FC Barcelona have confirmed that the club’s 18-year-old midfielder Gavi can now be registered as a first team player following a court ruling.

The case had come about after LaLiga initially refused to register the player, with Barcelona currently banned by the Spanish league from registering any new players until it finds savings or new revenues.

The embargo did not stop Barça from offering a new contract to Gavi, a prodigiously talented player who is one of the club’s most valuable assets.

In a statement, the club said it had persuaded the Nº10 Commercial Court in Barcelona to require LaLiga to register Gavi before the January transfer window closed at midnight on Tuesday.

The court agreed with Barcelona’s argument that the league’s failure to register the player would “imply the player’s free agency and therefore cause serious, irreparable damage to FC Barcelona.”

LaLiga not represented

The New York Times has reported that LaLiga was not represented in the hearing and the league has said it will study the ruling before deciding the next steps.

“If the court tells us to register Gavi, we will,” a league spokesman said. “And if there are grounds for appeal, then we will appeal it.” Should there be a successful appeal, the league would deregister Gavi, the spokesman said.

Leicester City chairman relieves club of outstanding £194 million debt

Leicester City have announced that chairman Aiyawatt Srivaddhanaprabha has relieved the club of its outstanding debts to its parent company, King Power International.

In a statement, the club said that over £194 million in loans and related interest has been capitalised into equity issued to King Power International Co Limited (KPI), which is wholly owned by the Srivaddhanaprabha family.

“These loans have been provided by KPI to the club over the last four years to fund the construction of the club’s world-class new training ground at Seagrave and to continue to support the club’s investments into its squad and women’s football during the Covid-19 pandemic,” the statement read.

“Their conversion into equity serves to strengthen the club’s balance sheet, reduce its interest costs, and provide further evidence of King Power International’s commitment to supporting the club’s long-term sustainability.”

Second debt-to-equity transfer

The club noted that it is the second time such a process has been undertaken since the family took ownership of Leicester in 2010, having completed a £103 million debt-to-equity transfer in 2013.

“In both cases it has ensured that all existing shareholder investment in the club will not be carried forward as debt,” Leicester said.

LaLiga accuse Premier League clubs of “financial doping” after record January transfer

windowLaLiga and its president Javier Tebas have launched a scathing attack on Premier League clubs following the unprecedented January transfer window, which saw a record £815 million spent by English top-flight teams.

In a Tweet, Tebas said: "We read about the ‘fortress’ of the Premier League, but it is not like that. It is a competition based on millionaire losses of the clubs (their ordinary income is not enough). Most clubs are financially doped.”

Tebas shared his comment alongside a video in which LaLiga’s corporate director Javier Gómez gave the league’s reasoning behind the accusation.

"Neither more nor less, they are doping the club, they are injecting money that the club does not generate to spend,” he said. “That puts at risk the viability of a club when this shareholder leaves and in our opinion that is cheating because it drags the rest of the leagues."

Gómez went on to make a comparison between the losses and financial backing of LaLiga and Premier League clubs over recent years.

"The data are as follows,” he said. “Until 30th June, 2021, in the five previous seasons, the Premier League and the Championship had lost €3 billion, LaLiga had lost €250 million.

“In that same period, the shareholders of Premier League and Championship clubs put in €3.5 billion and the shareholders in that same period in Spain put in €450 million."

Call for UEFA sanctions

Gómez concluded by calling on UEFA to sanction clubs that do not comply with economic controls.

"That is our fight, demanding from UEFA that with the new economic control, which prevents the shareholders of the clubs from putting in more than a certain amount of money, enforce that rule and sanction clubs, no matter what country, that fail to comply with these regulations."

Aston Villa refuse to drop controversial shirt sponsor after fan backlash

Aston Villa have dismissed a campaign from their own supporters to abandon a shirt sponsorship deal with controversialAsian betting firm BK8, The Daily Telegraph reports.

Villa's deal with Cazoo, the current sponsor, expires this summer, and the club are set to confirm a new sponsorship arrangement with BK8, an online casino, which is expected to be announced by May.

The club’s CEO Christian Purslow met with fan groups protesting after details of the new three-year arrangement had been revealed by The Telegraph.

The Aston Villa Fans Consultation Group said following the meeting that BK8 now appears certain to be "the new front-of-shirt sponsor for the next three seasons".

The club is refusing to budge despite outrage over the brand, which was axed by Norwich City in 2021 over sexualised adverts with young women.

Gambling sponsors

Thousands of Villa supporters expressed anger as Purslow had previously suggested the club was moving away from gambling front of shirt sponsors.

The supporter group said: "While some fans will be disappointed after Villa’s current front-of-shirt sponsor moved away from gambling companies, the commercial reality is that to teams outside the top six, such sponsors offer clubs twice as much financially as non-gambling companies.”

Women’s World Cup hosts angered by news of Visit Saudi sponsorship deal

The hosts of this summer’s FIFA Women’s World Cup have reacted angrily to the news that Saudi Arabia’s tourist board, Visit Saudi, is set to be unveiled as a sponsor of the tournament.

The New York Times has reported that officials from both Australia and New Zealand were caught by surprise by the revelation earlier this week that FIFA would make Saudi Arabia’s tourism authority a partner for the tournament.

Media reports of the deal emerged on Monday. FIFA’s own website notes that “women’s football is rather new in Saudi Arabia”.

In a statement, a spokeswoman for Football Australia said: “We are very disappointed that Football Australia were not consulted on this matter prior to any decision being made.”

The body added that its leaders, and those of New Zealand Football, “have jointly written to FIFA to urgently clarify the situation.”

“FIFA’s thirst for money”

Craig Foster, a former captain of the Australian men’s team, went further, saying: “Saudi Arabia sponsoring a global women’s sporting event is like Exxon sponsoring COP28 or McDonald’s a healthy eating or anti-obesity symposium.”

He added: “It is perfectly in line with FIFA’s thirst for money at any cost and complete disregard for its human rights policy, let alone principles.”

In another dramatic twist in the row over the European Super League, the 12 clubs involved in the project have had their protection against any UEFA sanctions restored following a fresh ruling from the Provincial Court of Madrid (Audiencia Provincial).

An injunction was filed when the league was launched in April 2021 preventing UEFA or FIFA taking disciplinary action against the clubs or their players and officials for being involved. 

The injunction was then overturned last April but has now been restored following further proceedings in the Spanish capital last month. It applies until the European Court of Justice (CJEU) issue its final judgement, which sources have told this publication might not come until May or June.

The development comes after recent reports that UEFA was considering legal action against one of the project's key plotters, Andrea Agnelli. That, along with disciplinary action against the 12 clubs, would be postponed until CJEU make clear its final position. So far, no sanctions have been applied to any of the parties involved.

In a statement, A22 Sports Management, the company behind the Super League project, said it had been informed of the Madrid High Court’s decision to restore the original injunction.

A22 noted that the court said the conduct of UEFA and FIFA against the Super League project "cannot be justified as a protection of the general interests of European football" and could constitute "an unjustifiable abuse by those who hold a dominant position." 

The court also stated that "the justification of FIFA's and UEFA's conduct as an attempt to protect the European sports model is, prima facie, a flimsy excuse.”

A22 CEO Bernd Reichart said: "We welcome the fact that this court decision allows A22 to freely continue the project of creating a new and exciting European football competition. 

“It confirms that UEFA’s monopoly position cannot be used to pressure or threaten clubs, players or companies willing to innovate and invigorate competition in professional football. 

“We will therefore continue our dialogue with football stakeholders in a new and more appropriate environment, free from threats and other obstructive steps taken by UEFA and other bodies”.

CJEU ruling

The European Court of Justice (CJEU) is set to rule later this year on whether UEFA and FIFA abused a dominant position under European competition law by blocking the creation of the Super League and seeking to sanction the clubs involved.

In December, the detailed but non-binding opinion of the CJEU advocate general Athanasios Rantos was published, in which he agreed with the Super League’s case that UEFA had a monopolistic role in organising club football in Europe, but argued that this was legally permissible due to the special status of sport within EU competition law.

Juventus to appeal 15-point deduction

Juventus have confirmed that they will appeal the 15-point deduction imposed by the Federal Court of Appeals of the Italian Football Federation (FIGC) last month.

The punishment followed the reopening of a trial into alleged false accounting by the club, who were found guilty of inflating player transfer values to falsify their capital gains.

The FIGC court also gave lengthy bans from holding office in Italian football to former Juventus president Andrea Agnelli and other former board members of the club.

On Monday, the FIGC Court of Appeals provided a detailed explanation of its decision, prompting Juventus to release a statement on Tuesday confirming they would bring an appeal to Italy’s Sport Guarantee Board (Collegio di Garanzia dello Sport).

“Juventus Football Club and its legal team have carefully read and will analyse in depth the justifications, recently published, pertaining to the decision of the United Sections of the Federal Court of Appeal,” the statement read.

“It is a document, predictable in terms of content, in light of the heavy decision, but vitiated by obvious illogicalities, motivational deficiencies and unfounded in terms of law, which the [club] and individuals will oppose with an appeal to the Guarantee Board at CONI within the set deadlines.”

Call for regulatory intervention

Meanwhile, the FIGC Court of Appeals has called for stricter controls over the use of capital gains in Italian football.

The court said that regulatory intervention was now deemed "all the more indispensable if we consider that the transactions in question … decisively influence the quality of the financial statements and … the truthful and correct representation of the patrimonial, financial and income situation of a sports club.”
 

DFL to restart talks over stake in media rights business

The German Football League (DFL) is preparing to restart discussions with private equity firms about the sale of a stake in its new media rights business, according to a report from Bloomberg.

Sources said the DFL is likely to agree on the resumption of the discussions at a regular meeting in early February. The body, which oversees Germany’s top two Bundesliga divisions, is understood to be considering including both its domestic and international rights in any deal.

The DFL has been exploring ways it could benefit from the injection of external capital and expertise for more than a year and has considered selling as much as 20 per cent of a new media unit, which sources claimed could be valued at around €18 billion.

Previous efforts to do a deal fell through despite strong interest from private equity firms. Advent International, Blackstone, CVC Capital Partners, EQT AB and KKR & Co. are all believed to have been considering investing in the German league.

Donata Hopfen departure

Attempts to negotiate a deal were delayed late last year by the departure of Donata Hopfen as the DFL CEO. Now under the oversight of Axel Hellmann and Oliver Leki as joint managing directors, the DFL is working with Deutsche Bank and longstanding adviser Nomura Holdings on its options.

The Federal Court of Appeals of the Italian Football Federation (FIGC) has provided a detailed explanation of its decision to hand Juventus a 15-point deduction for the current season.

The punishment, which was announced on 20th January, followed the reopening of the trial into alleged false accounting by the club, who were found guilty of inflating player transfer values to falsify their capital gains.

The FIGC court also gave lengthy bans from holding office in Italian football to former Juventus president Andrea Agnelli and other former board members of the club.

The FIGC prosecutor Giuseppe Chiné had requested a nine-point deduction as well as bans for Agnelli and other individuals, but the FIGC Court of Appeals went further with its sanctions.

The federation’s court has now explained its reasoning for the punishments, which according to Italian media reports claimed that Juventus “have committed a sporting disciplinary offence,” and added that it took into account “the seriousness and the repeated and prolonged nature of the violation.”

Originally acquitted

Juventus, along with the other clubs under investigation, had originally been acquitted from the case last April after player dealings across Italian football were examined. Of the 62 transfers investigated, 42 of them involved the Turin club.

Following the reopening of the case, the FIGC court upheld the acquittal of the other clubs under investigation – Sampdoria, Pro Vercelli, Genoa, Parma, Pisa, Empoli, Novara and Pescara.

The FIGC court added that its decision was made “in the face of … the impressive amount of documents received from the Turin Public Prosecutor’s Office that highlighted the intentionality underlying the alteration of the transfer operations and the relative values.”

It also pointed to “the intensity and diffusion of awareness of the situation in the conversations between the managers of FC Juventus S.p.A.”

Juventus have consistently denied any wrongdoing and now that the FIGC has revealed the reasoning for its sanctions, they are able to appeal the decision to Italy’s Sport Guarantee Board (Collegio di Garanzia dello Sport).

Serie A CEO: Seven declarations of interest in media rights business

Serie A CEO Luigi De Siervo has revealed that the Italian league has received seven declarations of interest in the financing and development of its media rights business.

It was reported last week that JP Morgan and Goldman Sachs were among a number of banks and investment funds to have expressed interest. Then on Monday, a report from Reuters claimed that Deutsche Bank had also come forward.

Sources said the German bank’s interest was more preliminary than that expressed by the two US rivals, which have both written to the league.

Speaking on the Italian radio station Rai on Monday, De Siervo said: "It is not new. Italian football in the past has raised interest among financial institutions. At this moment it was felt that we could open ourselves to discussion. At present, seven declarations of interest have arrived.”

Options presented to clubs

De Siervo declined to name any specific firms to have shown interest but said he will meet with Serie A president Lorenzo Casini over the coming weeks and they will then present options to clubs at a meeting on 24th February.

“Then there will be a debate and the teams will decide whether to proceed and in which direction,” he said.

Serie A is due to begin the sales process for the next cycle of its domestic and international broadcast rights, which starts from 2024/25, later this year.

Visit Saudi to sponsor 2023 FIFA Women’s World Cup

Saudi Arabia’s tourist board, Visit Saudi, is set to be unveiled as a sponsor of this summer’s FIFA Women’s World Cup in Australia and New Zealand, according to The Athletic.

The 2023 edition of the tournament will have 32 teams and is taking place in two countries for the first time. FIFA has also developed a new commercial strategy for the competition as it attempts to capitalise on the growing interest in the women’s game.

Back in December 2021 Visa was announced as FIFA’s first ‘global women’s football partner’ and Australia’s Commonwealth Bank (CommBank) has already been named as an ‘official supporter’ of the World Cup.

However, Saudi Arabia’s involvement is likely to draw interest given the country’s human rights record, which has been described as “appalling” by Amnesty International.

Women’s league launched in 2020

FIFA’s own website notes that “women’s football is rather new in Saudi Arabia”. Women were not allowed to watch football matches until 2018 and Saudi’s Women’s Football League was launched in 2020.

This month, the Saudi Arabia women’s national team hosted and won a four-team friendly event in a bid to secure a FIFA women’s ranking for the first time.

JPMorgan Chase & Co has put forward on offer to finance Serie A's media rights business, according to a report from Reuters.

It is understood the American financial services firm has written to the Italian top-flight to express a preliminary interest in supporting the development of the company.

The interest from JPMorgan follows approaches from several investment funds as the league prepares to hold a tender for its domestic and international broadcast rights for the seasons after 2024.

A source told Reuters that JPMorgan is expected to be able to provide between €700 million and €1 billion in bank financing after Serie A clubs were informed of the US firm’s interest at a closed-door meeting of their top executives last Thursday.

Clubs are said to have learnt during the meeting that the American private equity firm Apollo Global Management had also come forward.

Financial adviser

The Serie A clubs are expected to meet on 24th February to discuss how to respond to the approaches by JPMorgan and the investment funds, and it is believed they may decide to hire a financial adviser.

Prior to that meeting, clubs are due to discuss in mid-February the sale process of the media rights, which is expected to start later this year.

Any decision requires approval by a qualified majority of clubs' representatives, which has proven a hurdle in the past to reaching a deal with potential investors.

EFL urges Premier League to halve financial gap with Championship

The English Football League (EFL) is asking the Premier League to halve the financial gap between the top-flight and the Championship, The Guardian reports.

The request has come as part of negotiations over a new settlement for English football, and with the long-awaited white paper on an independent regulator due to be put before parliament in two weeks.

The EFL has long called for the Premier League to share 25 per cent of its TV revenue with its 72 clubs, but has met with strong resistance and recently wrote to clubs saying it was “not hopeful” of achieving such a goal.

Last season Norwich City earned £100 million for finishing 20th in the Premier League and Fulham earned about £10 million by winning the Championship.

Open to discussions

Halving this gap is said to be something closer to what the Premier League could agree to. The top-flight has long said it was open to discussions about reducing the “cliff edge” between the tiers, but without funding what it considers the excessive spending of Championship clubs.

EFL chairman Rick Parry said: “It remains the EFL’s aim to halve the financial gap between the Premier League and the EFL. Doing so would make clubs financially sustainable in a thriving and competitive pyramid.”

Birmingham City in investment talks with group led by former Microsoft executive

The group currently in talks about a significant investment in Birmingham City is led by former Microsoft and Motorola executive Jeremy Dale, The Athletic reports.

The discussions were confirmed by the EFL Championship club last Wednesday. Citing “legal reasons”, it did not reveal the identity of the prospective investor, or which of the existing shareholders they were talking to, but it did say they had started due diligence.

The club’s majority shareholder Birmingham Sports Holdings Ltd (BSHL) also issued its own voluntary announcement to the Hong Kong Stock Exchange, where it is listed.

The statements were the first made by Birmingham City or BSHL about the club’s ownership since a takeover attempt led by local businessman Paul Richardson and former Barcelona striker Maxi Lopez collapsed in early December.

After being unveiled in July, the proposed deal broke down just over four months later, with both sides blaming the other. However, according to The Athletic, Dale’s group believe the fundamentals of the agreement can be revived.

Business partner

Dale has set up Often Partisan Limited with his friend and business partner Keith Pelley, who runs golf’s PGA European Tour.

Dale is the sole director of Often Partisan, named after a line in Birmingham City’s terrace anthem ‘Keep Right On’, and Pelley, a Canadian with a long track record in sport and media, is the investment vehicle’s other shareholder.

Ex-Valencia CF vice president Miguel Zorío presents new €150 million takeover offer

Miguel Zorío, the former Valencia CF vice president, has made a new offer to acquire the shares of current owner Peter Lim, Palco23 reports.

The latest proposal from Zorío is to buy Lim’s majority shareholding in the club for €150 million, and follows a previous offer from Zorío made last April of €212 million.

The new proposal was confirmed in a statement from the Marea Valencianista group, which is campaigning for change at the top of the club. Zorío is the group’s president.

The statement also confirmed that Zorío is to file a complaint with the prosecutor's office over false accounting allegations in relation to the buying and selling of players against Lim, as well as the current Valencia CF president Lay Hoon Chan, former club presidents Anil Murthy and Amadeo Salvo and the agent Jorge Mendes.

Stadium delays

Zorío added that if a takeover deal was completed, he would "finish the new stadium in accordance with the commitments acquired with the City of Valencia".

Valencia CF notified the Generalitat Valenciana at the end of 2021 that it would allocate "most" of the funds it received from LaLiga’s deal with CVC Capital Partners to resume work on the new stadium, which has been on hold for more than ten years.

The latest figures from FIFA have shown that the recovery in the international transfer market from the Covid-19 pandemic continued last year.

According to the governing body’s 2022 edition of its Global Transfer Report, an all-time record of 71,002 transfers across borders were made in 2022, with 21,764 involving professionals (men and women) plus 49,238 amateurs.

In men’s professional football in 2022 there were 20,209 international transfers, representing an increase of 11.6 per cent compared to 2021 and even exceeding the levels of 2019 before the Covid-19 pandemic.

These transfers – 2,843 of which included transfer fees – involved a new record high of 4,770 clubs from 182 different associations, compared to 4,538 clubs in 2021.

FIFA’s chief legal and compliance officer Emilio Garcia Silvero said: “The two-year negative trend in clubs’ spending on transfer fees was turned around in 2022, with last year’s total outlay reaching US$6.5 billion, an increase of 33.5 per cent compared to 2021, yet still below the all-time high of 2019.”

The top ten player transfers alone generated 12.5 per cent of the entire amount that was spent on transfer fees in 2022, while of the 2,843 transfers that included fees, the top 100 were responsible for almost 50 per cent of all money spent on transfer fees.

English dominance confirmed

English clubs once again topped the list. For the first time, their total outlay exceeded the US$2 billion mark and reached a record high of almost US$2.2 billion. With total receipts of US$740.3 million, clubs from France received the biggest share of all associations.
 

UK culture secretary warns of “huge shake-up of football” with independent regulator

UK culture secretary Michelle Donelan has said that plans for an independent football regulator will be published in two weeks’ time and will be a “huge shake-up of football”, The Times reports.

Donelan also urged Premier League clubs to reach an agreement with the EFL and FA over sharing more money with lower league and grassroots clubs.

The planned regulator, likely to be up and running in 2025, will license league clubs every year on the basis of proof of financial sustainability via a business plan, as well as carrying out checks on owners and directors.

The white paper, which follows the fan-led review published in November 2021, will also include plans for the regulator to have “backstop” powers to impose a financial settlement via arbitration if the footballing bodies cannot agree between them.

‘New Deal For Football’

Under the Premier League’s proposed ‘New Deal For Football’, it would give an extra £160 million to the lower leagues in return for scrapping FA Cup replays and changing the League Cup so that clubs in European competition field under-21 sides. The EFL is pushing for a much larger financial settlement.

Donelan told parliament: “This is going to be a huge shake-up of football so I’m not going to apologise for taking the time to get this right.”
 

Fair Game Sustainability Index highlights governance challenges for English clubs

Just two EFL Championship clubs and half of the Premier League have been given a score ranked ‘good’ in a new Sustainability Index from campaign group Fair Game, The Guardian reports.

The index combines scores awarded on financial stability, good governance, fan engagement and equality standards.

The table finds Liverpool top of the Premier League, with their position driven by a high score on ‘governance’, calculated using a weighted sum of values on ‘clear governance’, environmental measures and whether the club pay the living wage.

At the bottom of the Premier League table are Nottingham Forest, the result of a financial stability score of just one out of 40.

Calculations of financial stability take into account assets, debt and loans owed in the coming year alongside the key industry measure of wages as a percentage of revenue.

Fair Game analysts said the most recent financial information from the club showed Forest’s wage bill is equivalent to 202 per cent of turnover.

Championship table

Norwich City topped the Championship table ahead of Burnley, the only clubs to generate an overall score of higher than 60, judged by Fair Game’s panel of 40 experts to be a ‘good’ rating.

Fair Game, which counts 34 EFL and non-league clubs among its members, is championing greater sustainability within the game and has argued that clubs should be financially rewarded if they show good governance and engage properly with their fans.
 

AC Milan’s RedBird takeover under investigation

Milan’s prosecutor is investigating the takeover of AC Milan by RedBird Capital Partners following a complaint of embezzlement by the former minority shareholder Blue Skye, Italian media have reported.

The investigation has been launched by Guardia di Finanza (Gdf), which acquired documents on Thursday morning from the offices of a number of professionals involved in the takeover. It is confirmed in the file that there are no suspects in the case at present.

Last September, Blue Skye and its parent company Luxembourg Investment Company presented an urgent appeal to the Civil Court of Milan to block the sale of the Serie A club.

The Luxembourg companies then waived the precautionary request, acknowledging that the sale had already been completed at the end of August.

“Opaque” transaction

In the appeal, Blue Skye and its parent firm complained that they had never “been able to obtain any information on this sale, in which they were directly interested,” and spoke of an “opaque” transaction.
 

Everton in talks with MSP Sports Capital over stake sale

Everton owner Farhad Moshiri is in talks with US investment firm MSP Sports Capital about acquiring a stake in the club, according to a report from Bloomberg.

MSP co-founder and chairman Jahm Najafi, CEO Jeff Moorad and vice president Pete Taylor were all in attendance at Goodison Park during Everton’s loss to Southampton earlier this month.

Sources told Bloomberg that MSP has held “preliminary discussions” about buying a stake, while adding that the club, who are currently in the Premier League relegation zone, could also attract interest from other investors.

A report in the Guardian published on Tuesday claimed that Moshiri had put Everton up for sale with an asking price of £500 million, engaging the services of Deloitte to handle any interest.

However, Moshiri has told the Liverpool Echo that the club is not up for sale, and indicated that he is close to agreeing a deal for investment in the club’s new stadium project.

Global deals

A transaction would add to a string of global deals by MSP, which agreed in October to buy ESPN’s majority holding in the X Games extreme sports competition. The firm also has stakes in McLaren Racing and several European football clubs, including G.D. Estoril Praia in Portugal and Spain’s AD Alcorcon.
 

AS Monaco matches could be banned in France over shirt sponsor

Matches involving AS Monaco may be banned from being broadcast in France due to advertising regulations in the country, L’Equipe has reported.

It comes after BeIN Sports, which broadcasts Serie A, was informed by the General Directorate for Competition, Consumption and repression of fraud (DGCCRF), to stop showing Atalanta games in France due to the club’s shirt sponsor Plus 500.

The Cyprus-based company is a financial transaction platform and the firm’s website highlights “the high risk of rapid capital loss” of contracts for difference (CFDs).

CFDs are classified by the French Financial Markets Authority as very risky investments and the advertising of these has been banned in sport in France since 2016.

eToro sponsorship

Monaco have been sponsored since 2021 by eToro, also registered in Cyprus, with the firm described as “a social trading and multi-asset investment company that focuses on providing financial and copy trading services”.

The business also offers investments which fall within the scope of the banned advertisements, although broadcasters of Ligue 1 – Amazon Prime and Canal +, along with Ligue 1 and Monaco – have said they are yet to receive any correspondence on the subject.

The DGCCRF has so far refused to give a clear direction on the potential case with Monaco.

Everton officials have played down takeover talk, reports Senior Correspondent James Corbett, following reports on Tuesday night that its owner Farhad Moshiri had put the club up for sale.

The Guardian reported that Moshiri had instructed Deloitte to handle the sale of the club and had put a £500 million price on the club.

Within minutes of the report being published, the club published a YouTube interview between Moshiri and Jazz Bal, the chairman of Everton’s fan advisory board, in which he insisted he was not planning to sell the club but had been looking to third party investors to assist with funding of the club’s new 52,000 stadium in the Liverpool docklands.

“The club is not for sale but I’ve been talking to top investors, real quality, to bridge the gap on the stadium,” Moshiri told Bal. “I can do it myself and the reason I want to do it is to bring top sport investors into Everton for some of the reasons that the fans want improvement, more talent, and we are close to having a deal done.”

Off The Pitch understands that the video was recorded last Thursday, 48 hours before Everton’s defeat at West Ham sent them joint bottom of the Premier League and four days prior to Frank Lampard’s sacking as manager.

However despite the timing of the recording senior clubs figures have said that nothing has changed since last week and that the interview reflects Moshiri’s ongoing commitment to the club.

Moshiri has been absent during recent matches

Moshiri’s attendance at the London Stadium was his first time he had watched Everton since October 2021, despite spending hundreds of millions on the club since taking over nearly seven years ago.

Everton’s last three sets of available accounts show combined losses of £372.6 million – although some of this is related to the stadium project and Covid losses – and the club has lost lucrative commercial contracts linked to the sanctioned oligarch, Alisher Usmanov, following Russia’s invasion of Ukraine.
 

UEFA Nations League to have new knockout round from 2024

The UEFA Nations League is to be expanded with a new knockout round from 2024 after UEFA announced a number of changes to its men’s national team competitions.

The additional stage of the Nations League will be played in March, between the group phase ending in November and the finals played in June.

League A group winners and runners-up will participate in home-and-away quarter-finals, with the winners of these ties qualifying for the Final Four.

The 3rd-ranked of League A and the runners-up of League B, as well as the 3rd-ranked of League B and the runners-up of League C, will play a home-and-away promotion/relegation play-off.

UEFA also announced a new format of the European Qualifiers for the Euros and the FIFA World Cup, with teams being drawn in 12 groups of four and five teams.

Teams drawn in groups of five will start their qualifiers in March, or in June if they are still competing in the UEFA Nations League quarter-finals or are involved in promotion/relegation matches. Teams drawn in groups of four will start their campaigns in September.

Current format

Under the current format, 53 teams aiming to qualify for Euro 2024 are split into ten groups: seven groups of five teams and three groups of six teams, while for the 2022 World Cup there were five groups of five teams and five groups of six teams.

“A new meaningful knock-out UEFA Nations League round combined with a more compact format of European Qualifiers results in more compelling ties without any increase in the overall number of matches,” UEFA said.
 

Ex-Sevilla president del Nido threatens legal action against board of directors

The battle for control at Sevilla has taken another dramatic twist after the club’s largest shareholder, former president Jose Maria del Nido Benavente, threatened legal action against the current board of directors, Spanish media have reported.

Del Nido has been engaged in a conflict with current Sevilla president José Castro and their clash has intensified since the club’s annual board meeting last month, when a majority of shareholders voted against Castro’s leadership and also elected not to approve the accounts for the 2021/22 financial year.

Amid an ongoing war of words, the two parties had hinted at attempts to resolve the issue. Last week, Castro and the Carrión family, which holds the second largest shareholding in Sevilla, accepted the invitation of del Nido to create a new governing body of the club.

However, Del Nido is now threatening legal action after claiming that the club’s current leadership group have not contacted him to discuss the required steps.

“We will take legal action in the coming days, after the last shareholders' meeting did not give its support to the current board of directors," Del Nido said, in comments reported by Iusport.

Return as president

The former president also claimed that the current board of directors is operating illegitimately, and said that if it can be done by legal means he could return as the Sevilla president in around three months.

Man Utd and Liverpool fans issue joint call for tougher rules on club ownership

Manchester United and Liverpool supporters have made a joint call for tougher ownership rules for English clubs.

The biggest fan representative groups of the two clubs – the Manchester United Supporters' Trust (MUST) and Liverpool's Spirit of Shankly (SOS) – issued a joint statement amid ongoing speculation about the future ownership of the two clubs, who have both been put up for sale.

The rival fan groups urged government ministers to include a robust club owners and directors test as they consider the recommendations of the fan-led review published in November 2021.

Draft legislation on football governance is expected to be published next month with a proposal for a new independent regulator for the English game.

The joint statement follows months of talks between MUST and SOS, who want greater supporter influence on how their clubs are run and tougher safeguards against unfit owners.

Welcomed proposals

In the statement, the two supporter groups welcomed proposals for a new independent regulator for football but also expressed fears it might not come in quickly enough.

MUST chief executive Duncan Drasdo and SOS chairman Joe Blott said: “Manchester United and Liverpool fans are the most fierce rivals.

“If we can come together with common cause then we believe the Government can work out a way to ensure its intended Independent Regulator for English Football (IREF) and stronger ownership rules can be introduced quickly enough to safeguard the future of our two clubs.”
 

NBC nets record 1.9 million viewers for Arsenal-Man Utd clash

NBC has revealed that Arsenal’s win over Manchester United on Sunday was the most-watched English Premier League match ever broadcast in the US on its channels.

NBC said around 1.9 million viewers tuned in for Arsenal’s 3-2 victory on the main NBC channel, Peacock streaming service, and NBC Sports digital platforms.

Led by Peacock, NBC Sports set a record for a simultaneously streamed Premier League match, with an average minute audience (AMA) of 510,000 viewers.

Spanish-language broadcast

In addition, 382,000 viewers watched the Spanish-language broadcast of the match on Telemundo, making it the most-watched Spanish-language Premier League match since last April when 440,000 viewers tuned in to watch Manchester City vs Liverpool.

NBC added that across the four TV match windows last weekend, NBC Sports averaged a total audience delivery of 947,000 viewers – the largest average audience for a Premier League Mornings Live Fan Fest.

Further revelations about attempts to relaunch the European Super League project have emerged in a report from L’Équipe.

According to the French newspaper, Real Madrid and FC Barcelona are still working behind the scenes to push through a radical reform of European competition, while for Juventus the project has taken a back seat due to the crisis engulfing the club.

It is understood that Super League promoters have reached out to 50 clubs from 12 European countries to pitch a project that would be open to teams from beyond the ‘big five’ European leagues.

The aim is to consult what is considered the ‘middle class’ of European clubs on a number of factors, including the prospective competition’s format, which unlike the original 12-team proposal would consist of an entirely open league based on merit.

The format is set to be decided on collectively, and those behind the Super League feel it would be well received by clubs who also believe that trickle-down economics in football have not worked.

Strict salary cap

Clubs entering the competition would have a strict salary cap, with wage bills not permitted to be more than 55 per cent of their budget, while other financial fair player measures could be introduced.

The overall aim of the Super League would be to counter the growing financial gulf between the Premier League and state-owned clubs in Europe and other teams across the continent, according to the report.

Spurs director of football Fabio Paratici faces European ban over Juventus scandal

Tottenham Hotspur managing director of football Fabio Paratici could face a two-and-a-half-year ban from working in the game following the sanctions imposed on Juventus last week by the Italian Football Federation (FIGC).

Paratici was previously sporting director at Juventus and was given a 30-month ban from holding office in Italian football by the FIGC. The body gave the Turin club a 15-point deduction due to alleged false accounting in relation to capital gains.

The FIGC also handed out two-year bans to former Juventus president Andrea Agnelli and CEO Maurizio Arrivabene, while former vice-president Pavel Nedved was given an eight-month ban. 

Extended across Europe

The Times reports that the FIGC is planning to ask for Paratici’s suspension to be extended across Europe but will wait until the outcome of an expected appeal by Juventus and a number of executives against the sanctions imposed.

According to FIGC sources, if those appeals fail, then they will write to UEFA and ask for the suspension to be extended across Europe, and possibly to FIFA as well for a worldwide ban.

That appeal decision, carried out by the Italian Olympic committee, is likely to be finalised by March, leaving Spurs with a looming headache over Paratici, who joined the club in July 2021 after spending 11 years at Juventus.

UEFA ban for Russian teams set to continue

Russian football teams are set to remain banned from European competitions as the war on Ukraine continues, Sky News reports.

Russia is also set to be stripped of hosting the UEFA Super Cup contested by the Champions League and Europa League winners – that was due to be staged in Kazan in August.

Talks with UEFA officials involving RFU general secretary Maxim Mitrofanov and vice president Aleksandr Alaev were due to take place on Tuesday, with RFU president Alexander Dyukov then due to attend UEFA’s executive committee meeting on Wednesday, according to an RFU spokesperson.

Russian state media said there was a desire for RFU officials to use the meeting to discuss the return of clubs and national teams to international tournaments.

However, it is understood there is no immediate chance of UEFA allowing the return of Russian teams while the war launched by Vladimir Putin continues.

It is believed UEFA were willing to discuss the general state of Russian football and the domestic situation – preparing for when teams could return to its competitions if the war ends.

Upheld by CAS

Russia’s national teams and clubs have been banned from European and international competition since the end of last February following the country’s invasion of Ukraine.

The decision was upheld by the Court of Arbitration for Sport in July and UEFA confirmed in September that Russia would not be allowed to try to qualify for Euro 2024.

UEFA is planning to set a five-year maximum for the length of time over which a player’s transfer fee can be spread, according to The Times.

It is understood the move comes after a number of clubs raised concerns with European football’s governing body over Chelsea’s policy of signing players on long-term deals.

The West London club have signed a string of players on long-term contracts in the current January transfer window as well as last summer, prompting accusations that Chelsea were using the deals to cheat the Premier League’s Financial Fair Play rules.

Ukrainian winger Mykhailo Mudryk signed the longest contract in the 30-year history of the Premier League when he arrived at Stamford Bridge on an 8½-year deal.

Using amortisation, the £80 million fee would be recorded as £9.41 million per year for UEFA’s FFP calculations while if Mudryk had signed a four-year deal the £80 million fee would be calculated as £20 million per year.

Next summer window

UEFA’s new restriction is set to be brought in before the next summer transfer window and it will not prevent Chelsea from spreading the cost of the players they have signed already.

FIFA’s regulations state that players’ contracts should be a maximum of five years unless they are allowed to be longer under the laws of a particular country, and there is no restriction in the UK.
 

John Textor: "No club is there to feed the others” in Eagle Football ownership group

John Textor, who completed his takeover of Olympique Lyonnais last month, has insisted that there are no feeder teams within his Eagle Football Holdings ownership group.

The American businessman is also the majority shareholder of Brazilian club Botafogo and Belgian team RWD Molenbeek, and has a 40 per cent stake in English Premier League side Crystal Palace.

In an official interview with Lyon’s media team, Textor sought to explain the connection between the Ligue 1 club and the other teams in the Eagle Football group and outline how his ownership set-up differs from the prevailing multi-club model.

"No club is there to feed the others there is no small or big club,” he said. “How to integrate OL into Eagle? It is not an integration. OL remain OL and its community wants the club to be champions. Same in Brazil with Botafogo."

Textor went on to argue that the term “multi-club structure” does not fit his ownership model, stressing that “we’re called a multi-club because there’s no other word for what we do.”

“Collaboration between clubs”

The American added: "Money is now the key word in football but I prefer a collaboration between several clubs that will have a global imprint on the identification of talents. Sports directors are able to develop links and know the levels of players from each part of the world. 

“But we are not in a ‘synergy’ approach like other investors who proceed by buying many clubs and increasing revenues by sharing the operational, the sponsors. We're not in a merger process, it's not me."
 

Juventus share price fall prompts delisting speculation

The Juventus share price has fallen sharply following the club’s 15-point deduction for alleged false accounting in relation to capital gains, sparking fresh speculation that owner Exor could delist the crisis-ridden club.

Shares in Juventus closed down by around 5 per cent to €0.31 per share on the Italian stock exchange on Monday – the first day of trading after the points penalty was announced by the Italian Football Federation (FIGC)’s Federal Court of Appeals late last Friday.

The delisting of Juventus is understood to have been considered on several occasions over recent years by the Agnelli family-controlled Exor, which owns 63.77 per cent of the club’s shares, but has so far been deemed too expensive.

Calcio e Finanza reports that on the basis of Monday’s closing share price, a delisting would cost Exor around €290 million, down from around €335 million ten days ago. Basing it on the average price of the last 12 months, the cost equates to around €300 million.

However, if a shareholder premium was added in line with the latest takeover bids launched on Italian securities, such as the 18.5 per cent seen in the case of AS Roma, the cost of a Juventus delisting would rise to €340 million based on Monday’s price, and €400 million based on the price of ten days ago.

Further decline in cost

The prospect of an imminent delisting is deemed less likely given that the cost for Exor could see a further significant decline over the coming months due to the ongoing difficulties Juventus are set to face.

These could include additional sanctions in relation to the capital gains case, as well as the alleged secret player payments agreed during the early stages of the Covid-19 pandemic.

Meanwhile, on the pitch the 15-point deduction has left Juventus in mid-table in Serie A, and winning the Europa League this season now appears to be the only realistic way the team could qualify for next season’s Champions League.

If the Juventus share price loses a further 20 per cent compared to Monday’s closing price, a delisting would cost around €270 million even including a possible shareholder premium.

 

FC Cologne MD questions direction of DFL in scathing attack

FC Cologne managing director Christian Keller has questioned the strategy and focus of the Deutsche Fussball Liga (DFL) in a scathing attack on Germany's football governing body.

In an interview with the Frankfurt-based newspaper Frankfurter Allgemeine, Keller asked whether it was wise to focus heavily on international activities and competitiveness in Europe given that most of the 36 clubs in Germany’s top two tiers either never or rarely play in Europe.

"Where do we want to go with German football and the Bundesliga?,” Keller said. “What is our goal as an association of 36 clubs? Why are we doing all this? I still don't know what the DFL actually stands for.”

He added: “We could be the league where football is really still football. But we could also be the most digital league in the world. Many things are conceivable. If we knew what we wanted, it would be clear, for example, whether we really need ever higher media revenues.

“Because the stadiums are filled across the region, the national rights marketing is our most important source of income. If we want more attention, we need fairer competition.”

Joint managing directors

Eintracht Frankfurt vice-chairman Axel Hellmann and the SC Freiburg chief financial, operations and marketing officer Oliver Leki are currently the joint managing directors of the DFL following the departure of CEO Donata Hopfen last month.

Juventus have been plunged deeper into crisis after being deducted 15 points for the current season following the reopening of the trial into alleged false accounting by the club in relation to capital gains.

The points deduction was handed down by the Federal Court of Appeals of the Italian Football Federation (FIGC), which announced the sanction in a statement late on Friday.

The FIGC court also ruled that former Juventus president Andrea Agnelli be banned from holding office in Italian football for 24 months, and decided on a 30-month ban for Juventus's former sports director, Fabio Paratici, now managing director of football at Tottenham Hotspur.

The ban currently does not prohibit Paratici from working outside of Italy, but FIFA and UEFA will be asked to uphold the ruling for their own competitions.

The Juventus CEO Maurizio Arrivabene has also been handed a two-year ban, while former vice-president Pavel Nedved has been given an eight-month suspension.

Request to reopen trial

The sanctions were announced after the FIGC Federal Court of Appeals accepted the FIGC prosecutor Giuseppe Chiné’s request to reopen the trial against Juventus for their alleged usage of falsified capital gains.

Friday’s hearing followed new revelations from the Prisma investigation, which is analysing the club’s recent financial practices and alleged secret player payments agreed during the early stages of the Covid-19 pandemic.

In the separate capital gains case, which examined player dealings across Italian football, of the 62 transfers investigated, 42 of them involved Juventus. The FIGC court upheld the acquittal of the other clubs under investigation – Sampdoria, Pro Vercelli, Genoa, Parma, Pisa, Empoli, Novara and Pescara.

Juventus have consistently denied all the allegations they are facing, and in a statement released on Friday said: “The club awaits the publication of the reasons of the [FIGC Federal Court of Appeals] decision and announces as of now the bringing of an appeal to the Sport Guarantee Board (Collegio di Garanzia dello Sport) in accordance with the terms of the Sport Justice Code.”

Pushed into mid-table

With 20 games left to play this season, Juventus were third in Serie A, 10 points adrift of leaders Napoli. The points deduction would push them down into mid-table, outside the spots for European competition.

Away from the pitch, the challenges faced by Juventus also look set to intensify over the coming months.

Calcio e Finanza reports that the FIGC prosecutor Chiné is examining several other issues, including so-called "partnerships" with other clubs, while Juventus’s alleged secret player payments will come under scrutiny at a hearing in Turin into the Prisma investigation, which is set to decide on the indictment of a number of individuals.

Joan Laporta: FIFA president Gianni Infantino was open to Super League talks

Gianni Infantino’s role in the launch of the European Super League is set to come under further scrutiny after FC Barcelona president Joan Laporta claimed the FIFA chief was “open” to talking about the planned competition.

Apple TV’s new four-part documentary, ‘Super League: The War for Football’, includes an interview with Laporta, who states that Infantino was keen on developing his idea of an expanded Club World Cup and, as a result, was happy to discuss the European proposal.

Three days after the ill-fated Super League launch in April 2021, Infantino said that FIFA “strongly disapproved” of it, but The Times reports that many believe in the months beforehand that the FIFA president had given the 12 rebel clubs encouragement, a view that is only given more weight by Laporta’s remarks.

“Infantino is developing his competition, the Club World Cup, and making it bigger and we respect [that] as it looks very attractive, and he was open to talk about the Super League,” Laporta said.
“President Infantino from FIFA, he’s ready to open a dialogue.”

LaLiga president Javier Tebas was even more blunt, claiming: “The clubs asked for an exchange of support. ‘You support us with the Super League, and we will play in your Club World Cup’. Killing the Champions League. And we all knew that Infantino wanted to kill [the UEFA president Aleksander] Ceferin, politically speaking.”

Expanded Club World Cup

Infantino’s plan for an expanded 24-team Club World Cup – three times the size of the existing competition – was disrupted by the pandemic and has still yet to take place, but last month he announced he wants to make it an even bigger tournament for 32 clubs.

In May 2021, Infantino insisted that “to listen to some clubs and to speak with some clubs doesn’t mean in any way whatsoever that FIFA was behind, was colluding, was plotting, any Super League project”.

Chelsea accused of cheating Premier League FFP rules with long-term player deals

Chelsea have been accused by Premier League rivals of using long-term player contracts to cheat the Financial Fair Play rules, The Daily Mail reports.

According to FIFA statutes, clubs are only permitted to give players contracts of up to five years, but Chelsea have been routinely handing out far longer deals this season.

Ukraine winger Mykhailo Mudryk signed for eight-and-a-half years and French defender Benoit Badiashile for six-and-a-half years this month.

They followed the arrivals of Wesley Fofana and Marc Cucurella on seven- and six-year deals respectively last summer.

Chelsea have got round FIFA’s restrictions by registering the additional years in each player’s contract as a club-triggered option to extend, but some of their Premier League rivals are convinced this is really a ruse to circumnavigate FFP.

Spending record

Chelsea have spent a Premier League-record £416 million on new players this season. The huge outlay has been possible only due to accounting rules that permit transfer fees to be spread across the duration of a player’s contract for FFP purposes.

The £88 million Mudryk fee will therefore cost Chelsea just £10 million a year when they submit their accounts to the Premier League for FFP monitoring at the end of the season.

Everton Shareholders Association calls for 'vote of no confidence' in club board

The Everton Shareholders Association (EFCSA) has released an online petition calling for "a vote of no confidence" in the club's board of directors, the Liverpool Echo reports.

A tweet from the EFCSA account last week posted a link to a petition webpage with a message signed off by its 'executive committee'.

It read: "In our opinion our club continues to underachieve both on and off the pitch and the relationship the Owner and the Board have with the wider fan base is at an all-time low.

"It is with great regret that the Association is asking fellow Shareholders and the wider fan base to sign our online petition calling for a vote of no confidence in the Board of Directors."

Protest against Moshiri

Meanwhile, the influential fan group NSNow has announced another “sit in” protest against Everton owner Farhad Moshiri to be held after the club’s home game against Arsenal on 4th February.

The protest follows the planned demonstration held after the club’s home defeat to Southampton on 14th January, which left the team second from bottom in the Premier League.

In a new statement posted on social media, NSNow said: "Farhad Moshiri has to accelerate plans to replace the board with competent individuals. He must start this process immediately.”

Earlier this month, Moshiri defended his ownership and the club’s senior staff via the club’s website. He was writing in response to a letter from the Everton Fans’ Forum in which they also highlighted deep concerns about the direction of the club.

Sheffield United hit with transfer embargo over fee instalment

The English Football League (EFL) have placed Championship club Sheffield United under a transfer embargo due to their failure to pay a scheduled instalment of a previous transfer fee on time.

It is not yet clear how much money is involved or which deal the embargo relates to. The club was granted two business days to secure the removal of the notice before the EFL publicly acknowledges their situation and its reasons for taking the step.

A statement from the club released on Friday read: “Sheffield United acknowledges the announcement of sanctions imposed relating to EFL regulation 52.2.3.

“Club officials remain in constant dialogue with relevant stakeholders, with the aim of working to a resolution early next week. The club would like to thank the EFL for its assistance and taking into account a number of unique circumstances.”

Prospective new owners

Current Sheffield United owner Prince Abdullah accepted an offer for his stake in the club late last year. The as-yet-unknown prospective new owners have paid a substantial deposit to the Saudi Arabia businessman as part of a bid that is now with the EFL.

Joint DFL managing director and Eintracht Frankfurt vice-chairman Axel Hellmann has warned that the Bundesliga risks being left behind other major European leagues unless major reforms are carried out.

In comments reported by Kicker, Hellmann said the game in the country must adapt quickly to the changing financial landscape in some of the other ‘big five’ leagues.

"While previously it was isolated clubs that were financed from outside, this is becoming the rule in certain leagues,” he said. “And this puts pressure on global player markets, but also on global media markets.”

He added: "We won't be able to compete economically with the Premier League. Our task must be to be faster and more creative. That's the sporting side. The keyword is competitiveness.”

Serious questions

Hellmann, who took up his interim position at Germany's football governing body last month following the resignation of CEO Donata Hopfen, went on to say that all decision-makers in German football need to ask some serious questions in the face of the challenges.

"What is our way? What are the fundamental decisions we have to make?" he said.

"The solution cannot be to lie on your back like a beetle. It requires active action and decisiveness, as well as courage and determination, because maybe not everything will work out."

Hellmann was speaking after his fellow joint managing director at the DFL, Oliver Leki, earlier this week claimed that clarity over the future of the Bundesliga’s ‘50+1’ ownership rule is drawing near.
 

Crystal Palace chairman Steve Parish ‘in fall-out with John Textor’

Crystal Palace’s chairman, Steve Parish, and the club’s biggest investor, John Textor, have fallen out following the American businessman’s takeover of Lyon last month, according to The Guardian.

The newspaper understands the pair have barely been on speaking terms in the weeks since Textor added the French club to his portfolio, despite the American increasing his stake in Palace to more than 40 per cent when he completed his takeover of the Ligue 1 club.

Textor is believed to have been left extremely disappointed by significant delays he faced in completing the deal for Lyon after Parish initially refused to allow him to switch his shares in Palace to his holding company Eagle Football.

That was required for the Premier League to approve his takeover, and it is believed that in exchange for the approval Textor agreed to pay £20 million for an unknown number of new shares that took his holding in Palace beyond 40 per cent.

More ambition

It is also understood that Textor has grown frustrated at Parish’s hands-on approach and would like the Premier League club to show more ambition in the transfer market.

Parish is believed to have met Textor on Thursday for the first time in weeks to discuss potential transfer targets.
 

Fox executives conspired to bribe FIFA officials over TV rights, says US witness

An American witness in a corruption trial over global football broadcast rights has detailed how he and two former Fox executives bribed FIFA officials, The Guardian reports.

The US government’s star witness in the trial, Alejandro Burzaco, alleges that he and former Fox executives Hernan Lopez and Carlos Martinez conspired to bribe South American football officials for the TV rights to the Copa Libertadores and the FIFA World Cup.

“The bribes fulfilled that purpose extremely well,” Burzaco testified.

During his first day on the witness stand on Wednesday, Burazco told the court about the sham contracts that were set up with football officials to funnel the bribes.

Fox has denied any involvement in the bribery scandal and is not a defendant in the case.

Tangled corruption scandal

The trial in New York is the latest development in a tangled corruption scandal that dates back nearly a decade and has ensnared more than three dozen football executives and associates.

FIFA has said it was not involved in any fraud or conspiracies and was a mere bystander as the scandal unfolded.
 

Cardiff City tried to insure Sala for £20 million day after his death, say court papers

Cardiff City tried to take out £20 million insurance on Argentine striker Emiliano Sala the day after he was killed in a plane crash, according to BBC.

However, in a statement, the club hit out at media reports of the case and denied they made any efforts to insure Sala after his death.

“There has been selective reporting today of the defence filed against the claim the Club has brought against its insurance brokers for doing their job negligently,” Cardiff said.

“The Club did not try to insure Emiliano after the plane crash. All Cardiff City Football Club staff understood from its broker that all players were insured from the moment they were signed, and the case arises from learning they were not.

“It will reply to the allegations made in the defence that are untrue, or portrayed out of context, in the court proceedings and will not litigate this case in the media.”

Sala's plane crashed into the English Channel on 21st January 2019, killing the striker and pilot David Ibbotson. A company of insurance brokers said the club failed to get cover before Sala's plane went down.

Sala was on a private flight from Nantes as he travelled to take up his new role with the club then in the Premier League.

Suing insurance broker

Cardiff are seeking damages of more than £10 million from insurance brokers following the death. But the club have been unable to claim back the money paid for Sala after insurers refused to pay out.

Cardiff are suing insurance broker Miller Insurance LLP, claiming it owes more than £10 million in the High Court bid.

Cardiff, represented by David Phillips KC, added that it expects to file a reply "soon" to the High Court.

Deloitte Football Money League: Eleven of top 20 clubs from Premier League

For the first time, more than half of the highest revenue generating clubs in world football were from the UK during the 2021/22 financial year, the latest edition of the Deloitte Football Money League has found.

In all, eleven of the top 20 clubs listed were from the English Premier League. Manchester City retained their position at the top with revenue of €731 million, ahead of Real Madrid, who earned €713.8 million.

Liverpool climbed four spots to be ranked third with revenue of €701.7 million. Manchester United were fourth with €688.6 million and Paris Saint-Germain pulled in €654.2 million to complete the top five.

The other Premier League clubs in the top 20 were Chelsea in 8th, Tottenham Hotspur (9th), Arsenal (10th), West Ham United (15th), Leicester City (17th), Leeds United (18th), Everton (19th) and Newcastle Untied (20th).

Pre-pandemic level

The total income for the top 20 revenue generating clubs in 2021/22 stood at €9.2 billion, up 13 per cent on the €8.2 billion reported by the Money League clubs of 2020/21, and only marginally lower than the pre-pandemic level, also of €9.2 billion in 2018/19.

Deloitte said the rise was driven by the return of fans after two Covid-hit seasons, with matchday revenue increasing from €111 million in 2020/21 to €1.4 billion in 2021/22.

Additionally, cumulative commercial revenue rose by 8 per cent to €3.8 billion, which was primarily facilitated by English clubs, who also benefitted from the movement in exchange rates over the financial year.