By Paul Nicholson
October 16 – FIFA for $21 billion or Manchester United for $4 billion? When you have $1 trillion, why not buy both? The Saudi Arabian determination to acquire their way to controlling positions in world football’s biggest brands knows no bounds – and football, like business, generally doesn’t discriminate when it comes to money.
October 15 – Australian A-League clubs may be financially better positioned than they have been letting on during their governance and financial disputes with their football federation over power and money.
October 12 – AS Roma has reported draft financial statements for last season showing a record revenue of €250.87 million and a reduction in losses to €25 million, compared to the €42 million the previous year.
October 12 – The Deutsche Fußball Liga (DFL) is building an investment portfolio focussed on technology start-ups and SMEs that could have a direct impact on their business.
October 10 – The English FA’s controversial proposed sale of Wembley Stadium for £600 million to Fulham’s American owner Shahid Khan could be scuppered amid emerging allegations of “systemic corruption” at the club.
October 9 – Premier League Manchester United with €269 million-a-year ($308.7 million) in commercial deals are top of a ranking of European club sponsorship by value. Barcelona are close behind in second with income of €261 million ($291.5 million).
October 8 – Turkish giants Galatasaray AŞ who seemingly have spent as much time fighting UEFA over financial fair play breakeven regulations as they have competing in European club competitions, are back in hot water with UEFA’s the Club Financial Control Body (CFCB).
October 8 – Saudi Arabia has aggressively been building a portfolio and presence in football, but in Egypt the kingdom’s efforts to exert influence have backfired as the meddling of Saudi sports minister Turki Al-Sheikh hasn’t been received well by local administrators and fans.
October 5 – While Barcelona were busy confirming they had broken the $1 billion revenue barrier and had profit of €124 million, LaLiga rivals Celta Vigo showed the huge scale of financial difference between clubs in the Spanish top tier, announcing they achieved a €12 million profit last season, and a budget of €72 million for the current season.
By Paul Nicholson
October 4 – Barcelona have confirmed record revenues of €914 million ($1.05 billion) for the 2017-18 season, an increase of €206 million on the previous year. The club says it is on course to break the €1 billion mark by 2021.
October 3 – One of the best-known club names in US football, the Tampa Bay Rowdies, who boasted English legend Rodney Marsh and Brazil’s Mirandinha on their roster in the late 1970s, have been sold to the Tampa Bay Rays Major League Baseball team.
October 2 – Silvio Berlusconi, former Italian president and owner of AC Milan, is back in football club ownership having bought Serie C club Monza.
September 28 – The controversial proposed £600m sale of English football’s national Wembley Stadium has moved a step forward after being discussed by the Football Association’s board.
September 27 – Paris St Germain, under scrutiny by UEFA’s Club Financial Control Body (CFCB) for its financial year to the end of the 2018 season, looks to have moved to attempt to protect its position from UEFA sanction by arranging a capital injection of €316 million from the club’s Qatar Sports Investment owners.
September 27 – The £600 million sale of England’s Wembley stadium, the home of the national team, hangs in the balance as the FA board meets today to vote on whether to take the proposal forward to the 127-member FA Council.