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Articles and reports on financial issues within football – soccer – from The Political Economy of Football.
A detailed analysis of the finances of Swansea City shows why they cannot splash out in the transfer window. Deloitte may have ranked them as the 26th wealthiest club in the world, but their finances are tightly constrained.
Wages have been going up faster than turnover. Stadium capacity is limited and commercial income is relatively small. 81 per cent of revenue comes from television.
The German Bundesliga continues to thrive, reporting record financial results for the 11th year in a row. With a reputation for reasonable ticket prices, the league reported a seventh year of record revenues, up 7 per cent at €2,6bn.
Profits increased to €51m, up by 31 per cent.
Bolton Wanderers Supporters’ Trust have launched an attempt to acquire the club from Eddie Davies wih the support of local institutions and businesses. Talks with the Sports Shield consortium led by Dean Holdsworth have not so far produced a solution for the financially troubled club.
A group of German investors is reported to be interested in taking a stake in Bradford City. Interest from German investors in English clubs is relatively unusual.
No imminent developments are expected from the talks with the German investors. They surfaced last summer and attended a home game late last year.
Last summer a takeover bid headed by former QPR chairman Gianna Paladani came to nothing.
William Hill Betting are reporting that a sale of Everton FC may be close to being agreed. The relatively complex ownership structure of the club might mean that a sale could take some time to complete.
Following their victory over Arsenal, Chelsea appear to be in recovery mode on the pitch. However, although their captain John Terry thinks they can still make it to fourth place, it will require an outstanding win ratio.
Failure to gain a place in the Champions League (for the first time under Abramovich) could cost them £40m in sponsorship and gate money.
Barclays Premier League clubs will receive their share of the record-breaking £5.14bn broadcast deal a month early to boost spending in the summer transfer window. Clubs normally receive the majority of their annual portion of television rights at the start of the new season in August, but this year they will be handed the funds in July.
Charlton fans, organised by the Coalition Against Roland Duchatelet (CARD), will be demonstrating again against the club’s Belgian owner and chief executive when they play Blackburn Rovers at The Valley tomorrow.
Charlton fans have a history of fan activism. They enabled the club to return to The Valley from ground shares, overcoming the opposition of the local council. They entered candidates in the council elections under the banner of the Valley Party and ousted the chair of the planning committee.
This blog post considers what makes a good Premier League owner with particular reference to Randy Lerner at Aston Villa and Mike Ashley at Newcastle. It notes that life at Aston Villa after Doug Ellis isn’t exactly what they expected it to be, but Lerner is not guilty of some sins committed by other owners.
Manchester United have slipped to third place in the Deloitte Football Money League for 2014-15. With their absence from European competition, their revenues fell by £38m. Real Madrid and Barcelona occupy the top two places.