Brief Premier League foray fails to wipe out Fulham losses
By David Owen
March 23 – Not even a £100 million leap in annual revenue was enough to propel Fulham into profit during its brief visit to the Premier League last season.
Finance
Wage cut fears: FIFPro calls on clubs to use collective bargaining
By Andrew Warshaw
March 23 – The head of football’s world players union has urged clubs not to unilaterally slash salaries because of the effects of Covid-19 and says collective bargaining agreements are the best way forward.
PMG pulls out of KV Oostende acquisition
March 20 – American investment company Pacific Media Group (PMG) has pulled out of a deal to acquire a majority stake in struggling Belgian top-flight club KV Oostende.
Bournemouth losses triple to £32.4m as annual turnover dips again
By David Owen
March 19 – AFC Bournemouth, the Russian-owned south coast club enjoying an extended Premier League adventure under manager Eddie Howe, have announced an increased annual loss.
Spurs report £68m profit as Levy flags ‘most serious’ Covid-19 hurdle
By David Owen
March 19 – Tottenham Hotspur have disclosed another sizeable annual profit, though chairman Daniel Levy has warned that the current coronavirus pandemic amounts to the biggest hurdle the club has faced in two decades.
EFL to release £50m fund for clubs, SPL’s Hearts ask players to halve wages
March 19 – The English Football League, which represents the three professional divisions immediately below the Premier League, is to release a £50 million short-term relief fund to help cash-strapped clubs hit by the coronavirus outbreak.
KPMG report predicts Big 5 leagues could lose up to €4bn
March 19 – Europe’s Big 5 leagues could lose as much as €4 billion if no more games are played this season as a result of the coronavirus crisis. The Premier League could account for as much as €1.25 billion of that and LaLiga as much as €950 million.
Brazil’s CBF reports record €174m revenue
By Samindra Kunti
March 18 – The Brazilian Football Confederation (CBF) has reported a record revenue of €174 million in 2019, in large part due to the FIFA World Cup payouts, TV rights income and sponsorship.
FIFA disbands Trinidad and Tobago FA board as financial crisis escalates
By Paul Nicholson
March 18 – After just three months in office, the FIFA Bureau – the top table of FIFA decision makers – has removed beleaguered Trinidad and Tobago Football Association (TTFA) president William Wallace (pictured) and his newly elected board with immediate effect.
Liverpool top Euro ranking of squad transfer values beating Man City, Barca and Real Madrid
March 18 – Liverpool has the most valuable squad by transfer value at €1.4 billion, according to a ranking by the CIES Football Observatory.
Up-for-sale Southampton post £30m loss
By David Owen
March 15 – Up-for-sale Southampton have become the latest Premier League club to serve notice that they tumbled into the red in 2018-19.
Hazard and Kane drop in value, Mbappe worth €70m more than Salah, Man Utd show value
March 12 – KPMG Football Benchmark have updated player market value estimates. Kylian Mbappe, Lionel Messi and Neymar head the list of players with the likely highest transfer price tags, while Inter Milan and Argentina striker Lautaro Martínez has increased his value more than any other player since November.
Sale of João Félix delivers Benfica a €100m+ profit
March 11 – Portugal’s Benfica have reported a record €104.2 million first-half profit for 2019/20, largely due to the sale of one player. Last year the club reported a profit of €14.1 million.
Gao puts Saints up for sale with £250m price tag
March 9 – Premier League Southampton are up for sale again with Jisheng Gao having reportedly instructed brokers to sell his 80% stake for £250 million. Goa completed his acquisition of the Saints in August 2017 for £210 million.
Liverpool join the £300m club for annual staff costs
By David Owen
March 6 – Liverpool’s staff costs surged through the £300-million mark last season, as the Merseysiders put the finishing touches to the squad that is running away with this year’s Premier League title.