Footballers take top two places in sports rich list

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Cristiano Ronaldo and Lionel Messi take the top two places in the latest Forbes sport rich list, but they are the only two footballers in the top twenty.   The list is dominated by US sportsmen.   Ronaldo earned $56m in salary and a further $32m in endorsements over the past year.

Ronaldo has a sportswear sponsorship deal with Nike, which has launched a clothing brand called CR7, after his initials and shirt number, and he has signed partnerships with watchmaker Tag Heuer and nutriton supplements group Herbalife.

Chinese group takes majority stake in Inter Milan

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Chinese appliance retailer Suning Commerce Group has agreed to pay €270m for a 70 per cent stake in Inter Milan.   The retailer is already active in domestic Chinese football.

Ex-owner , Indonesian businessman Erick Thohir, remains as president with a reduced stake of 31 per cent.   The club is thus entirely in foreign hands for the first time.

Barcelona are number one for sponsorship deals

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Barcelona remain the world’s number one club for sponsorship deals.   The club signed a new 10-year kit deal with Nike last month which is expected to bring in €150m-€155m each year, compared with the current €60m.   When it starts in 2018, it will be football’s most lucrative kit deal ever, far outstripping Manchester United’s £75m a year deal with Adidas.

United remain top brand

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Manchester United remain the top brand in world football with an estimated value of over $1 billion for the second successive year.   Leicester City saw the biggest increase of 132 per cent, going from 42nd to 16th place with a value of £166m.

Arsenal saw a 22 per cent increase in brand value, going from seventh to sixth place with a value calculated at £593m.  They overtook Chelsea who saw a two per cent fall in their brand value to £530m.

Revenues grow in Leagues 1 and 2

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The latest Deloitte Sports Business report shows that a 14% fall in League 1 revenues was primarily due to the absence of Wolverhampton Wanderers, whose revenue comprised 22% of the division’s total in the previous season.  The 17 clubs present in Leaguie 1 in both 2013/14 and 2014/15 grew combined revenues by 6%.  League 2 clubs’ revenues were 5% higher than in 2013/14.

Championship clubs have strained finances

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The finances of Championship clubs continue to be strained, even perilous, according to the latest report from Deloitte Sports Business.

Championship clubs generated combined revenues
of £548m in 2014/15, 12% up on the previous year
and a new record.  The division’s revenue continues
to be heavily influenced by parachute payments and
solidarity distributions from the Premier League.

Second year of profits for Premier League

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For the first time since 1999, Premier League clubs have recorded a second consecutive year of aggregate pre-tax profits, generating approximately £120m in 2014/15, according to Deloitte, the business advisory firm. This is the second highest-ever aggregate pre-tax profit for Premier League clubs, and follows last year’s record-breaking profit of £190m for the 2013/14 season.