English FA target £260m into grassroots facilities build
October 27 – The English Football Association is planning to invest £260 million as part of a scheme to improve grassroots football throughout the country.
Finance
Watford owner Pozzo in fraud probe after allegedly buying club with forged bank letter
October 25 – An English Premier league club is under investigation over allegations of supplying false financial documentation.
Hull City sale turns into three-horse race as Allams play waiting game
October 21 – The sale of Premier League Hull City now appears to be a race between three different parties, two of them from China and a third group believed to be predominantly European money.
Football Benchmark goes live with latest version of business data tool
October 21 – KPMG Football Benchmark has launched a new iteration of its football business data platform.
Allams close in on new, new Chinese owners for Hull in deal worth £130m
October 20 – The protracted sale of English Premier League club Hull City to a Chinese consortium looks to have moved closer to fruition in a potential deal worth £130 million.
Champions League run pushes Man City to £19m profit
By David Owen
October 19 – A best-ever Champions League run has propelled Abu Dhabi-owned Manchester City to a near doubling of annual profits. The club, which plays Barcelona tonight, spiritual home of new manager Pep Guardiola, has reported pre-tax profits of £19.6 million for the year to May 31, up from £10.2 million in 2014-15.
Neymar to ink new €16m Barca deal, taking him through to 2021
By Samindra Kunti
October 19 – FC Barcelona and Brazil star Neymar will put pen to paper on the new five-year deal he agreed with his club in the summer this week. The deal will tie the Brazilian to Barcelona until 2021.
McCourt completes €45m OM buy and promises to spend €200m more
October 18 – American businessman Frank McCourt is the latest entrepreneur from across the pond to take over a big-name European club, completing his acquisition of France’s Olympique Marseilles.
Birmingham City stay under Chinese control as they exit receivership
October 17 – Birmingham City, one of the first clubs to be acquired by a Chinese investor before Chinese ownership became a fashion in Europe, has formally completed the transfer of shares to a new Chinese owner, Trillion Trophy Asia (TTA), controlled by Paul Suen.
UK footballers from Rooney to Durie hung out to dry in film fund tax dodges
By Paul Nicholson
October 12 – The number of players and football executives revealed as falling foul of UK revenue and customs authorities in the UK for investing in tax avoidance film funds is likely to be as high as several hundred, threatening bankruptcy for some and financial hardship for many others. It is a scandal made in the City of London but acted out in clubs across the country and not just in the Premier League.
Correction: Helvetic Services and FC Lugano
October 13 – The allegations surrounding Helvetic Services Group and their links with Swiss football and player agents have been clarified in the case of FC Lugano.
Barca match social media lead with revenue growth, finds report
By Paul Nicholson
October 6 – Social media is the fastest growing segment of most clubs’ activities but can the followers be monetised directly or are they part of the larger media/sponsor sale metrics? It is an issue that is increasingly flexing club thinking as they look to maximise and get a return on their investments in the social arena.
2006 World Cup bid ‘suspect’ Hahn makes powerplay for control of Highlight
By Paul Nicholson
October 4 – A boardroom bust-up has taken place at Highlight Communications that could see the company’s sports media assets come under the control of Dieter Hahn, the former Kirch executive who is deeply implicated in the alleged German cash-for-votes scandal around the award of the 2006 World Cup to Germany, and the secret slush fund used to buy broadcast rights to Bayern matches.
Man Utd top table of highest value squads on the planet
October 4 – Manchester United have the most expensive squad on the planet, the most money ever spent putting a football team together. Local rivals Manchester City rank third in the big money team stakes – with Real Madrid and Barcelona either side of them.
Cash-rich Gunners see profits take a hit
By David Owen
October 3 – Arsenal, the north London club whose French manager Arsène Wenger has just completed an extraordinary 20 years in the hot seat, have reported a sharp downturn in annual profits. The Gunners posted a pre-tax profit of just £2.9 million for the year to 31 May 2016 – down from a restated £18.2 million. Group turnover in the same period rose from £347.3 million to £356.5 million.