By David Owen
November 15 – The English Football League (EFL) has issued a number of charges against second-tier Sheffield Wednesday relating to alleged breaches of its financial rules.
November 14 – Hertha Berlin investor Lars Windhorst has exercised his option to increase his stake in the Bundesliga club to 49.9%, spending another $109 million on top of the $138 million he spent in June to acquire 37.5%.
November 12 – A ranking of the value of loan players in Big 5 league teams has put former Liverpool striker and Barcelona misfit Philippe Coutinho at the top with a value of €96.5 million – €23.5 million less than the option to buy negotiated between Bayern and Barcelona of €120 million.
November 7 – Premier League fans are paying 31% more in England to follow their teams and the league than they were in 2014/15 season despite the cost of tickets having risen by just 1% over the same period.
November 5 – The aftermath of the tragic death of Argentine striker Emiliano Sala has taken a potentially pivotal twist with Cardiff City threatened with a three-window transfer ban by FIFA if they fail to make an initial payment of €6 million to Sala’s previous club Nantes.
By David Owen
November 5 – Norwich City, the chirpy East Anglian club controlled by celebrity chef Delia Smith and husband Michael Wynn Jones, racked up a hefty loss while securing their return to the Premier League last season.
November 4 – On the back of sporting success Flamengo are enjoying record revenues of €142.8 million for the first nine months of 2019.
November 1 – Goals Soccer Centres, operators of five-a-side football venues, has been sold to a newly formed company Northwind 5s, owned by rival operator Soccerworld and private equity firm Inflexion.
October 31 – Bury FC, the first English professional team to go out of business for 27 years, have been given a 35-day extension after a winding-up petition was adjourned in the High Court.
By David Owen
October 30 – Wolves chairman Jeff Shi has confirmed that a stake in the resurgent Midlands club is up for sale, while disclosing that the Chinese-controlled outfit made a profit of roughly £20 million in 2018-19.
By David Owen
October 29 – Inter Milan, lying hot on Juventus’s heels after a promising start to the Serie A season, have reported a net loss of €48.4 million, attributed to “significant investments” made to strengthen on-field performance.
By David Owen
October 24 – Crystal Palace, off to a good start to the season under former England boss Roy Hodgson, appear to have made arrangements in effect to receive a £22.5 million instalment of the transfer fee for wing-back Aaron Wan-Bissaka earlier than scheduled.
October 15 – The owner of Leeds United, one of the sleeping giants of English football, has revealed that Qatar Sports Investments, who own Paris Saint-Germain, are one of three parties interested in taking a major stake in the Championship club.
I have in the past been critical of the financial impact of the Champions League on European club football, and its role in reinforcing formation of a super-elite based partly on whether clubs happen to be located in one of the most lucrative European national TV markets or not.
October 3 – Three years after buying into Crystal Palace, US owners Joshua Harris and David Blitzer, look to have put their stake up for sale in a deal that would value the south London club at £210 million.