DFL to harden ‘50+1’ rule to protect German clubs from investor predators
March 9 – Germany’s football league (DFL) wants to tighten rules to stop investors taking full control of clubs.
Finance
Owners move to bolster Leicester balance-sheet after heavy £92.5m loss
By David Owen
March 8 – Leicester City, the Midlands club enduring what by their recent standards is an undistinguished season in the lower reaches of the Premier League, have reported a near tripling of pre-tax losses for the year to end-May 2022.
Wolves run up £46m loss despite falling costs
By David Owen
March 7 – Chinese-owned Wolverhampton Wanderers, currently experiencing an upturn in on-field fortunes under Spanish manager Julen Lopetegui, have posted a £46.1 million pre-tax loss for the year to end-May 2022.
Debt issues forced Saints owner Sport Republic to drop acquisition of Bulgaria’s Levski
March 7 – Serbian Dragan Šolak, a majority shareholder in owner Sport Republic who are having a torrid time with their ownership of Southampton in the Premier League, has said that he pulled out of buying leading Bulgarian club Levski because of the huge debt the club had built up.
Tebas says Man City probe is taking too long, EPL is unsustainable and CAS needs reviewing
By Paul Nicholson
March 3 – LaLiga’s CEO Javier Tebas took another swipe at Europe’s state funded clubs who he says have broken and continue to break all the financial rules, saying it has “taken too long” for the Premier League to bring financial breaches charges against Manchester City.
Newcastle ownership under scrutiny as report identifies Saudi’s PIF as a government body
March 3 – The English Premier League has been urged to re-examine a legally binding promise made by Newcastle United’s Saudi owners that the Middle East state would not have control of the club.
Fans’ return helps to ring up £7.5m profit for Fenway’s Liverpool
By David Owen
March 1 – Liverpool’s remarkable 2021-22 season has helped to restore the Merseyside club to profit. The Reds have served notice that pre-tax profit weighed in at £7.5 million in the year to end-May 2022; this compared with a loss of £4.8 million the previous year.
Transfer spending disparity shows the increasing might of the Premier League
February 24 – At the beginning of February, Deloitte crunched the numbers for Premier League transfer spending, looking back at the recent January Wwindow, as well as the spending in the summer of 2022. As Deloitte pointed out, the figures were startling, with records being broken on all fronts.
Player price inflation has averaged 9% per year over past decade, finds report
February 21 – The cost of buying players increased at an annual rate of 13.8% between the 2013/14 and 2019/20 seasons. The inflation bubble was burst with a -0.2% drop in the three seasons following the pandemic but player prices resumed their spectacular growth in 2022/23, suggesting a rapid return to record levels, said the CIES Football Observatory.
Cash-strapped Birmingham City fall foul of EFL funding and ownership rules
February 21 – English Tier-2 club Birmingham City could face a suspended points deduction after being charged with multiple counts of misconduct by the English Football League.
Liverpool not for sale, says Henry, but new investor talks on-going
February 21 – Liverpool is not for sale but the club is in discussion with potential investors which owner John Henry expects to result in new money coming into the business.
Qatari bid takes early lead in race for acquisition of Man Utd
February 18 – Qatari Sheikh Jassim Bin Hamad Al Thani has confirmed that he has submitted a bid for 100% control of Manchester United, which will be made via his newly formed Nine Two Foundation.
Sheffield United’s preferred buyer Mmobousi sued in US court for not paying staff
By Paul Nicholson
February 17 – Sheffield United’s preferred £90 million buyer Dozy Mmobousi, who has a court judgement against him in the UK for unpaid rent, is facing an even bigger problem in the US where he is facing demands for a jury trial over his failure to pay the CEO of his Tingo Mobile company close to $300,000.
Saudis join bidding race for Man Utd ahead of today’s ‘soft’ deadline, reports
February 17 – Investors from Saudi Arabia have submitted a bid for Manchester United ahead of today’s “soft” deadline according to The Daily Telegraph newspaper.
MSP Sports Capital prepares $3.75 billion bid for ‘not-for-sale’ Spurs
February 16 – Tottenham Hotspur’s board has indicted that it is not for sale and its owners are committed to their long-term plans for the Premier League club.