Belgian clubs report combined €139m loss
February 10 – Belgium’s 26 professional clubs registered total record losses of €139 million last year (2020-21 season), the bulk of it a result of the coronavirus crisis.
Finance
Man Utd’s €1bn player trading shortfall tops Europe’s super-spending league, Man City 2nd
February 10 – Manchester United have a negative balance of more than €1 billion on player transfer trading over the past decade. Add in Man City’s €984 million deficit and the 10-year account for Manchester shows a whopping €2 billion deficit.
Paris FC set to add Armenian investor as club pushes for Ligue1 promotion
February 8 – Ligue 2 club Paris FC is poised to announce a new investor from Armenia in a reshuffle of their ownership structure.
LaLiga and CVC get going with ‘Impulso’ despite Real Madrid and Barca’s legal challenge
February 2 – LaLiga Group International formally came into operation yesterday with a further a financial injection of €298 million into the entity by CVC, of which £220 million will be distributed to clubs.
Transfer market bounces back led by £295m Premier League club spend
By Paul Nicholson
February 1 – After two windows of relative low spend, the transfer market has roared back in the Premier League with total spending of £295 million, driven in large part by the £85 million spent by Newcastle United in their bid to avoid relegation.
Man City top Euro club revenues, but pandemic has hit top 20 top teams for a combined €3bn loss
January 31 – The financial effects of the covid pandemic on Europe’s leading clubs is becoming more measurable with an analysis of 20 clubs showing an annual average decrease of €45 million.
LaLiga takes first €400m of CVC investment
January 21 – After a prolonged battle with three of its clubs, LaLiga has seen the first injection of cash into its Impulso project from private equity firm CVC.
Turkey’s Acun Ilicali buys Hull City for £24m from Egyptian Allam family
January 20 – Turkish businessman Turkey’s Acun Ilicali (pictured) and his Acun Medya Group have become the new owners of Hull City, completing a €24 million takeover of the Championship club to end the 11-year reign of the Egyptian Allam family.
Brand Britain: Premier League generated £7.6bn for UK economy in covid-hit 2019-20
January 18 – An economic and social impact report highlights the contribution of the Premier League to brand Britain, as well as the important social role it plays within the UK and in England in particular.
Sale of Watkins and Benrahma offsets operating losses at Premier League new boys Brentford
By David Owen
January 18 – Brentford, the West London club whose finances have been transformed by promotion to the top tier for the first time since 1946-47, have produced figures for the year to end-June 2021, their promotion season.
KPMG report shows €500bn revenue loss for 8 of Europe’s league champions
January 14 – KPMG Football Benchmark’s European Champions Report 2022 gives another snapshot of the disruptive impact the coronavirus pandemic has had on club finances over the past year.
Boost to broadcasting revenue puts Manchester City back in profit – just
By David Owen
January 13 – Manchester City have produced a glossy annual report containing limited financial information for the 2020-21 season. The headline detail is that the Abu Dhabi-owned club have returned to profit after the heavy losses of 2019-20, which left them 19th out of 20 in a rather sorry-looking Premier League profits table.
Textor fast follows Botafogo deal with stake in Belgium’s Molenbeek
By Samindra Kunti
January 13 – John Textor has not waited long to deliver on his promise to build a global network of clubs. Days after taking over storied Brazilian club Botafogo, he has become a co-investor in Belgian club RWD Molenbeek.
From Crystal Palace to Botafogo. Textor builds club stakes with 90% of Brazilian club
January 11 – Crystal Palace co-owner John Textor will become the owner of Botafogo, the president of the Brazilian club Durcesio Mello announced on Monday.
Ashley goes after Staveley over Newcastle sale as club humiliated in FA Cup
January 10 – Just weeks after hopes were raised of a new dawn when the club was purchased by a cash-rich Saudi-led consortium, albeit highly controversially, English sleeping giant Newcastle United are back in the headlines for all the wrong reasons – on and off the pitch.