Skip to main content

Juve boss wants matches in England cut

Andrea Agnelli is chairman of Juventus and chairman of the powerful European Clubs' Association. He is a member of the famous Agnelli family and a board member at Fiat. So when he speaks he needs to be listened to.

He has called for the Premier League to be 'streamlined'. England's top flight clubs can play up to 53 games in the Premier League, FA Cup and Carabao Cup (although the cup competitions provide a rare outing for fringe players). Their equivalents in Germany play a maximum of 43.

Agnelli wants a general reduction in domestic games with more international club games. This is very much the agenda of the top European clubs. The top six in the Premier League would also support a reduction in its size, although it would require smaller clubs to agree to be turkeys voting for an early Christmas.

Reducing the size of the Premier League could, however, lead to a reduction in the number of clubs relegated to two or even one. This would, of course, not go down well with Championship clubs trying to reach the riches of the top flight, if only for a season or two. Some foreign owners, particularly those from the US, find the whole idea of a franchise being relegated strange.

The Premier League reacted angrily to Agnelli's comments, telling them to take his tanks off their lawn: 'It is up to Italian clubs and their association to make decisions about their competitions but neither they nor the ECA have any role in the governance of English football.'

Labels:

Comments

Post a Comment

Popular posts from this blog

Wolves get raw deal from FFP

  I used to see a lifelong Wolves fan for lunch once a month.   He was approaching ninety, but still went to games.   Sadly he passed away the other week. As football finance guru Kieran Maguire has noted, Wolves continue to be constrained by financial fair play rules.  Radio 4 this morning described them as this year's 'crisis club' and the pessimists have certainly been piling in. Martin Samuel wrote sympathetically in the Sunday Times yesterday, saying that the Premier League drives talent away with regulatory red tape: 'Why could Al-Hilal sign Neves? Because Wolves needed the money. And why did Wolves need the money? Because the club had to comply with an artificial construct known as financial fair play. So Wolves are going skint, yes? No. There is no suggestion that Wolves are in financial trouble, only that they are failing to meet the rigours of FFP. Wolves’ owners appear to have the money to run the club, and invest in the club, and in fact came up with a pow
Post a Comment
Read more

Gold standard ground boosts Tottenham's income

The gold standard in European football grounds is the Tottenham Hotspur stadium in north London, a £1bn construction project completed in 2019. Its impact on the club’s finances has become increasingly clear as the effects of the pandemic have faded. Previously, the average fan would spend less than £2 inside the ground on a typical match day, but now that figure is about £16, thanks to new facilities including the longest bar in Europe and an on-site microbrewery. Capacity has gone up from 36,000 at the club’s previous home of White Hart Lane to 62,000.  The new stadium — built on land adjacent to White Hart Lane — has opened the door to a broad range of other events that have helped to push commercial income up from €117mn in 2018 to €215mn in 2022. Last year, Tottenham hosted US singer Beyoncé for five nights on her global Renaissance tour, two NFL matches, as well as rugby games and heavyweight boxing bouts.  Money brought in from football has gone up too. Match day income is
Post a Comment
Read more

Charlton takeover approved

The long awaited takeover of Charlton Athletic by SE7 Partners from Thomas Sandgaard has been approved:  https://londonnewsonline.co.uk/se7-partners-obtain-efl-approval-for-charlton-athletic-takeover/ Charlton have had unhappy experiences with owners for over a decade, so how this works out will remain to be seen.  There is certainly potential there, but will it be realised? This interview with Charlie Methven gives detail not available elsewhere:  https://thecharltondossier.com/charlie-methven-on-the-record/
Post a Comment
Read more