited by number and venue capacity and whose cost-bases are rising with rampant inflation – are the norm."

[Chester Perry]

Forbes release their list of the worlds highest paid soccer players -some of these guys earn more than whole leagues

The Worlds Highest Paid Soccer Players 2023
Outrageous Saudi contracts and a major MLS signing realigned the soccer universe this year. But a roster of marquee names—including Ronaldo, Messi and Neymar—remain on top of the financial table.
https://archive.ph/JIB0c

[Chester Perry]

I have been lauding the Unofficial Partner Podcast for years now - and it is still at the forefront of thinking and discussion in the sports/media/tech arena - This series on the squeezed middle is extremely good and so much is relevant to our club and how it has operated previously and to a large extent to how it is still operating.

This weeks episode in the series is just as insightful

UP348 The Squeezed Middle - The Valuation Question
https://www.unofficialpartner.com/podca ... n-question

the blurb

Unofficial Partner|10/17/2023
This is part of our Squeezed Middle series on the strategic options available to the people running professional sport.
The focus in this episode is the impact of those choices on the commercial income and capital value of sports teams, leagues and federations.
Our guests are Ben Wells and Andrew Umbers.
Ben is CEO of PTI Digital, the strategy and technology consultancy.
Andrew is co-founder and partner of Oakwell Sports Advisory, the leading strategic and financial advisor in sports and sports technology. Andrew was formerly MD at Credit Suisse and more recently, he served as Chairman at Leeds United.

You can hear the previous episodes in the Squeezed Middle series by searching Unofficial Partner in Apple, Spotify or your favourite podcast app.

What is the Squeezed Middle?
There is a small global elite of sports rights holders which are doing just fine. Billions of dollars in media revenue chases must-see content, from the NFL in the US, Premier League in England, the IPL in India through to the major quadrennial extravaganzas such as Olympics and World Cups.

Likewise, there are clubs and institutions in the lower reaches of the sporting pyramid for whom not much has changed and who cut their cloth according to the local demand for traditional revenue generators such as sponsorship, match day tickets and merchandise.

It's the middle of the market where much of the pain is being felt.

The situation was described in a recent essay by our guest Ben Wells (here - The Squeezed Middle and Sport’s Commercial Rethink https://www.ptidigitalgroup.com/2023/06 ... l-rethink/):
'Economic crises tend to cause money to move in one of two ways: to quality or to price. Those in the middle, who are not able to compete on either front, are squeezed.

In the last 12 months, not one major Olympic NGB was able to sign a primary sponsor, with the biggest deal of the year – British Cycling’s tier-two sponsorship with Shell – bringing significant amounts of criticism. In parallel Müller ended its long-running main sponsorship of UK Athletics after seven years. UK Athletics is currently teetering on the brink of bankruptcy.

This isn’t a situation unique to athletics. Headlines in rugby, cricket and the second and third tiers of football report of similar tales of woe – the result of unsustainable commercial models – trying to grow revenues in a business built around live events, which are limited by number and venue capacity and whose cost-bases are rising with rampant inflation – are the norm."

I should point out that this includes a discussion about Burnley FC and an overview of an interaction with Alan Pace about the situation for the club from Andrew Umbers

[Chester Perry]

More on Everton's prospective owners 777 Partners -

This from Josimar Football a couple of days ago, is illustrative of their financial practices, and how indebted the group is to key individuals - I have been trying to get hold of this all day

Fit for a King
777 Partners missed payroll to their own staff in July, failed to pay rent for their own HQ, and yet are still intent on buying Everton. How can they do this? Meet Kenneth King, whose company they owe at least 170 million dollars.

By Philippe Auclair and Paul Brown
https://web.archive.org/web/20231017141 ... or-a-king/

This from our friend Paul, known as The Esk questions 777 Partners own assertions of their relative success in Football by using the data they have provided in a funding exercise run by Tifosi

Does 777’s performance match Josh Wander’s claims?
https://theesk.org/2023/10/17/does-777s ... rs-claims/

[Chester Perry]

Yesterday Matt Slater, gave the most detailed account of the existing and proposed deals I have ever seen - it is a shame that the tone is so flippant ant the money flows are not in tabular form because the amount the Premier League gives away is eye-watering to all other Leagues

The Premier League’s ‘new deal for football’ and what it means for the EFL
https://archive.ph/xHnWe

It is no surprise that the Premier League wants all clubs to move to UEFA's cost controls mechanism or indeed that it wants an 85% threshold for its members (and those in receipt of 'sustainability' payments - known as parachute payments) with everyone else at 70% like UEFA - this enables the 10-12 clubs who have no chance of UEFA club competition qualification to make the distortion in club revenues less of an issue and therefor the Premier League more competitive in depth - one of its long standing selling points

It is the added conditions to the deal that as always are the most controversial - with the one on young players ans set fees, looking like an extension of the system used in EPPP that is particularly striking.

As for the regulator, that can always be changed by the regulator/government

The Times with a piece about one way the Premier League is looking to constrict spending to achieve that UEFA style sustainability budget

Note - If maximum wage spends are to be capped at 4 times the payment to the bottom club it is likely to make little difference to most (possibly all) clubs, even after the boost some are going to get from the new UEFA club competion distributions following the enlargement of competitions and more games

Steve Parish: Premier League looking at hard salary cap
Crystal Palace chairman confirms that talks have taken place to introduce cost controls to aid top flight’s competitive balance
https://archive.ph/aNlri

[Chester Perry]

Yesterday Matt Slater, gave the most detailed account of the existing and proposed deals I have ever seen - it is a shame that the tone is so flippant ant the money flows are not in tabular form because the amount the Premier League gives away is eye-watering to all other Leagues

The Premier League’s ‘new deal for football’ and what it means for the EFL
https://archive.ph/xHnWe

It is no surprise that the Premier League wants all clubs to move to UEFA's cost controls mechanism or indeed that it wants an 85% threshold for its members (and those in receipt of 'sustainability' payments - known as parachute payments) with everyone else at 70% like UEFA - this enables the 10-12 clubs who have no chance of UEFA club competition qualification to make the distortion in club revenues less of an issue and therefor the Premier League more competitive in depth - one of its long standing selling points

It is the added conditions to the deal that as always are the most controversial - with the one on young players ans set fees, looking like an extension of the system used in EPPP that is particularly striking.

As for the regulator, that can always be changed by the regulator/government

The above article hinted at this story in the Guardian being a likely move. Whether it works or not is a different issue

Premier League makes late attempt to reshape role of independent regulator
Proposals come weeks before legislation is set to be announced
League aims to retain a number of regulatory functions
https://www.theguardian.com/football/20 ... h-football
https://archive.ph/kzk41

[Chester Perry]

This could be a dream for the Premier League - if it actually happens - DAZN do not have the best of reputations

From the Times

DAZN poised as Premier League TV rights go to auction
The league has rejigged its offer to make it more attractive to broadcasters: the deals will be for four years, with more live matches and five packages
https://archive.ph/68H8H

[Chester Perry]

I wouldn't say this is the death of Super League just yet - remember it was only 3 years ago that Florentino Perez and Gianni Infantino (Presidents of Real Madrid and FIFA respectively) had an agreement in principle for a World League - anyone seeing a striking similarity of Continental Super Leagues and a mid week World League operating like a Champions League to the UEFA model with UEFA and the domestic European Leagues scrubbed out - interesting the biggest problem on that front may actually be the MLS,

here is the Independents report on this mornings advisory report

Uefa’s opposition to European Super League ‘compatible with EU competition law’
The opinion read out at the Court of Justice of the European Union is a significant blow to those clubs pushing for a Super League
https://archive.vn/D0nx1

So it will be a year after the above advisory that the ECJ will finally come to a decision on 'Super League' or at least UEFA's right to monopoly of pan European club competition with the threat of exclusion to those who do not comply with it's rules

European Super League: Court's final verdict on breakaway competition due in December
https://www.bbc.co.uk/sport/football/67202993

[Chester Perry]

Barcelona are pulling at those financial levers again

yesterday they sold 29.5% of Bridgeburg (part of the Barca Vision platform) to LIBERO Football Finance AG and NIPA Capital B.V. for EUR 120m - Barça Vision is a platform meant to consolidate the club’s digital assets, such as NFTs.

FC Barcelona activate new financial lever worth €120M
https://archive.is/iHZGz

later this year they have a deal to launch a SPAC on the New York Stock Exchange to launch a media business that intends to $1 billion though you wonder what media rights they have left

Barcelona strikes $1 bln merger deal to list soccer club's media business
https://archive.is/ccPuf

FC Barcelona’s Content Creation Platform, Barça Media, Enters into Business Combination Agreement with Mountain & Co. I Acquisition Corp.

What I find interesting about all this is that none of the English Super Clubs (possibly excepting Manchester City) have sought to exercise these capabilities for fund raising yet - for now it seem these moves are the kind of things that are played out by Barca, Real and Juventus - Perhaps the Premier League is much stricter about it.

I cannot say that it is a surprise that all this is not going to plan

Barcelona’s search for another quick fix – and questions over their ‘$1bn’ media brand
https://archive.ph/WPzjv

[Chester Perry]

Back to where this thread started - Manchester United announce record revenues for the the 2022-23 (even though they were in the Europa League) and still make a loss

Manchester United post loss despite record annual revenues
https://archive.ph/dlpiV#selection-42235.0-42235.58

this article from Businesswire gives a great summary overview

Manchester United PLC Reports Fourth Quarter and Full Year Fiscal 2023 Results
https://www.businesswire.com/news/home/ ... 23-Results

[Chester Perry]

no surprise that there are fresh calls to look into Man City's finances after the detailed and very damaging revelations in Der Speigel

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

Interesting that city claim that the documents are "hacked" "stolen" or "out of context" but never say they are fabrications or untrue

for those who have not read the articles in Der Spiegel links can be found here

http://www.uptheclarets.com/messageboar ... =2&t=34009" onclick="window.open(this.href);return false;

Almost 5 years now since the Football Leaks revelations about Manchester City and it's alleged financial shenanigans as this opinion piece in the Telegraph about the Premier Leagues need to show it can manage it's cases with both Manchester City and Everton

Manchester City and Everton's charges a test of Premier League's ability to control chaos
The ripple effect of whatever decision the Premier League makes on City and Everton could have far-reaching consequences
https://archive.ph/1h75v

[Chester Perry]

Almost 5 years now since the Football Leaks revelations about Manchester City and it's alleged financial shenanigans as this opinion piece in the Telegraph about the Premier Leagues need to show it can manage it's cases with both Manchester City and Everton

Manchester City and Everton's charges a test of Premier League's ability to control chaos
The ripple effect of whatever decision the Premier League makes on City and Everton could have far-reaching consequences
https://archive.ph/1h75v

A somewhat contrary take in the Times from Martin Samuel - who has a developed his own brand in such thinking - there are a couple of extremely valid considerations including the opening one plus a confirmation of a recent suggestion that 777 partners football enterprise is about creating a pre-packaged multi-club football enterprise to flip for a profit

Super League rebels got off lightly — why are Everton being crushed?
https://archive.ph/WEKid

[Chester Perry]

The pitfalls of Footballs relationship to gambling are widespread - there are questionable issues across the board, and one of the bigger concerns within the game is to do with match fixing - here are some recent articles from Josimar - possibly the best source of investigative journalism in football- on the issue

Down Under and top of the world
Australia, a country with just 12 professional football teams, has become the leading provider of matches for the opaque offshore betting market. Josimar has confirmed that police recently investigated one of these games.
https://josimarfootball.com/2023/06/15/ ... the-world/
https://archive.is/JL2lZ

The integrity partner facilitating Brazilian match-fixing
Unregulated betting operators are using data from Sportradar, the same company tasked with protecting Brazilian football from match-fixing. The Brazilian Government has called for Federal Police to open an inquiry into fixed in-play events in Brazilian football.
https://josimarfootball.com/2023/06/20/ ... ch-fixing/
https://archive.is/cYyFp

More from Josimar Football on the data gathering for betting purposes in the very low levels of football

The silent partner
Is Sportradar – Fifa and Uefa’s integrity partner – providing data from Belgian amateur matches to controversial betting operator 1XBet?
https://archive.ph/eK59L

Betting lower and lower
Data collection companies are scouring ever lower down the European football pyramid for live data that is feeding opaque Asian betting operators.
http://web.archive.org/web/202310241705 ... and-lower/

[Chester Perry]

The Athletic with some excellent detail and up to date status on the progress of the proposed takeover of Everton by 777 Partners

What we know about 777’s proposed takeover of Everton
https://archive.ph/88cNT

[Chester Perry]

In recent times this point has been dismissed by a number of member of this board - the current plight of our on field fortunes appears to be changing some opions

Jonathan Wilson with a thought piece in today's guardian

The gulf between the Premier League and the rest may never have been so wide
All three promoted clubs are in the relegation zone this season. Their struggles reflect a wider problem in the modern game
https://www.theguardian.com/football/20 ... relegation
https://archive.ph/3f0gQ

[CoolClaret]

In recent times this point has been dismissed by a number of member of this board - the current plight of our on field fortunes appears to be changing some opions

Jonathan Wilson with a thought piece in today's guardian

The gulf between the Premier League and the rest may never have been so wide
All three promoted clubs are in the relegation zone this season. Their struggles reflect a wider problem in the modern game
https://www.theguardian.com/football/20 ... relegation
https://archive.ph/3f0gQ

I don't buy it tbh - one season, 10 games in - Sheff U selling two of their best players before the season started, Luton never really expected to do much... Burnley? Just mental decisions

Season before all the promoted clubs stayed up fairly comfortably, so it's hardly definitive

[Chester Perry]

In many ways it is no surprise that it is America that is the first place to kick-back at FIFA of the financial terms it seeks to force upon host countries/cities/stadiums for the world cup - like the Olympics they have become used to being a law unto themselves - but like the Olympics they have become far too expensive for almost all democracies to host, and certainly have a track record for leaving hosts in deep post event financial trauma.

Kroenkes in dispute with FIFA over SoFi Stadium deal for 2026 World Cup
https://archive.ph/gVTeJ

[GodIsADeeJay81]

https://www.bbc.co.uk/sport/football/67270626

Two Chelsea transfers from the abramovich era being investigated by the PL

[Chester Perry]

Nice to know some clubs are trying to abide by the rules (or at least the rules that are currently under the most scrutiny), of course there are those who suspect that Wolves have gotten off lightly in the recent past in other business dealings

Wolves to avoid FFP punishment after £140m summer sales
The departure of Matheus Nunes to Manchester City helped Wolves to surpass their sales target
https://archive.ph/r2dec

[Chester Perry]

Of all the things you can predict in football, this is probably one of the easiest

Ligue 1 broadcast rights auction scrapped as minimum valuation not met
https://archive.ph/ShKaa

It is unlikely that the above or the situation in Italy regarding it's new 5 year domestic deal (at the same value of it's current 3yr deal) is anything but positive in the eyes of the Premier League - The Athletic's Dan Sheldon explains why, and he has been talking to the right people - i.e. Enders Analysts

Why the Premier League shouldn’t be concerned by France and Italy’s TV deal woes
https://archive.ph/0IBaQ

[Chester Perry]

reports suggest that West Ham are looking for a new investor to - initially at least - buy a stake in the club from David Gold's daughter Vanessa, possibly all of her 25% holding - I wonder what happened to the story of Daniel Kretinsky having a deal to take over the whole club - Naturally their is the opportunistic link of Qatar to the prospective deal

West Ham United eye Qatar investment as 10% stake put up for sale
The decision by Vanessa Gold, the club’s joint-chairman and the daughter of David Gold, to offer some of her shares has drawn international interest
https://archive.ph/00GC8

[Chester Perry]

Earlier this week it transpired that Chelsea's new owners had reported the club themselves (again) for financial shenanigans under the Abramovich era - this time regarding the transfers of Willian and Samuel Eto'o (https://www.bbc.co.uk/sport/football/67270626) and a number of payments out of Russia but not registered as being from the club. It shows how little direct scrutiny there was of the Abramovich era as it marched on to some of its greatest successes. Actually a clever bit of distraction by Boehly and co as they try to meet the challenges of FFP (though the strategy of not qualifying for UEFA club competitions is making that considerably easier for them)

This lack of real scrutiny is a point Mathew Sayed picks up on in a column in today's Times and uses to illustrate what should be happening to the 'nation states - particularly Saudi Arabia as it to throughs previously unthinkable sums at sport to distract from what else it is doing

My Abramovich warning was ignored – same cannot happen with Saudi
Saudi Arabia’s sporting land grab will invite scrutiny only briefly before regime’s atrocities are ignored amid the star power of top athletes
https://archive.ph/9ggBU#selection-1785.0-1803.142

[Chester Perry]

Another tried and tested way for countries wanting to change the way sporting organisations and the wider public perceive them is through sponsorship - the original form of Sports washing that has been illustrated in much detail during the life of this thread - mainly thanks to the efforts of Simon Chadwick, who inicdently had this to say last month about Saudi

FOOTBALL’S ROLE IN SAUDI ARABIA’S ONGOING BATTLE AGAINST THE COUNTRY-OF-ORIGIN EFFECT
https://archive.ph/60wcS

Here Martin Zeigler, in The Times, outlines the the rapid and widespread growth in sports sponsorship by Saudi organisations

Saudi Arabia has 314 sports sponsorships as influence laid bare
As the country is awarded hosting rights for the 2034 Fifa World Cup, research is said to “underscore the political control within Saudi sports”
https://archive.ph/ZAjgQ

On a side note, and following the FIFA shenanigans re guaranteeing that Saudi could host the world cup - it seems that Oceania is the only credible candidate for 2038 unless the Caribbean nations fancy a crack at it - I don't see the US wanting to do it again so soon

[Chester Perry]

Miguel Delaney in The Independent with a detailed opinion piece about the state of the way the game is now being run and how it led to the situation of no public discussion debate about Saudi Arabia being host for the 2034 World Cup. For years now I have been posting about FIFA's activities under the rule of Gianni Infantino and elections by acclamation, all this is a direct consequence of that

Football must change now after Saudi Arabia 2034 exposes ‘failure’ at the very top
Change is required for the global game, argues Miguel Delaney, given the current system, which has led to Saudi Arabia’s unchallenged bid for the 2034 World Cup, leads to a number of single-candidate campaigns and individuals holding immense power to shape the game for decades
https://archive.ph/uoJPg

[IanMcL]

Not to mention that they are taking over the biggest boxing bouts too.

[Chester Perry]

Not to mention that they are taking over the biggest boxing bouts too.

The combat sports is a long established trend (including wresting and UFC) - the next sport in the cross-hairs appears to be professional road cycling - the the group that own the Tour de France are trying to resist - this is being led by the teams - particularly Jumbo Visma who are really struggling for sponsorship funds to continue

[Chester Perry]

Jonathan Wilson in The Guardian takes his turn in lambasting Gianni Infantino and the lack of due process in determining Saudi Arabia as host of the 2034 World Cup

Clownish populist Infantino is complicit in Saudi Arabia’s colonisation of football
Gulf state’s land grab for 2034 World Cup is yet another example of cartoonish Fifa overlord putting self-interest before football
https://www.theguardian.com/football/bl ... f-football
https://archive.ph/f0E34

[Chester Perry]

The Athletic with some excellent detail and up to date status on the progress of the proposed takeover of Everton by 777 Partners

What we know about 777’s proposed takeover of Everton
https://archive.ph/88cNT

It is hardly a surprise that 777 Partners have past the feeble tests of the FA - we are about to learn just hotw much tougher the Premier leagues test have (or even have not) become

The Telegraph

Everton clear takeover hurdle after FA gives 777 Partners green light to join board
Prospective new owners Josh Wander and Steven Pasko have been give the all-clear by the governing body to become club directors
https://archive.ph/TnwYS

The Times

Potential new owners given FA blessing in bid to buy Everton
777 Partners co-founders Josh Wander and Steve Pasko can become club directors if their proposed takeover of the club is completed
https://archive.ph/w3O3K

[Chester Perry]

An interesting read - from Joey D'Urso in The Athletic - when you consider all those stories from Josimar Football that I have posted recently about how far down the pyramid's data is collected for betting this comes as no surprise

Why football has a problem with match-fixing
https://archive.ph/1aG1a

[Chester Perry]

More on Everton's prospective owners 777 Partners -

This from Josimar Football a couple of days ago, is illustrative of their financial practices, and how indebted the group is to key individuals - I have been trying to get hold of this all day

Fit for a King
777 Partners missed payroll to their own staff in July, failed to pay rent for their own HQ, and yet are still intent on buying Everton. How can they do this? Meet Kenneth King, whose company they owe at least 170 million dollars.

By Philippe Auclair and Paul Brown
https://web.archive.org/web/20231017141 ... or-a-king/

This from our friend Paul, known as The Esk questions 777 Partners own assertions of their relative success in Football by using the data they have provided in a funding exercise run by Tifosi

Does 777’s performance match Josh Wander’s claims?
https://theesk.org/2023/10/17/does-777s ... rs-claims/

Matt Slater in The Athletic with the latest on 777 Partners - some interesting stuff in their including that fact that Mark Thompson late of Burnley FC is now part of the 777 group's team - a bit of the detail around the Tifosy constructed brochure for 'Project Echo' has already been shared by our friend - Paul 'The Esk'

Everton takeover: Project Echo, 777’s masterplan for global domination
https://archive.ph/8cKQh

[Chester Perry]

Matt Slater in The Athletic with the latest on 777 Partners - some interesting stuff in their including that fact that Mark Thompson late of Burnley FC is now part of the 777 group's team - a bit of the detail around the Tifosy constructed brochure for 'Project Echo' has already been shared by our friend - Paul 'The Esk'

Everton takeover: Project Echo, 777’s masterplan for global domination
https://archive.ph/8cKQh

There is an extensive section in the above looking at the different models of multi-club operation - five are identified but as of yet we see few if any being truly successful - with Red Bull coming closest, which is ironic because the focus is claimed to be brand development not football success per se

[GodIsADeeJay81]

https://x.com/wearethefsa/status/172188 ... 50428?s=46

The Kings speech confirmed a football regulator is incoming

[Chester Perry]

https://x.com/wearethefsa/status/172188 ... 50428?s=46

The Kings speech confirmed a football regulator is incoming

Interesting phrasing in the King's Speech

"Legislation will be brought forward to safeguard the future of football clubs for the benefit of communities and fans."

That is a hell of a line for the legislation and office of the new regulator to live up to

[Chester Perry]

Matt Slater in The Athletic with the latest on 777 Partners - some interesting stuff in their including that fact that Mark Thompson late of Burnley FC is now part of the 777 group's team - a bit of the detail around the Tifosy constructed brochure for 'Project Echo' has already been shared by our friend - Paul 'The Esk'

Everton takeover: Project Echo, 777’s masterplan for global domination
https://archive.ph/8cKQh

Another article from Josimar Football delving into 777 Partners, which appears to back-up Tariq Panja was saying in the New York Times last month re providing the necessary documentation to the regulatory bodies

Full disclosure?
777 Group lost almost 600 million dollars from June 2021 to June 2022. These numbers have not been submitted to regulators probing the proposed takeover of Everton and cast doubt on Josh Wander’s claim about his company’s financial strength.
http://web.archive.org/web/202311061100 ... isclosure/

The introduction of David Dein as being an advisor to 777 Partners is intriguing on a number of levels, the article makes great play of his connections in the game. However there is a more interesting issue to consider. for a number of years it was David Dein who fronted the company that was the vehicle for Usmanov and Moshri's shareholding in Arsenal - spending a number of years trying to get Usmanov a seat on the board at the Emirates. The question is who is Dein representing.

[Chester Perry]

Miguel Delaney in The Independent with a detailed opinion piece about the state of the way the game is now being run and how it led to the situation of no public discussion debate about Saudi Arabia being host for the 2034 World Cup. For years now I have been posting about FIFA's activities under the rule of Gianni Infantino and elections by acclamation, all this is a direct consequence of that

Football must change now after Saudi Arabia 2034 exposes ‘failure’ at the very top
Change is required for the global game, argues Miguel Delaney, given the current system, which has led to Saudi Arabia’s unchallenged bid for the 2034 World Cup, leads to a number of single-candidate campaigns and individuals holding immense power to shape the game for decades
https://archive.ph/uoJPg

Josimar Football look at the new FIFA (Which appears to be Gianni Infantino on his own) and produce a very strongly worded verdict

Infantino’s solo run
By awarding the 2034 men’s World Cup to Saudi Arabia, Gianni Infantino’s Fifa has seemingly legalised corruption.
https://archive.ph/4I2Qh

[Chester Perry]

It has been quite a while since we have seen anything about the Economic Impact of Football Clubs on their local economy - Brighton first presented such a report in 2017 - the new number is much bigger - so big in fact that you wonder if it includes all those fees that Chelsea paid them last season (there is a sneeking suspicion tht his is what the direct income figure includes, i.e total club revenues), also it turns out over a third of the number is based on the intangible of 'brand and media value'

Albion's £600m contribution to the local economy
Economic Impact Report was presented to business leaders and City councillors at the Amex on Tuesday.
https://www.brightonandhovealbion.com/n ... 3%20season.

[Chester Perry]

Our Evertonian friend Paul - 'The Esk' with some more revelations about 777 Partners

Everton, reinsurance and Bermuda, how are they connected?
https://theesk.org/2023/11/09/everton-r ... connected/

[Chester Perry]

For those wondering about just where 777 Partners are going to find (borrow) the money to buy Everton and finance the completion of the new stadium at Bramley Moore, las weekend's 'scoreboard' newsletter in the Financial Times offers little support - there is no mention of either party, but the situation for Private Equity and those looking to borrow funds for football purposes are finding it a very challenging environment out there - note the story is spliced up by a short section on the Saudi 2034 World Cup

Will the private equity squeeze hit football?
Also in this newsletter: Saudi Arabia bags the 2034 World Cup without a fight
https://archive.li/Gca0k

[Chester Perry]

Interesting phrasing in the King's Speech

"Legislation will be brought forward to safeguard the future of football clubs for the benefit of communities and fans."

That is a hell of a line for the legislation and office of the new regulator to live up to

Gareth Southgate with an astute comment on the proposed Independent Football Regulator

‘Another VAR waiting to happen’: Southgate wary of football regulator
England manager ‘dubious’ over handling of complex issues
Current style of national team does not worry Southgate
https://www.theguardian.com/football/20 ... -regulator
https://archive.ph/8EDPR

[Chester Perry]

The Washington Post has been doing a series of extensive pieces under the banner 'The New King of Sports' about how the middle east is taking over the sports world - there is a lot to take in and not all directly relates or talks about our game, though the wider/deeper issues have long been know to regular readers of this thread

THE NEW KINGS OF SPORTS
The Middle East’s play to rule global sports
How Saudi Arabia, the United Arab Emirates and Qatar are upending the sports world — and what they want from their newfound power
https://archive.li/BiRE5#selection-175.0-183.129

THE NEW KINGS OF SPORTS
The Middle East’s sports takeover started in Dubai
Before Saudi Arabia and Qatar started spending big, the United Arab Emirates used sports to remake its economy
https://archive.li/zfq2c#selection-373.0-385.110

THE NEW KINGS OF SPORTS
The complicated legacy of Qatar’s World Cup
Qatar and FIFA say the event brought change to the country. Activists aren’t convinced — and are worried about what’s on the horizon.
https://archive.li/42kje#selection-289.0-301.133

THE NEW KINGS OF SPORTS
Why sports mogul Ted Leonsis ignored critics and courted Middle East money
https://archive.li/2DuUj#selection-435.0-443.74

THE NEW KINGS OF SPORTS
Saudi Arabia’s tightening grip on sports
To understand Saudi Arabia’s takeover of the sports world, look to its hold on professional wrestling — and a long, strange night in Riyadh
https://archive.li/eCmGM#selection-375.0-387.139

THE NEW KINGS OF SPORTS
Americans are uneasy about Middle East sports push, Post-UMD poll finds
https://archive.li/4fMqZ#selection-377.0-383.71

[Chester Perry]

This article from Saturdays Times - ties in perfectly with what that series from the Washington Post

How Cristiano Ronaldo changed football after Piers Morgan interview
A year has passed since explosive attack on Manchester United forced Ronaldo’s Old Trafford exit and led him to Saudi Arabia, helping to make the desert kingdom a new sporting superpower
https://archive.li/RsoQi

[Chester Perry]

a follow up to yesterdays piece in the Guardian on the Oligarch files from the Guardian - part 5

The Cyprus connection: the family firm that helped pour Abramovich’s millions into Chelsea
Exclusive: Limassol accountant helped Russian oligarchs hide their wealth offshore – now the firm is under UK sanctions
- Leak reveals how Abramovich funded Chelsea’s success
- How Cypriot firm helped ‘Orthodox oligarch’ after sanctions
https://archive.is/Mw9sp

This from the BBC is part of the same 'Oligarch Files' investigations that have been published in the Guardian

Secret $40m deal links Abramovich to Putin's 'wallets’
https://www.bbc.co.uk/news/world-europe-67300638