February 21 – The cost of buying players increased at an annual rate of 13.8% between the 2013/14 and 2019/20 seasons. The inflation bubble was burst with a -0.2% drop in the three seasons following the pandemic but player prices resumed their spectacular growth in 2022/23, suggesting a rapid return to record levels, said the CIES Football Observatory.
February 21 – English Tier-2 club Birmingham City could face a suspended points deduction after being charged with multiple counts of misconduct by the English Football League.
February 21 – Liverpool is not for sale but the club is in discussion with potential investors which owner John Henry expects to result in new money coming into the business.
February 18 – Qatari Sheikh Jassim Bin Hamad Al Thani has confirmed that he has submitted a bid for 100% control of Manchester United, which will be made via his newly formed Nine Two Foundation.
By Paul Nicholson
February 17 – Sheffield United’s preferred £90 million buyer Dozy Mmobousi, who has a court judgement against him in the UK for unpaid rent, is facing an even bigger problem in the US where he is facing demands for a jury trial over his failure to pay the CEO of his Tingo Mobile company close to $300,000.
February 17 – Investors from Saudi Arabia have submitted a bid for Manchester United ahead of today’s “soft” deadline according to The Daily Telegraph newspaper.
February 16 – Tottenham Hotspur’s board has indicted that it is not for sale and its owners are committed to their long-term plans for the Premier League club.
By Paul Nicholson
February 15 – FIFA has reported record‑breaking revenue $7.6 billion for the 2019‑2022 cycle and is forecasting a massive revenue increase of $4.560 million to a total of $11,000 million for the 2023-2026 cycle which culminates in the expanded 48 team World Cup hosted in the US, Canada and Mexico.
February 15 – Aston Villa’s owners V Sports are set to buy a 46% stake in Portuguese club Vitória Sport Clube.
February 14 – A bid for Manchester United by Qatari investors is expected to be made by the end of this week as they look to buy the club in its entirety.
By Luis Garcia Alvarez
In recent years, one of the most prominent trends in the investment management industry has been the explosive growth of socially responsible funds, also known as ESG funds: ‘Environmental, Social, and Governance.’ These investors have taken different perspectives, whether excluding certain industries from their portfolios, or favouring companies with better ratings according to these responsible investment criteria or those that have recently improved the most in this regard.
By Paul Nicholson
February 13 – Sheffield United’s proposed billionaire buyer Dozy Mmobuosi has outstanding County Court judgments against him in the UK for £30,109 for failure to pay his rent on a property in St Albans, Hertfordshire.
February 13 – Belgian club KAA Gent have been put up for sale and could become the latest to end up in foreign ownership.
By David Owen
February 13 – Tottenham Hotspur, the North London club whose local rivals Arsenal have surged to the top of the Premier League table, have posted a third consecutive annual loss.
February 10 – In a benchmarking report, a review of the European football finance landscape, UEFA president Aleksander Ceferin has warned clubs against ever-growing players wages which risk “compromising their economic sustainability”.