Premier League CEO Richard Masters has insisted the English top-flight is not facing a threat to its global popularity from the Saudi Pro League following its heavy spending in the transfer market this summer.

In his annual pre-season question-and-answer session with journalists from written publications on Wednesday, Masters said the growth of the Saudi league “was something to keep an eye on” but added: “We are way off worrying about that at the minute.”

He pointed out the FA was formed in 1863 and the Football League in 1888 and said it was very difficult to buy the kind of success that the Premier League has enjoyed.

“If you are creating a football competition that people are interested in watching, part of the answer is the players on the pitch and managers,” he said. “But there’s a whole load of other things that people buy into when supporting a club and sticking with them for life.

“English football has all of the core ingredients –the rich history and tradition … the home and away support, the packed stadiums, fast-paced football – all those things English football is known for are really hard to replicate. They are all part of the package of things that makes it attractive to sponsors, broadcasters and, critically, fans.”

Chelsea under investigation

Masters also confirmed that Chelsea are under investigation by the Premier League after the current owners reported their own club over a number of financial transactions during Roman Abramovich’s era.

The investigation includes the scrutiny of millions of pounds in payments to secret offshore companies, some linked to football intermediaries, and could lead to sanctions including a heavy fine or a points deduction for the West London club.

“We have been pretty open about the historic issues with regard to Chelsea because they self-reported to the Premier League and to the FA so it is obvious we are looking into that,” Masters said. “If the Premier League believes a club has breached the financial regulations and there is a case to answer, that case will be put to the club.”

Saudi Pro League announces global broadcast deals for new season

The Saudi Pro League has confirmed its global broadcast plans for the 2023/24 season after securing a series of deals spanning more than 130 territories.

A source told Bloomberg that the agreements for the new campaign, which starts on Friday, are at rates as much as four times higher than last season’s total revenue from broadcast rights.

According to data from the SportBusiness Media Rights Tracker, the league’s 28 international deals last season generated revenue of about $710,000.

Fox Sports in the US, Canal Plus in France and sub-Saharan Africa, Sport TV in Portugal and a multi-territory agreement with DAZN, reported to be worth about $500,000 a year, are the standout agreements for the new season, which were secured by the agency IMG.

In Europe, deals have also been agreed with La7 (Italy), Marca.com (Spain), Cosmote (Greece), Prima Sports (Romania), Setanta (CIS countries, Baltics and Ukraine), A1 Bulgaria / Max Sport (Bulgaria) and Supersport (Albania and Kosovo).

Three games per matchweek

The inventory on offer to global broadcasters has increased from two games per matchweek last season to three this season. Distribution via mainstream TV and streaming outlets is said to have been important to the Saudi league, following LIV Golf’s struggles with broadcast distribution.

In a statement, Saudi Pro League interim CEO Saad Allazeez said: “These agreements come at a time of genuine growth for Saudi Arabian football, with growing interest in the Roshn Saudi league from football fans all around the world.”
 

Report: Female workers making FIFA World Cup merchandise face systemic harm

Female workers who produce official FIFA merchandise have endured pay below minimum wage, verbal abuse, unpaid overtime and threats of job loss if they fall pregnant, according to a new report by human rights researcher Equidem.

The report features interviews with women workers in factories in Bangladesh that make merchandise for FIFA events – including the Women’s World Cup.

Equidem has criticised FIFA for not taking action over a situation that seems to go against the advances the tournament has been responsible for, and urged FIFA president Gianni Infantino to extend “that progress to addressing the harms its women workers experience”.

Distressing testimonies

The report provides distressing testimonies including verbal abuse and the illegal denial of worksite childcare and maternity leave. Equidem also heard several stories of women denied freedom of association.

A FIFA spokesperson said: “FIFA has stringent labour rights requirements for companies producing FIFA-licensed goods and takes any allegation of labour rights abuse in its supply chain very seriously. FIFA is in contact with both Equidem and the respective companies to further investigate the matter.”

Premier League may have to scrap mid-season break due to calendar demands

Premier League CEO Richard Masters has admitted the English top-flight may have to scrap its mid-season break due to the overcrowding of the football calendar.

Speaking with a group of written media ahead of the new season, which starts on Friday, Masters said the expansion of UEFA’s European club competitions in 2024/25 and FIFA’s expanded World Cup in 2026 will make keeping the break more difficult.

The Premier League chief said the mid-season break, which this season will take the form of a structured two-week period in January, “is one of the things we are discussing with the FA and EFL.” The break was agreed with the FA in 2018 and first came in for the 2019/20 season.

“Last season where it’s recognisable”

Masters added: “It is the last season where it’s recognisable under the current international match calendar, where the Premier League starts on a particular weekend, and the FA Cup final has its own weekend and you have the Champions League after that, [and] a mid-season player break in the middle.

“A lot will have to change because of the additional European dates. We are also very much aware of the changes to FIFA’s competitions. There’s lots of dialogue with UEFA, but very little dialogue with FIFA.”

Paris Saint-Germain are moving closer to selling a minority stake in the club to American private equity firm Arctos Partners, according to L’Équipe.

The newspaper has reported that PSG president Nasser Al-Khelaïfi met with senior executives from Arctos, who travelled to Paris on Tuesday specifically to discuss the acquisition of a stake which is expected to be between 5 and 15 per cent.

While a number of American investment funds have expressed interest in investing in the French champions in the past, it appears Arctos could be announced as minority shareholders in the next two months.

It is believed that as well as injecting money into the club, Arctos has proposed that it would also boost some commercial aspects of the club and increase PSG's revenue.

Arctos would also wish to work with the club’s owners, Qatar Sports Investments, on a timeshare arrangement and with Qatar on sporting events in the country.

Asian investors

The development comes after Arctos had already shown interest in buying a share of PSG's capital last spring. During the club’s preseason tour of Japan, Al-Khelaïfi also met with Asian investors but he looks set to opt for American investment instead.

 

LaLiga clubs face chaos with 48 of 90 summer transfer deals yet to be registered

LaLiga clubs are facing a potentially chaotic start to the season due to delays in the registration of a number of new signings, according to a report from Marca.

The newspaper understands that only 48 of the 90 transactions carried out during the summer transfer window have been registered so far. As well as new player purchases they include contract renewals, and first-team contracts for youth players.

The situation is said to have come about due to Spanish football’s stringent financial rules which clubs are required to meet in order for new contracts to be approved.

FC Barcelona with only 13 players registered

While Real Madrid’s new signings have all been registered, FC Barcelona currently only have 13 first-team players registered and two of them are about to leave the club – Ivorian midfielder Franck Kessié and French winger Ousmane Dembélé.

At present it remains a possibility that no new signings or players on a new contract will be able to make their debut for Barça in their season opener at Getafe on Sunday.

Elsewhere, Villarreal have had several new signings registered, but, as with Barcelona, none of the new arrivals or players with new contracts at Sevilla and Alavés have yet been approved to play.

 

FC Sochaux in last-ditch bid to avoid bankruptcy as former president searches for fresh investment

The former president of FC Sochaux, Jean-Claude Plessis, and his right-hand man Pierre Wantiez are staging a desperate bid to secure the immediate future of the crisis-ridden club, according to French media reports.

Plessis and Wantiez were due to present a budget for the club to play in the third-tier National 1 to the French Football Federation (FFF) on Wednesday. The club were relegated from Ligue 2 after running into financial difficulties.

As reported by L’Équipe, unless the budget for the new season, which starts on Friday, is approved the club faces the prospect of going bankrupt.

Proposed takeover

Romain Peugeot, a private investor and the great-grandson of FC Sochaux’s founder, had previously tried to raise the required funds to save Sochaux to no avail, and had reportedly thrown in the towel over a proposed takeover of the club.

However, Peugeot is now believed to be joining Plessis and Wantiez in their attempts to find the necessary investment to begin the season in the third-tier and they are said to be optimistic.

If a budget is not approved by the FFF, Sochaux would be expected to quickly file for bankruptcy and drop into National 3, or even the sixth-tier Regional 1, in view of the state of the club's accounts. It would also lose ownership of its training facility.

 

Chelsea agree new £40 million-plus shirt sponsorship deal with US company Infinite Athlete

Chelsea have finally agreed a new front-of-shirt sponsorship deal with American technology giants Infinite Athlete worth more than £40 million-a-year, The Daily Mail reports.

Both parties had hoped to confirm the deal on Tuesday but were delayed as they awaited a green light from the Premier League. The new sponsor’s brand could be on the Chelsea kit in time for their opening match at Stamford Bridge against Liverpool on Sunday.

Chelsea fans on social media began to speculate about the shirt deal when images were leaked from the club’s pre-season media day, but a source close to the deal told The Daily Mail: “It’s just awaiting Premier League approval.”

The contract has been in the making for months and ends the club's search for a new shirt sponsor following the end of their deal with mobile phone company Three at the end of last season.

Seven-year partnership

The agreement comes after a recent rebrand, which saw the previous name of Tempus Ex Machina shelved in favour of Infinite Athlete. In April, Chelsea unveiled a seven-year partnership with Tempus Ex Machina “to power innovative technology enhancements for the club and our global fanbase.”

Infinite Athlete has plans to become a major player in world football, supplying affordable player data to clubs and allowing fans to watch games from multiple camera angles. The company already has huge sponsorship deals with the NFL and the US Collegiate Pac-12 Conference.

A Premier League investigation into transactions made by Chelsea under Roman Abramovich’s ownership will include the scrutiny of payments of millions of pounds to secretive offshore companies, The Times reports.

The investigation has come after Chelsea’s new owners reported their own club to the FA, Premier League and UEFA over a number of financial transactions from between 2012 and 2019 they uncovered during the takeover process.

Sources with knowledge of the case told The Times that payments to about six offshore companies have been identified, which are believed to have been linked to the transfer of players.

The payments, which run into seven figures, appear not to have been registered as part of the club’s annual financial reporting to the FA, Premier League and UEFA.

Links with Russia

Some of the offshore companies have been traced to football agents and intermediaries, but sources said it has not been possible to establish who is behind other companies. Some of the transactions are believed to have links with Russia.

Payments by Chelsea to the father of the Denmark defender Andreas Christensen, who was signed from Brondby in February 2012, are also expected to be investigated.

Even though any rule breaches would have been under the previous ownership, the club, who were bought by the Todd Boehly-Clearlake Capital consortium for £2.5 billion last May, could face sanctions from the Premier League such as heavy fines and points deductions.

Chelsea have already agreed a €10 million settlement with UEFA to cover Financial Fair Play (FFP) rule breaches. UEFA said the fine was for “instances of potentially incomplete financial reporting under the club’s previous ownership”.

Saudi Pro League official: Transfer spending no one-off and part of long-term strategy

A top official at the Saudi Pro League has said the vast sums spent over the last few months on enticing some of the world's top players to the country is no one-off and is part of a long-term strategy to make the league one of the best in the world.

In an interview with Reuters, the league’s chief operating officer Carlo Nohra said that authorities in the country are confident their strategy of going all out to sign the game's biggest names would ensure that fans flocked to stadiums in the new campaign, which starts on Friday.

Nohra said: "What you're seeing is simply the Saudi Pro League doing what other leagues needed to do ... We have joined these ranks, and we're doing whatever it takes to improve quality on the pitch."

He added that the league's strategy would take time to come to full fruition and that the spending was set to continue. "Look, this is definitely a journey,” he said. “This is not just for one weekend. We've set out to achieve this objective to be one of the top 10 leagues in the world.”

DAZN closing in on live rights

Meanwhile, DAZN is reported to be close to acquiring the live broadcast rights for the Saudi Pro League in the UK, Germany and Austria. A source told Bloomberg that the sports streaming company will pay around $500,000 for a one-year deal, and that Greece and Brazil have separately agreed to deals.

Coverage of the Saudi Pro League will begin this week with the start of the season, and the service is expected to show three matches a week, including all those featuring Cristiano Ronaldo.

LaLiga posts €12.1 million profit for 2022/23

LaLiga returned to profitability during the 2022/23 financial year, with a surplus of €12.1 million, according to the LaLiga Group’s consolidated annual accounts, published on Tuesday.

The Spanish league said it closed the year with equity of €59.1 million and saw an increase in its own funds, cash, income from the commercialisation of audiovisual rights and commercial management.

Net turnover amounted to almost €2 billion, up 55.3 per cent on the previous year, with revenues from audiovisual rights income reaching €1.8 billion, €38.8 million higher than in the previous year.

Sponsorship activities generated €150.2 million, up €18.5 million on 2021/22. LaLiga said this increase was due to obtaining new sponsors in new sectors and territories, "thus consolidating the strategy marked years ago, especially in the international arena.”

Commercial activities

The published accounts refer to all the activities of the LaLiga Group and its subsidiaries, which includes the commercial activities of LaLiga's national and international subsidiaries and its different lines of activity, such as LaLiga Business School, LaLiga Academy, the Legends project, the licensing and sponsorship activity and the technological development activity.

Chelsea set to start season without shirt sponsor despite late £40 million offer from adult website

Chelsea risk starting the new season without a shirt sponsor despite ongoing discussions and a late £40 million offer from an adult website, according to The Daily Mail.

The newspaper understands that the West London club, who begin their Premier League campaign at home to Liverpool on Sunday, have spoken to several firms over a potential sponsorship agreement, but are unlikely to agree a deal before the opening game.

It comes despite Chelsea receiving an offer from adult subscription platform My.Club to become their new sponsor.

As reported by The Mirror, My.Club vice president Mike Ford said: “We here at My.Club want to sponsor Chelsea as they look to improve on last season's disappointment. We want to have the My.Club logo emblazoned on the front of Chelsea's jerseys before the club kicks off its 2023 season against Liverpool.”

12th-placed finish

Chelsea had hoped to find a sponsorship deal that was worth more than their previous £40 million-per-year deal with Three, but last season’s 12th-placed finish and failure to qualify for the Champions League has made that a much more difficult task.

The club’s CEO Chris Jurasek is in charge of landing a new sponsor and according to The Daily Telegraph refuses to compromise on the quality of the deal, as he feels it could set an “unwanted benchmark” for future negotiations.

Chelsea had a potential agreement with Paramount blocked by the Premier League over fears it would upset the league’s broadcast partners, and then withdrew from negotiations with gambling firm Stake over a deal worth around £40 million a year amid a backlash from fans groups.

American investment fund Ares Management has injected a further $75 million into MLS club Inter Miami and is also reported to be in talks with Chelsea.

According to a statement released on Friday, Inter Miami will use the money from US-based Ares’s credit group to develop its proposed Miami Freedom Park stadium and fund other growth initiatives.

Ares has now invested $225 million in Inter Miami since 2021. The club, currently languishing at the bottom of the MLS Eastern Conference league, has been boosted by the arrival of Lionel Messi last month.

Chelsea discussions

Meanwhile, as reported by The Financial Times, Chelsea’s owners have held talks with Ares Management and several other investors about raising funds as they explore options for a stadium upgrade and look to add to their network of teams.

The West London club is considering whether to redevelop Stamford Bridge or build a new stadium in nearby Earl’s Court, and is also looking for further acquisitions after making its first move into multiclub ownership in June with the purchase of French team RC Strasbourg.

Sources told The Financial Times that new investment in Chelsea might come in preferred equity financing or other debtlike instruments that offer downside protection, and that fundraising could be around $500 million or higher.

 

FIGC report: Italian clubs dealing with structural issues amid Covid-19 impact

Italian football is facing major long-term structural challenges amid the lingering impact of Covid-19, according to the latest study of football finance published by the Italian Football Federation (FIGC).

The annual ReportCalcio, produced by the FIGC with the AREL research agency and PwC Italia, found that clubs in Serie A, Serie B and Serie C recorded aggregate losses of €1.4 billion in the 2021/22 financial year, up from €1.3 billion the previous year.

Total revenues were €3.43 billion, down from €3.61 billion in 2020/21 and still some way below the pre-pandemic figure of €3.9 billion recorded in 2018/19.

Federico Mussi of PwC wrote in the report: “In the last edition of the ReportCalcio we commented on the aggregate loss of €1.3bn for the season 2020-21, pointing out how that result was strongly impacted by the pandemic period.

“However, the aggregate loss of the season 2021-22 was even higher and was the worst net result in the 15 years analysed in the ReportCalcio, confirming the degree to which the industry continues to show structural weakness.”

The report pointed to an increasingly urgent need to start an investment programme for the construction of a new generation of football facilities in Italy, and for clubs to rebalance their books.

Commenting on the report, FIGC president Gabriele Gravina said: “The need to bring the system back into balance is evident, putting costs under control and allocating resources for investments in nurseries and infrastructures,” he said.

Gravina demands FIFA intervention over Saudi Arabia

Meanwhile, Gravina also called for action from FIFA to deal with Saudi Arabia’s heavy spending in the transfer market and its impact on the game as a whole.

Speaking at the presentation of the ReportCalcio, Gravina said: “With Saudi Arabia we are in the area of competence of FIFA and I think it is right that it begins to identify a method for a whole series of interventions that no longer respond to the logic of the market but to the logic of support and support through the use of state funds.”

 

Premier League clubs call for six-year domestic TV deals

Some top-flight clubs want the Premier League to consider selling its domestic rights for up to six years rather than the existing three-year cycle, according to a report from The Times.

Any change would have to be agreed by the broadcasting regulator Ofcom, and the Premier League has not yet approached it ahead of the next rights auction, due to take place early next year.

The three-year cycle has been in place due to the Premier League’s 2006 agreement with the EU, but Brexit has since made that redundant.

A number of clubs are said to have eyed the NFL’s 11-year TV deals with five broadcasters – worth a staggering £87 billion – and wondered if longer-term deals would be both more valuable and more secure.

Broadcasters, both existing rights holders and those eyeing up a bid, would also prefer the option of longer deals. Sky Sports’ latest contract with the English Football League (EFL) runs over five years.

“Advantages” to longer deals

Andrew Georgiou, president of WBD Sports Europe which now co-owns TNT Sports (formerly BT Sport), said “there are advantages” to longer deals.

“Ultimately it is a regulatory question,” he said. “It’s about what Ofcom thinks and how long they will permit the EPL to go to market for, from a competition perspective. We’ve seen rights in other markets go for a lot longer and Premier League rights in overseas markets go for up to six years.”

Chelsea are looking for fresh investment to help boost the club’s prospects following a difficult first season under the club’s new owners, according to a report from Bloomberg.

Sources said the club has approached investors about raising capital, and that any new investor could inject money in return for a stake in the West London club. One source said the Bluescould raise as much as $500 million.

Chelsea, who were taken over by Todd Boehly and Clearlake Capital last May, spent over £600 million on new players last season, and have recently taken the first step in their multi-club strategy, buying the French team RC Strasbourg.

Yet the first season under the new ownership group was a major disappointment, with Chelsea finishing 12th in the Premier League their lowest league position in 29 years.

No front-of-shirt or sleeve sponsors

As well as being without European competition this season, the club is set to start the new campaign without front-of-shirt and sleeve sponsors, having failed to agree deals. They also face a potentially expensive stadium redevelopment plan.

For the 2021/22 financial year, Chelsea suffered a loss of nearly £116 million on revenue of £453 million. Under new manager Mauricio Pochettino, the club has spent the summer selling unwanted players, and refocusing on a younger team.

Ex-Sampdoria owner Ferrero has appeal against Radrizzani and Manfredi rejected

A Genoa court judge has rejected an attempt from former Sampdoria owner Massimo Ferrero to halt the acquisition of the club by the new shareholders Andrea Raddrizzani and Massimo Manfredi.

As reported by Italian media, Ferrero, who currently owns 49 per cent of Sampdoria, had filed an urgent appeal in order to obtain a precautionary measure that would block future capital increases in the club.

During the shareholders' meeting of 13th June, Radrizzani and Manfredi subscribed to a capital increase to save the club from bankruptcy after buying shares from a small shareholder.

Convertible bond loan

Ferrero’s case centred around the €30 millionconvertible bond loan that was needed to complete the required capital increase as part of the transfer of ownership.

However, the judge of the court of Genoa, Paolo Gibelli, rejected Ferrero’s case, allowing the new owners to complete the process of becoming majority shareholders in the club.

Ssh Holding, the company represented by Ferrero’s lawyer Pieremilio Sammarco at the hearing, now has 15 days to present any appeal.

Nottingham Forest face potential legal action over millions in overdue payments to players and agents

Nottingham Forest owe millions in overdue payments to players and agents, with legal action being considered if they don't settle the debts imminently, The Daily Mail reports.

The newspaper understands that bonuses for last season, including Premier League survival payments, for players who left the club this summer were due to be paid at the end of July but have failed to materialise.

It was also revealed that a number of agents, also owed millions, are now considering legal action, which could potentially see winding up petitions issued against the club.

The agents are said to have been left waiting for commission payments on transfers and are ready to escalate matters, should the debts not be settled imminently.

Hectic summer window

Last season, following promotion from the Championship, Forest brought in 21 players in a hectic summer window. By the end of the year that figure had reached 30, leaving them with a hefty bill to pay agents.

A comparatively quiet transfer window has followed so far this summer. Players who remain at the club are due to be paid their bonuses at the end of August. It is thought that those who have left will receive their fees at the same time.

Reading owners looking for new investors to provide financial stability

Reading have confirmed that the club's owners are seeking fresh investment to provide financial stability at the beleaguered EFL League One club.

In a statement, Reading said the club’s owner, Chinese businessman Dai Yongge, “remains fully committed to the club”, and that he and CEO Dayong Pang “have been extremely active in recent weeks in trying to establish a sustainable source of financial backing for the football club going forward.”

Reading, who were relegated from the Championship last season, were put under a fresh transfer embargo by the EFL late last month for failing to pay taxes on time.

As reported by The Reading Chronicle, that embargo has now been lifted after the club settled the overdue tax bill. Reading had only just had a previous two-year transfer ban lifted, and was also served a winding-up petition over unpaid taxes in June.

In the club statement, Reading said: “Despite ongoing complex cashflow constraints – related in part to the intense and protracted effects of the global pandemic which continue to impact business in China – the full wage bill has been satisfied for both players and staff at the end of the month.

“The day-to-day processes at both Bearwood Park and the Select Car Leasing Stadium remain challenging though, so Mr Dai and Dayong Pang are striving to secure external investment which will offer substantial assistance to the operations of the club in its immediate future.”

Sit-in protest

Supporters remain deeply frustrated with the club’s ownership, and Reading protest group Sell Before We Dai have confirmed plans for a sit-in after the home match against Peterborough United on Saturday.

A spokesperson for the group, Nick Houlton, said: “Not for the first time, hopes of a new dawn at Reading have been replaced by even darker skies as Yongge Dai and Dayong Pang continue to bounce our beloved club from farce to farce.”

Amidst a blizzard of litigation from football agents and their representative bodies, just two months out from FIFA Football Agent Regulations (FFAR) being implemented, the world governing body was last week given a key victory ahead of the regulations actually coming into place.

The Court of Arbitration for Sport (CAS), the global supreme body for sports-related disputes, “dismissed in their entirety” a complaint brought to it by Professional Football Agents Association (PROFAA) against regulations that promise to transform the football agency industry when they come into place on 1 October.

In so doing it removes one of the key legal obstacles the world governing body faced and may set a precedent when similar complaints are heard across other jurisdictions, as well as the European Court of Justice (CJEU).

FFAR are the biggest changes to the rules governing agents in a generation. As well as introducing basic service standards for football agents, the new regulations include a mandatory licensing system, prohibition of multiple representation and the introduction of a cap on agent fees.

FIFA say that the changes will limit the €500 million agents fees earn each year and rein in the worst excesses of the industry. FIFA say that the CAS award confirms its position that the FFAR are “a reasonable and proportionate regulatory measure” that help to resolve “systemic failures” in football’s financial ecosystem.

Many agents oppose FFAR saying it severely limits their ability to do business and have litigated against the rules.

PROFAA declared itself “extremely disappointed” by the ruling and said that it will affect “thousands of football agent’s livelihoods and families around the world.” It warned that it will continue to support “any and all litigation” against FIFA’s regulations.

But what does the ruling mean? Is the game up for litigious agents? Will FIFA have carte blanche when it brings in the FFAR on 1 October? Is this the end of the road for the agent industry as we know it?

Clean sweep

In terms of a legal victory, reflects the sports lawyer Stephen Taylor Heath, “It could not be more of a clean sweep.”

“Other than suggesting some elements of the rules could do with a greater degree of clarification to avoid arguments on interpretation,” says Taylor Heath, who is head of sports law at JMW Solicitors, “They have been found to be legally fair and proportionate and that FIFA was entitled to govern agents as part of its administrative activities.”

David Winnie, partner and head of sports at London law firm Burlingtons, points to ongoing litigation in other jurisdictions and an impending  verdict at the CJEU, but in a comment piece writes that “FIFA has the upper hand in this dispute as it stands.”

Taylor Heath says that the CAS verdict effectively ends agents’ legal battles in sporting forums and that while the CJEU verdict “could skew matters”, adds that it is “difficult” to see how Europe’s highest court would go against them.

Is it over for the agents? “Yes, in terms of them being challenged in a sports forum as CAS rule extensively on the compatibility of the rules with EC Law including competition law,” says Taylor Heath.

“The CAS judgement is very well reasoned and difficult to see how ECJ could rule differently. Timing is also an issue if ECJ does not reach a ruling before 1 October when the main rules of governing agents come in.

“CAS also ruled on compatibility with Swiss, French and Italian law and it is important to note that it has not ruled on compatibility with English law – this is owed to the country no longer being in the EU.

“Some agents have argued the salary cap breaches English law, so theoretically a challenge might be brought in the English courts although it is unlikely the FA will stick their neck out and so as things stand the FA is expected to adopt the regulations in full.”

Europe wide battle

The judgement may bring clarity to the legal challenges that have been brought all over Europe against the FFAR.

In May a Dutch court rejected an effort by leading agents to block FIFA regulation and awarded costs understood to be as much as €1.5 million in favour of FIFA and the KNVB. But in the same month the Regional Court of Dortmund in Germany issued an interim injunction against FIFA and the German Football Association (DFB), prohibiting the implementation of FFAR in Germany.

The German court believed that FFAR constituted a serious violation of EU competition law and that FIFA and the DFB had abused their dominant position in violation of the Treaty of the Functioning of the EU (TFEU). The CAS verdict does not impact this the injunction, which only applies to the German jurisdiction, pending the CJEU ruling on the matter.

This, opines David Winnie, is the “common ground” amidst what he terms “a considerable degree of uncertainty” across the ongoing litigation in “so far is that national courts appear to be waiting for the decisions of the ECJ [CJEU] to give a more comprehensive and universally applicable ruling.”

Two separate litigations are ongoing in Germany, with cases also pending in several other European countries with more expected to come. However, once the CJEU ruling comes in all EU courts are bound by it. The UK would not be bound by such a ruling, but UK competition law is very similar and it is believed that courts in Britain would defacto follow the European courts on the matter. Written observations are currently being submitted to the CJEU, but an opinion is not expected on the case until the second half of 2024, with a full judgement even further down the line.

Agents view

What about the agents? Most involved in ongoing litigation are remaining tight-lipped lest public pronouncements negatively influence impending and ongoing court cases.

The European Football Agents Association (EFAA), the Rob Jansen-led body which has been among the most vociferous groups, nevertheless issued a stinging statement, saying that the CAS ruling was “no surprise” and claimed FIFA “orchestrated” the court case “in order to legitimate their new regulations.”

“Using the facade of PROFAA for advancing their own regulations was a clear political move of FIFA.”

EFAA said that the CAS award fails to adequately apply EU competition law and protect stakeholders in the sports sector from the “unbridled power” of international sport governing bodies.

“By rejecting the FAR's clear intent to fix prices in so far as creating fee caps that are unrealistic and unrelated to any significant market figure, it is clear that the CAS holds remaining in good graces with their Swiss friend as more important than protecting thousands of agents, and the health of the football market, globally,” it said.

It accused CAS of being “willing to bend judicial procedure in order to come to a favourable outcome” and concluded “The contradictory reasoning of the court casts a severe shadow of doubt on its impartiality.”

“We remain confident that the FAR will be considered incompatible with EU (competition) law by national civil and European courts, and we await the decision of these ongoing legal cases,” said EFAA.

FIFA sources ridiculed the claims of conspiracy, pointing out that the CAS arbitrator Romano F. Subiotto KC is notoriously tough, and previously awarded against the world governing body when its former vice president Mohamed Bin Hammam took a case against them during a 2011 bribe scandal.

Game over?

Winnie says that while CAS gives FIFA the “upper hand” there is some solace for agents from the differing court verdicts across Europe.

“The most obvious conclusion that can be drawn from the court rulings that have arisen so far is that there is a considerable degree of uncertainty as to whether FFAR ought to be deemed legally invalid and unenforceable, which might provide some comfort for agents,” he says.

“However, until the ECJ provides a definitive conclusion (whenever that might be) the FFAR will be applied and enforced in many countries from October 2023.”

Taylor Heath, however, thinks that the CAS ruling makes it difficult to see where the agents take this next. “You also have to remember it was the agent’s association that took the case to CAS so they have accepted CAS jurisdiction as did FIFA,” he says.

He describes it as a “landslide victory” for FIFA, and notwithstanding the legal practicalities of challenging the world governing body further, there are cost implications too.

There is awareness of the chastening Dutch court decision that cost one of the agent member groups a seven-figure sum earlier this year.

“Normal litigation rules are that if you lose, you pay – agents may therefore not wish to risk the financial costs of mounting their own action,” he says.

Manchester United have announced a new kit deal with Adidas worth £900 million over ten years, with the potential to earn even more from bonuses.

The extension of the partnership means it will now run until at least June 2035. The existing deal between the two parties is worth £750 million over ten years, and was signed in 2014 to run from 2015/16.

The new agreement will be the third-largest kit deal in football behind FC Barcelona's contract with Nike, worth around €155 million per season, and Real Madrid's own deal with Adidas, valued at €120 million annually.

It is expected United’s latest deal will also include the possibility of bonuses related to winning trophies, as well as a similar penalty clause.

Under the current deal, Adidas would pay 30 per cent less over a season if United fail to qualify for the Champions League for successive seasons. The existing contract allows for bonuses of up to £4 million a season.

No bearing on possible sale

Insiders told The Times that the announcement has no bearing on the possible sale of the club, with United executives operating on a “business as usual” basis while options are explored by the Glazer family.

It was also said that the Adidas extension will provide extra reassurance to those bidding to buy United about the club’s financial future. The main contenders are Sir Jim Ratcliffe’s Ineos group and a Qatari bid led by the banker Sheikh Jassim bin Hamad al-Thani.

 

Juventus banned from Europa Conference League and hit with €20 million fine for UEFA FFP breaches

UEFA has banned Juventus from competing in the 2023/24 Europa Conference League after concluding the club violated its Financial Fair Play regulations.

In a statement, UEFA said its Club Financial Control Body (CFCB) First Chamber had found that “Juventus violated the UEFA’s regulatory framework and breached the settlement agreement signed in August 2022.”

The European governing body has also fined the Turin club €20 million, half of which is suspended and will only be enforced if the club’s annual financial statements for the financial years 2023, 2024 and 2025 do not comply with UEFA’s accounting requirements.

Juventus said in a statement that they accepted UEFA’s decision and would not appeal. “Juventus, while continuing to consider the alleged violations insubstantial and its actions correct, has declared to accept the decision,” the club said.

However, they insisted that this did not “constitute admission of any liability against itself”.

Fiorentina to take Juve’s place

Juventus’s place in the Europa Conference League will be taken by Fiorentina, who finished eighth in Serie A last season, one place behind Juventus, who were deducted 10 points after being found guilty by the Italian Football Federation (FIGC) of false accounting in relation to capital gains.

 

Chelsea agree to pay €10 million UEFA fine for FFP breaches under Abramovich ownership

Chelsea have agreed to pay a €10 million fine to UEFA for breaching Financial Fair Play rules by submitting “incomplete financial information” during Roman Abramovich’s ownership.

In a statement, UEFA said: “Following the club’s sale in May 2022, the new ownership identified, and proactively reported to UEFA, instances of potentially incomplete financial reporting under the club’s previous ownership.

“The reported matters related to historical transactions which took place between 2012 and 2019.”

“Following its assessment, including the applicable statute of limitations, the CFCB First Chamber entered into a settlement agreement with the club which has agreed to pay a financial contribution of €10 million to fully resolve the reported matters.”

Payments to agents

Sources with knowledge of the case have told The Times that the irregularities identified by the new Chelsea owners include payments to certain agents that were not disclosed as part of the club’s financial statements.

Chelsea were bought by a consortium led by Todd Boehly and Clearlake Capital from Abramovich for £2.5 billion last May.

 

UK and Ireland on course to host Euro 2028 after Turkey and Italy decision

The joint UK and Ireland bid to host Euro 2028 has moved a step closer to being confirmed after Italy and Turkey agreed to drop their individual bids for the 2032 tournament and merge into a joint submission.

Turkey was the only competitor for the plan proposed by England, Scotland, Wales, Northern Ireland and the Republic of Ireland to host the 24-team tournament in five years’ time.

As reported by The Guardian, an alliance with Italy gives those two countries a clear run in 2032, however, meaning that Turkey’s 2028 proposal is unlikely to be developed further.

The Turks, who lost out to Germany for 2024, have failed five times to land the tournament while Italy, the reigning European champions, have hosted the Euros twice before, in 1968 and 1980.

Bidding requirements

In a statement, UEFA said it “will now work with FIGC and TFF to ensure that the documentation to be submitted for [the joint Turkey-Italy bid] is compliant with the bidding requirements.”

It added: “If the joint bid does comply with such requirements, it will be submitted to the UEFA Executive Committee at the meeting scheduled on 10 October, where the appointments for 2028 and 2032 will be made. Decisions on venues and match schedules will be made at a later stage.”

Lyon have reported that total revenues for the 2022/23 financial year rose by 15 per cent on the previous year despite the club not competing in Europe.

Income was significantly boosted by the first two of three payments from the LFP’s deal with private equity firm CVC, for a total of €40 million. This resulted in media and marketing rights revenue increasing by 58 per cent to €85.3 million.

However, adjusting for the CVC deal money, underlying total revenue fell by 16 per cent due to the lack of UEFA TV revenue.

Ticketing revenue grew 4 per cent to €37.7 million, as the lack of disruption from Covid-19 offset the loss of European ticketing income.

Sponsorship and advertising revenue fell 7 per cent to €38.9 million, which the club attributed to a one-off Covid-19-related impact on the base, noting that it would have risen by 2 per cent if adjusted for this, while transfer income was €90.5 million, down by 2 per cent.

Events revenue rebounded strongly, rising by 58 per cent to €16.6 million, primarily driven by a strong concert line-up, including Ramstein, Rolling Stones, Muse, Depeche Mode and Mylène Farmer.

Commenting on the outlook for 2023/24, Trion Reid, an analyst at Berenberg Bank, said: “As the men’s team finished seventh in the league, there will be no European football for a second year in a row. However, FY 2024 revenue will benefit from the third and final payment related to the CVC investment, for €50 million.”

Club faced relegation prospect due to 2023/24 budget

Meanwhile, L’Équipe has reported that Lyon faced the prospect of being relegated to Ligue 2 due to financial irregularities in the budget for the forthcoming season presented by the club’s owner John Textor.

Earlier this month, French football’s financial watchdog, the DNCG, decided to monitor Lyon’s transfer activity and wage bill for the 2023/24 season – a decision upheld last week after the club’s appeal was rejected.

According to L’Équipe, relegation to the second tier remained a possibility until Textor put forward the guarantees requested by the DNCG. The American businessman was asked by the watchdog to inject €60 million into the club ahead of their hearing.

Tottenham Hotspur seek to distance themselves from Joe Lewis after insider trading charges

Tottenham Hotspur have sought to make it clear that Joe Lewis is no longer the club’s owner after he was charged with insider trading by US federal prosecutors on Tuesday, The Guardian reports.

The move has come as the club deal with the fallout of one of the most high-profile figures associated with the club, who is facing a number of extremely serious charges.

The 86-year-old Bahamas-based billionaire faces a 19-count indictment – 16 counts of securities fraud; three counts of conspiracy – and was bailed by a judge in New York on Wednesday after pleading not guilty to charges of giving insider trading tips.

Lewis stepped back from his publicly stated position at Spurs last October 2022. Spurs are 86.58 per cent owned by Enic and the investment company itself is 70.12 per cent owned by the Lewis Family Trust. The Spurs chairman, Daniel Levy, and certain members of his family hold the other 29.88 per cent of Enic.

As of 5th October 2022, Lewis ceased to be a part of the trust – even though it retained his name – or to be a beneficiary of it. Two trustees were appointed to run it on behalf of his family.

Spurs have described the scandal engulfing Lewis as a “legal matter unconnected with the club” and appear to be working hard to distance themselves from Lewis, having previously not taken issue with him being referred to in the media after 5th October as their owner.

Potential impact on takeover prospects

Meanwhile, according to The Athletic, the charges against Lewis, while making a sale of the club less likely in the short-term, could bring a future takeover deal closer to reality.

“Could Liberty Media, or some other wealthy individual, company or group, finally see the chequered flag and buy Tottenham?,” The Athletic reports. “Of course, and while these revelations make that unlikely in the coming weeks and months, they could make it more likely in the medium-to-long term.”

FC Barcelona set for €60 million boost from selling 16 per cent of Barça Visión to German fund

FC Barcelona are set to receive €60 million from the sale of 16 per cent of the club’s Web3 innovation platform Barça Visión to a German fund, according to a report from El Confidencial.

The latest economic lever used by the club to help fund their transfer spending has come after Barcelona last summer sold two 24.5 per cent stakes in their subsidiary business Barça Studios to Socios and Orpheus Media for €200 million in total.

The Catalan club agreed that the two firms could delay €60 million worth of payments for their stakes until December, leaving Barcelonaneeding extra funds to fill that gap and keep their salary limit at the same level.

According to El Confidencial, Barcelona have now struck a new agreement for both Orpheus Media and Socios to cede 8 per cent of their shares, so that the club can re-sell 16 per cent of it to an unnamed German investor.

LaLiga regulations

As yet it is not clear how Barcelona’s latest economic lever will comply with LaLiga’s latest set of regulations, which state that only 5 per cent of income from the sale of assets could be counted towards the salary limit.

Serie A delays media rights decision as bids fall short of €1 billion per year target

Serie A CEO Luigi De Siervo has said that a decision on a deal for the league’s next cycle of domestic broadcast rights has been delayed until October as bids remain below the €1 billion annual price tag being sought.

The Italian league had kicked off a round of talks with DAZN, Sky Italia and MediaForEurope after a first set of bids submitted by the broadcasters for the live rights to matches was dismissed as too low. The bids are for the five-year cycle starting with the 2024/25 season.

Speaking to reporters at an event in Milan late on Wednesday, De Siervo said: "Despite some improvements ... we still have work to do. Our goal remains to collect €1 billion per season.”

Offers to remain in place until 15th October

Earlier in the day, the league said offers received from broadcasters would remain in place until 15th October as clubs and the league sought to maximise the value of their media rights.

Under its current three-year deal, Serie A is earning €930 million per year from the sale of its broadcasting rights in Italy, with DAZN holding the lion's share.

Osasuna to play in Europa Conference League after UEFA reverses ban

UEFA have confirmed that Osasuna will be able to participate in next season’s Europa Conference League after reversing its original decision to punish the LaLiga club for a match-fixing scandal from 10 years ago.

Osasuna had qualified for European competition for the first time since they were found guilty of match-fixing following an investigation that took place between 2012 and 2014.

Earlier this month, UEFA decreed that the club had been directly involved in such offences and would subsequently be banned from next season's competition, after the club’s appeal was rejected.

However, after Osasuna brought the case to the Court of Arbitration for Sport (CAS), UEFA decided that the Pamplona side can compete next season after all.

Osasuna won their case by ‘Consent Award’ – a conciliation process overseen by CAS between the parties. During this process, UEFA accepted Osasuna’s arguments, so CAS did not need to hold a proper case.

“Eligible to participate”

In a statement, UEFA said: “Following the opening of Court of Arbitration for Sport (CAS) proceedings, evidence was submitted by CA Osasuna which it was not in a position to file at an earlier stage.

“UEFA reviewed this material and concluded that CA Osasuna has not been involved in match-fixing activities in the meaning of Article 4.02 UECLR. Accordingly, the Club shall be considered eligible to participate in the 2023-24 UECL for which it sportingly qualified.”

He has never been shy of taking on big challenges – but Charlie Boss may now be facing the biggest task so far in his career.

Before joining Southampton FC in April, he was the chief commercial officer at The Jockey Club, the UK’s largest commercial horse racing organisation, which owns 15 of the country’s most well-known racecourses, including Aintree, Cheltenham and Epsom Downs.

Other previous positions include commercial director, sports at Disney, head of marketing, commercial & strategy at ESPN, brand development manager at the Rugby Football Union, and marketing manager at the English FA, where he began his career.

Despite the extensive scope of those roles, in many ways few assignments have been as challenging as helping to restore hope and optimism at Southampton FC over recent months.

Boss’ appointment has been one of a series of steps taken by the club’s owners, the sports and entertainment investment firm Sport Republic, as they double down on efforts to bring sustained success on and off the pitch to the Saints as part of a multi-club group, which so far also includes Turkish second tier side Goztepe S.K., bought last August, and French Ligue 2 team Valenciennes FC, acquired just this week.

The owners’ plans for Southampton FC were dealt a hammer blow last season, with the club finishing bottom of the Premier League on just 25 points, ending their 11-year stay in the top-flight and going through three managers in the process.

As a transfer strategy focused heavily on youth unravelled painfully before supporters’ eyes – they won just two home league games – fan sentiment plummeted, and for Boss reviving this has been a top priority during his first three months in the job.

Speaking to Off The Pitch at the club’s St Mary’s stadium, he says: “One thing we've tried to do really quickly is to reconnect and re-engage with our fan base and make sure they are excited about our mission.

“Towards the end of last season, you could sense in this stadium a slight growing disconnect between the club and its fans. The hard work of the team here has very quickly started to rebuild that and we're seeing some incredible green shoots.

“Our season ticket sales are ahead of where we expected to be at this point, our shirt sales are doing brilliantly, and all of that, I think, is because the fans now feel a sense of belonging to this place again .”

3,000 new season ticket holders

According to the club, the Saints’ 2023/24 season home kit launch day delivered the single biggest day of revenue for home kit shirt sales since 2015, while 3,000 new season ticket holders have signed up for the forthcoming campaign. There were several record individual days of season ticket sales, with a 30 per cent increase compared with the previous year in season ticket purchases from fans under the age of 25, for whom affordability is particularly important.

Boss acknowledges that a key driver of the season ticket sales has been a drop in price. Depending on where fans sit in the stadium, savings on the previous season range from 6 to 30 per cent, with a reduction of 10 per cent on average. Prices now start from £359 for adults and £50 for juniors, and for payment plans, where the cost can be spread over 10 months, fans are now able to set up a direct debit scheme, having previously been required to make a payment each month via the club. Around 45 per cent of all season ticket holders are now on a payment plan compared to 34 per cent last season.

Boss notes that sales have also been boosted by increasing the maximum age for a junior season ticket from 11 to 14, designed to reduce the drop-off of fans who weren’t coming back once they turned 12, as well as the introduction of a new family zone and extended family block, all of which he believes will continue to see the average age of the club’s season ticket holders get younger, as it has done for each of the last 10 years.

However, he stresses that the over-arching efforts to boost fan engagement have also been key, in particular working more closely with the club’s Fan Advisory Board, which comprises 15 supporters and was first set up in 2018.

“We were well ahead of the fan engagement guidelines the Premier League have put out recently, but I saw a real opportunity to try and use that group in a more meaningful way,” he explains. “So, we are now trying to incorporate their feedback and their steer into the way that we think about and make decisions.

“For example, before we went on sale with season tickets, we went to them first and said ‘This is how we're thinking about the pricing. This is what the press release looks like. What do you think?’ And what that allowed us to do is to try and reflect the fans and their voice in the way we were presenting ourselves. And we're doing it all the time now.”

The Fan Advisory Board has also had test access to the club’s new app to be launched for the new season, while other areas of consultation include the club’s new website, stadium issues such as safe standing, and environmental sustainability.

As well as more regular dialogue through Zoom calls and WhatsApp groups, the club will now meet the Fan Advisory Board in-person at least four times a year for a structured board meeting co-chaired by Boss.

“Last season we were meeting slightly less frequently and with a less clear agenda of what it was trying to achieve,” says Boss. “It definitely feels constructive now and while it’s not perfect it will get better as we do it more.”

“Experiment, test and learn” in the Championship

As the club prepares for the new season, Boss says it is also keen to use what it hopes will be just one year in the Championship to “experiment, test and learn more about how our fans behave and what they want from us – so that when we go back up, we can do more for them and we're going back with far more insight driving our long-term decisions.”

As an example, he points to Saints Play, the club’s new streaming service due to launch just before the season starts, which will allow fans to watch a number of men's first-team matches live – an opportunity not available in the Premier League.

“We're very deliberately going to be pricing that on a match-by-match basis, or an episode-by-episode basis for original content. That will allow us to test things like pricing and production quality, and how we market those games and what technology we use to enhance them, so your experience as a Saints fan is better come March than it will be when we start the season.”

Multi-club benefits

Boss says Southampton FC’s commercial department is also aiming to leverage some of the benefits of being part of a multi-club group.

The new chief commercial officer visited Goztepe S.K. earlier this month, when the Saints played the Turkish club in their first pre-season friendly, and one of the topics being discussed was the platform for Southampton FC’s new app, which has been used by Goztepe for the last 12 months.

“That's been brilliant for us, because they've been able to test it with their fans and get a bunch of real-life feedback from their fan base, so when we launch our app, we're a year ahead of where we would have been.”

Along with the development of player pathways, Boss stresses that the use of technology is a central part of Sport Republic’s vision for the multi-club group and provides numerous advantages for Southampton FC, such as “having a shared technology stack with our sister clubs, and working with sports tech companies to innovate a bit more.”

Sport Republic has minority shareholdings in a number of football-related businesses, including Tonsser, an app designed to help young unsigned players aged 13 or older get professional or academy deals.

The platform, which is used by 1.6 million players across Europe, and has been used in the past by Erling Haaland as well as Southampton’s French striker Sékou Mara, was showcased for the first time in the UK at a two-part trial experience held in London in May and at Southampton’s Staplewood training ground in June.

“On the back of that, we are optimistic there could be at least one, possibly more signings that may come from it,” reveals Boss. “But regardless, the feedback from our regional scouting department was (a) this is great and (b) we would never have found these players otherwise.”

“Community-based partnership”

While Boss is keen to explore new opportunities for the club over the coming season, he acknowledges that playing in the Championship inevitably means significantly lower revenues for the club.

“The short-term impact of being relegated from the Premier League is obviously pretty dramatic, particularly from a sponsorship perspective, without the big media eyeballs that come with Premier League coverage, and also the central revenue from the league.”

Southampton FC’s main club partner remains the Yolo Group, whose brand Sportsbet.io, a crypto sports betting and casino site, has been the men’s team’s front-of-shirt sponsor since 2020/21. The partnership began with a one-year agreement which was then renewed for a further three years in a record deal for the club reported to be worth more than £7.5 million a year.

Meanwhile, the women’s team’s front-of-shirt deal with Starling Bank, which began last season, has been renewed for a further three years.

However, the men’s training kit deal with Ecowatt, which began last November, has not been extended, and the men’s shirt sleeve partnership with JD struck last August also expired after the end of the season – and before the EFL announced in June that this part of the kit would be available for sponsorship among its 72 clubs.

While Southampton FC are looking for new partners for those two assets, they have unveiled local business Draper Tools as their new back-of-shirt sponsor for the men’s team and back-of-shorts sponsor for the women’s team. The Hampshire firm was previously the Saints’ front-of-shirt sponsor for nine years from 1984 to 1993, and continued a partnership with the club until 2018.

The announcement of Draper’s new deal in June followed the launch of Southampton’s new 2023/24 home kit, which pays homage to the club’s 1987-89 shirt sponsored by Draper.

While there inevitably tends to be a greater focus on local businesses for relegated clubs, Boss stresses that having such firms as sponsors presents numerous benefits it plans to build on.

“In the Premier League, a lot of organisations feel priced out, rightly or wrongly. And so someone like Draper Tools, I think, would have discounted themselves potentially from a Premier League partnership, but have been so keen to embrace this new reality. I think it's a perfect example of a real community-based partnership that the fans love.

“And those partnerships extend far beyond just the financial impact they make. So, I think that ability to really connect with the local community, from a commercial perspective, actually will help put us in really good stead in the long term. And I would like to think whatever happens that partners like Draper Tools will come with us on that journey. And that journey, by the way, is definitely back to the Premier League.”

Former Hertha Berlin investor Lars Windhorst has revealed he made a huge loss on the sale of his shareholding in the club to American investment firm 777 Partners.

As reported by The Financial Times, the controversial German financier said that 777 paid less than €15 million up front to buy his majority stake, a heavy loss on his original €374 million investment.

Windhorst confirmed previously undisclosed details of the recent sale during a London court hearing when a barrister representing one of his creditors cross-examined him about his financial arrangements.

During the hearing, Windhorst said he had sold his Hertha Berlin shareholding for a €65 million purchase price, offset against a €50 million loan that 777 had previously provided.

“Performance-related” payment

The deal also included a “performance-related” payment of up to €35 million potentially due in future, agreed in March between one of Windhorst’s Dutch investment companies and a Belgian company belonging to 777.

Windhorst told the hearing that 777 had not yet paid all of the €15 million and that he did not remember how much had been received so far. He disagreed with the barrister that this meant 777 had defaulted on the deal.

CAS rules in FIFA’s favour over challenge to agent regulations

The Court of Arbitration for Sport (CAS) has dismissed claims made by the Professional Football Agents Association (PROFAA) in a dispute with FIFA over the legality of the governing body’s new agent regulations.

The case centred around new rules introduced by FIFA earlier this year, with agents having to pass an exam before being allowed to operate beyond 1st October.A number of agents were attempting to stop the regulations most notably the cap on their fees – from being implemented. CAS ruled against the PROFAA, with the claims “dismissed in their entirety”.

“First in-depth legal assessment”

In a statement, FIFA said it “welcomed” the decision by CAS, adding: “The award represents the first in-depth legal assessment of the legality of the FFAR by an independent panel of renowned experts.”

The decision comes after the European Football Agents Association lost a case against FIFA in the Netherlands Central Court in May, having argued that the new restrictions were unlawful as FIFA has no authority to regulate their profession.

LaLiga to use €130 million ‘jackpot’ to reward clubs for broadcast quality and innovation

LaLiga is to share out a new ‘jackpot’ of €130 million in TV rights income to clubs depending on the level of their broadcasting performance during the 2023/24 season, Spanish media have reported.

It is understood that clubs will be awarded points based on the quality of their broadcast, which will be assessed based on the use of new technology and access.

Points handed out will range from a minimum of 175 to a maximum of 500, and will be earned from features such as extra footage from the tunnel or dressing room, motivational speeches, half-time interviews and immediate reaction.

The funds will come from the new media rights deal signed by LaLiga, where 50 per cent is divided between the clubs equally, 25 per cent is based on sporting results, and the final 25 per cent goes to improving the product.

The €130 million pot from that final 25 per cent will be divided between clubs depending on the number that reach 500 points.

LaLiga Netflix series

The system is designed to encourage clubs to enhance the attraction of LaLiga broadcasts, create a more engaging product and also improve access for the upcoming LaLiga Netflix series.

It is anticipated that the new approach will have a huge impact on the level of content produced by LaLiga clubs, while the reward system is expected to benefit big clubs such as FC Barcelona, Real Madrid, Atletico Madrid, Sevilla and Valencia.

Premier League opens US office in New York

The Premier League has opened an international office in New York as it targets further growth for the league and its clubs in the US.
Based in Manhattan, the office will be led by former NBA, NFL and MLS executive Akasah Jain, who was appointed as the Premier League’s US managing director in June.

In a statement, the Premier League said: “The US base will build on the opportunities created through the League’s highly successful and long-term broadcast partnership with NBC Sports, who became the home of Premier League coverage in the US in 2013.”

The announcement came last week as the Premier League Summer Series kicked off for the first time, with six clubs playing matches across five East Coast cities.

More than 240,000 fans are expected to attend nine matches featuring Aston Villa, Brentford, Brighton & Hove Albion, Chelsea, Fulham and Newcastle United between Saturday 22nd July and Sunday 30th July.

The tournament follows on from the eight Premier League Mornings Live fan festival events the Premier League and NBC Sports have hosted in multiple US cities since 2018, which have seen more than 60,000 fans attend live match screenings.

Fan engagement boost

The Premier League said the new office “will seek to deliver more opportunities for fans in the US to engage with the League, while developing partnerships and content strategies to deepen relationships with existing supporters as well as attracting new fans.”

In 2019 the Premier League opened its first international office in Singapore, primarily established to fight piracy of Premier League content and support broadcast partners.