Rising wages tip Manchester United to £27.7m Q3 loss despite post-pandemic revenue recovery May 26, 2022 Manchester United made a loss of £27.7m for the three months up to the end of March, a 53 per cent increase on the same period last year, due to rising wages and unfavourable exchange rates. Revenue was up 29 per cent to £152.8m, largely due to the return of supporters to Old Trafford following [...]
Coalition of football clubs file lawsuit against insurers in wake of landmark Axa ruling May 17, 2022 A coalition of football clubs have filed a multi-party lawsuit against six major insurers seeking a larger payout for money lost during Covid-19, after the UK’s Supreme Court said businesses are allowed to reclaim losses suffered due to the impacts of the pandemic. A consortium of 20 separate claimants – including Arsenal, Liverpool, and Aston [...]
Chelsea ride storm to deliver first trophy since club put up for sale May 8, 2022 Chelsea are Women’s Super League champions for the third consecutive season after Emma Hayes’ side weathered a challenge from Arsenal and brought the club its first trophy since they were put up for sale and owner Roman Abramovich sanctioned. But early yesterday afternoon, on the final day of the season, Jonas Eidevall’s Gunners had one [...]
Chelsea facing administration unless Roman Abramovich drops plans to call in £1.5bn debt May 4, 2022 Chelsea owner Roman Abramovich will likely have to drop plans to call in his £1.5bn loan to the club or see it go into administration. Abramovich is reported to have scrapped an apparent previous commitment to write off the debt as part of the sale of the club. The sanctioned Russian oligarch is not allowed [...]
Chelsea sale: Sir Jim Ratcliffe bid ‘rejected out of hand’ by Roman Abramovich’s bankers May 4, 2022 Sir Jim Ratcliffe’s bid for Chelsea has been “rejected out of hand”, according to senior figures at his business the Ineos Group. The British petrochemicals billionaire made an 11th-hour offer for the Premier League club last week which comprised £2.5bn plus a commitment to invest a further £1.75bn. But Ratcliffe has indicated that he is [...]
Chelsea sale: Deal plunged into doubt after U-turn on loan repayment – reports May 3, 2022 Fresh doubt surrounds the proposed sale of Chelsea after it was reported that owner Roman Abramovich wants to change the structure of the deal. Having previously indicated that he was willing to write off more than £1.5bn of debt owed by the club to another of his companies, he is now said to have asked [...]
Paul Merson: Football should do more to stop lives being ruined by gambling addiction May 3, 2022 Former footballer and reformed addict Paul Merson believes the sport should do more to stop players falling prey to gambling problems. Merson also battled alcohol and drugs during a career that nevertheless gleaned league titles, European trophies and playing at World Cups for England. The ex-Arsenal forward, 54, was driven to the brink of suicide [...]
English football regulator won’t ban owners for geopolitical reasons, says Government April 25, 2022 A new independent regulator for English football will not seek to prevent takeovers or force out owners on the basis of geopolitical issues, the Government has confirmed. The regulator will have power to implement tougher tests on prospective club buyers to “root out unsuitable owners”, the official response to last year’s Fan Led Review of [...]
Arsenal have reconnected with fans this season but on-field slump threatens to undo good work April 20, 2022 Since the dark days of lockdown, Arsenal have been engaged in a major branding exercise aimed at reconnecting with supporters. Club staff have conducted thousands of interviews with fans in the UK and overseas, particularly in Los Angeles and Shanghai, in an attempt to gauge what they had been doing right and where they had [...]
Chelsea sale heading for full time as deadline arrives for potential world record £2.5bn deal April 13, 2022 This is a big week for Chelsea Football Club on the field, with the Blues’ men’s and women’s teams both preparing for FA Cup semi-finals on Sunday. For the men, the game is a must-win if they are to lift a trophy this season, as well as a chance to bounce back from a painful [...]