December 20 – Bayern may dominate Munich and Germany, but they are facing challenges. RB Leipzig, backed by Red Bull cash, is now a realistic challenger at the top of the Bundesliga, while locally 1860 Munich are showing signs re-emerging from the shadows thanks to the deep pockets of Jordanian investor Hasan Ismaik.
By David Owen
December 19 – The short-term impact of the early termination of Chelsea’s kit deal with Adidas has been made apparent, with the West London club announcing a big net loss of £70.6 million for the year to 30 June 2016.
By David Owen
December 16 – It is a situation that encapsulates the globalisation of top-class football in the 21st century: the sale of Brazilian midfielders to China is promising to have a transformative effect on the financial performance of a West London club controlled by a Russian businessman.
December 15 – Football Benchmark, the sports analysis and data arm of the accountancy and consultancy specialists KPMG, has expanded its database of club financial information to more than 150 clubs with the addition of the English Football League (EFL) Championship.
December 14 – The completion of the sale of AC Milan to an investment group led by Chinese investors Haixa Capital and Yonghong Li, has been put back until March 2017. Originally due to complete yesterday (December 13), the new date reflects the difficulty the Chinese have had receiving Chinese government approvals to release the money.
By Samindra Kunti
December 12 – The Chinese owners of FC Sochaux-Montbéliard have given assurances that the French club is financially secure and will compete in next season’s Ligue 2.
By David Owen
December 8 – Brighton and Hove Albion, pressing hard for a place in the Premier League for a second consecutive season, have highlighted the financial balancing-act facing upwardly mobile clubs with ambitions of top-tier football. The high-flying Seagulls from the English south coast have reported a pre-tax loss for the year to 30 June 2016 so substantial that it outstripped turnover for the same period.
December 9 – The English Football Association has suspended Leeds United’s controversial Italian owner Massimo Cellino (pictured) from all football activities for 18 months and fined the Italian £250,000 for breaking transfer regulations.
December 9 – Premier League Tottenham Hotspur reckon that 3,000 construction jobs will be created by the build of their new 61,000 capacity stadium, many of them going to local people.
By Andrew Warshaw
As if he didn’t have enough problems trying to defend the inconsistent displays of his Manchester United team, Jose Mourinho is now facing calls for an investigation into his tax affairs after leaked documents to a group of European media outlets suggested that he and other leading figures – most notably Christiano Ronaldo –made transactions that could be construed as tax avoidance.
December 5 – Completion of the sale of Serie A side AC Milan by Silvio Berlusconi to the Chinese investors now looks certain not to be completed on December 13, and could be pushed back to the end of February 2017 as the Chinese investors wait for government authorisation for the release of their money.
By Paul Nicholson
November 30 – German giants Bayern Munich join Barcelona, Manchester Untied and Real Madrid as the fourth club to break the €600 million revenue mark. Reporting revenues of €626.8 million for the 2015-16 season, the Bavarians added more than €100 million to their previous revenue figure of €523.7 million.
November 30 – The sale of AC Milan by Silvio Berlusconi to Chinese investors looks increasingly certain to take longer than the December 13 completion deadline. Berlusconi is now saying that he would be prepared to allow a 6-week extension, for a further non-refundable down-payment.
By Andrew Warshaw
November 29 – The findings of the biggest global survey to date of working conditions in men’s professional football has thrown up a raft of startling conclusions, destroying the myth that most players live in a protective bubble, drive fast cars and lead enviable millionaire lifestyles.
November 24 – AC Milan’s long awaited sale to new Chinese investors is now scheduled to complete December 13, but there seem to be some doubts on whether the sale will complete following remarks made by owner Silvio Berlusconi.