December 8 – The Bundesliga will suffer a drop in revenue of a €1 billion this season if fans remain shut out of attending matches because of the coronavirus pandemic, according to German Football League (DFL) projections.
By Paul Nicholson
December 4 – Real Madrid have been the latest of Europe’s big clubs to outline the financial impact of the global pandemic on their finances – in Real’s case a €16 million hit on 2019/20 expected revenue and a drop in profit from €38 million last year to €330,000 this.
December 4 – Barcelona’s financial crisis has taken a massive hit with Carlos Tusquets, the club’s interim president, announcing that player salaries in January will be postponed.
December 3 – City Football Group and soft drinks brand Red Bull have blazed a trail in the area of multi-club football ownership, and in the pandemic era of no fans and an uncertain broadcast and sponsorship market, opportunities to buy professional teams have never been greater.
December 2 – Norwegian Erling Haaland’s goals for Borussia Dortmund have propelled him to the top of a table of €80 million+ footballers with the fastest increasing transfer valuations. He is followed by Manchester United’s mercurial Bruno Fernandes.
December 1 – Inter Milan have reported losses of €102.4 million for the 2019/20 financial year, that covers the suspension of the season in March when the covid pandemic hit.
November 30 – Spain’s Atlético Madrid will report a net profit of €1.8 million for the 2019/20 season despite debt rising to a massive €999 million, according to reports.
November 26 – The trend of Chinese investors exiting European club ownership looks set to continue if West Bromwich Albion owner Guochuan Lai (pictured) can complete a reported £150 million deal with a US consortium.
By David Owen
November 22 – Rangers, the Glasgow club which has built up an eight-point lead in pursuit of their first Scottish top-flight title in a decade, has posted an increased loss for the year to end-June 2020.
November 20 – After months of twists and turns, Italy’s Serie A has finally agreed a deal to sell a 10% stake in a newly created media and commercial rights holding company to private equity firms CVC and Advent. They will pay a reported €1.7 billion for their position, delivering a much needed cash injection for the debt-laden clubs.
By Paul Nicholson
November 19 – Private equity money looking to make a play in the football business is not being discouraged by the pandemic with investors increasingly looking at opportunities outside the higher priced top tiers of the Big 5 league clubs.
By Samindra Kunti
November 18 – La Liga has acted to keep club spending under control by reduced salary caps across its two leagues by more than €600 million because of the coronavirus pandemic. Clubs are currently on track to overspend their income by €500 million.
By David Owen
November 13 – Higher broadcasting revenue was not enough to prevent inconsistent Manchester United from reporting a pre-tax loss of £27.1 million for the first quarter of 2020-21, as coronavirus continued to exact a heavy toll on football club finances.
November 6 – The Swiss government has earmarked loans totalling CHF175 million ($194 million) per year 0 for 2020 and 2021 – for sports clubs in the country to enable them to survive the financial impact of the coronavirus.
November 5 – Scottish Premier League leaders Rangers have announced a second share issue in less than a month, with the second issue set to raise £4 million with the club having last month raised £4 million from an Asia-based investor.