Skip to main content

"If you want some accessible but informative insight into football then I suggest you couldn't do better than the Political Economy of Football website, which is not only intelligible but comes with the added bonus of being written by Addicks fan Wyn Grant."
Ben Hayes - Charlton Athletic programme

European Leagues

Share/Save

Top clubs back Europa League

Submitted by WG on Wed, 06/02/2013 - 15:20

Europe's top clubs have given their support to the current format of Uefa competitions following speculation over the future of the Europa League.   In Novrmber Uefa president Michel Platini created a stir when he said that expanding the Champions League to 64 teams and getting rid of the Europa League was an option.

Scale of Asian gambling drives match fixing risk

Submitted by WG on Tue, 05/02/2013 - 09:04

Football economics guru Stefan Szymanski is not alone in striking a sceptical note on the Europol investigation into what appears to be large scale fixing of football matches in the interests of criminal gangs.   That is not to say that there is not a problem, although it is unfortunate that the Football Association and Uefa were not put in the picture about the investigation.

Sponsorship deal stores up problems for PSG

Submitted by WG on Mon, 04/02/2013 - 16:29

Last week Paris Saint-Germain not only signed David Beckham, but also concluded a five year sponsorship deal with Emirates worth £108m.   Given that their previous sponsorship deal was around £3.5m a season, it's a big leap forward, although it has to be set against a net spend of £208m over the previous four transfer windows.   It may also be storing up trouble for the future.

More imported footballers than ever before

Submitted by WG on Sun, 03/02/2013 - 09:27

The percentage of footballers imported from abroad has reached a new record high in European football according to a study by the CIES Football Observatory.    Of the top 32 division leagues of surveyed Uefa member associations, 36 per cent of all squad members grew up in a different national association to that of the employer club.

Successful but bankrupt: the story of La Liga

Submitted by WG on Wed, 30/01/2013 - 09:56

Spanish football is undoubtedly successful.   Six of the seven La Liga clubs in European competition advanced to the knockout phase, including all four Champions League representatives.   It is not only about Barcelona and Real.   La Liga clubs have won five of the nine past Europa League titles.

Does money buy success?

Submitted by WG on Mon, 28/01/2013 - 09:18

This is the question that football economics guru Stefan Szymanski poses in his latest blog posting.  His broad answer is yes in terms of domestic leagues, but not to anywhere near the same extent in relation to club competition at international level for a number of reasons.

Szymanski argues that the influx of money into the Premier League has improved the quality of play.  But some foreign players and managers are reluctant to relocate to the UK and have to be paid above the odds to be persuaded to come.

Real Madrid break through €500m revenue threshold

Submitted by WG on Thu, 24/01/2013 - 14:03

Real Madrid has become the first club in any sport to surpass the €500m revenue threshold in a single year, according to the 16th edition of the Football Money League from Deloitte, the business advisory firm. The Spanish club achieved a €33.1m (7%) increase in revenue to €512.6m, and in doing so has claimed the top position in the Money League for a record equalling eighth year, matching Manchester United’s reign from 1996/97 to 2003/04.

Bundesliga breaks through €2bn barrier

Submitted by WG on Wed, 23/01/2013 - 18:04

The Bundesliga broke through the €2bn barrier in terms of revenues in the 2011-12 season, a 7.2 per cent rise on the prevous season.    Clubs recorded an aggregate of €55m in post-tax profits with 14 out of 18 clubs showing a profit.

What is particularly significant is that the ratio of expenditure on playing staff and coaches to revenue was 37.8.   Most clubs in England do not achieve the 50 per cent level recommended by Deloitte with many recording figures in the seventies or eighties.

Understanding financial fair play

Submitted by WG on Wed, 23/01/2013 - 17:55

This is by no means easy as the rules are complex, perhaps deliberately so in order to give Uefa plenty of wriggle room.  As we have said many times, a lot depends on how the rules are enforced and whether they are challenged in the courts.

Sports lawyer Daniel Geey has produced his 'ten top tips' for understanding the rules.   So if you want to know what an acceptable deviation is, and how it is calcjulated, here is your chance.

Profit turns into loss at Spurs

Submitted by WG on Wed, 23/01/2013 - 09:00

The effects on a club of not being in the Champions League are illustrated by the accounts of Tottenham Hotspur for the 2011-12 season.   A £700,000 profit the previous year turned into a £4.3m  loss.

Club revenue was down 12 per cent from £163m to £144m while 'profit from operations' dropped to £23m from £38m.   Commercial revenues continued to increase but merchandising fell by four per cent. The club made a loss of £1.6m before interest and tax, down from a £1.4m profit the previous year.