Skip to main content

The strongest league in the world?

Is the Premier League now the strongest league in the world with all four slots in the finals of European competitions occupied by English clubs for the first time ever? That was the question posed on Radio 5 this morning.

Of course, really one means in Europe. The MSL continues to develop; you cannot beat the Argentinian league for fierce competitive excitement; and large sums of money have been shovelled into the China Super League.

After that? When I was in Chile, I watched a dreary match on television involving the Catholic University team (there is also a team called Everton). There were just two highlights. When the one goal was scored by Catholica the player took off his shirt to reveal a tattoo of Christ on the cross covering his back. Thirty minutes after the match ended there was a riot outside my hotel involving rival fans.

But what about Europe? The real competition comes from La Liga, Serie A and the Bundesliga. We are just talking about one year and over the years the La Liga teams have been formidable. Real Madrid is still the place to go for many world class players. When supporters of some lower league team start claiming they are 'the greatest team the world has ever seen', it is Real I think of.

Arsenal and Chelsea fans face a real challenge in terms of getting hold of the just 6,000 tickets allocated to each club and then getting to Baku which has just one direct flight a week. More tickets are available in Madrid, but price gouging is already under way in terms of flights and hotels.

The Football Supporters' Federation have rightly taken a strong stance on this issue: Final costs condemned

Labels:

Comments

Post a Comment

Popular posts from this blog

Threat of financial calamity removed from Baggies

West Bromwich Albion had effectively been in decline ever since the club was sold to a Chinese consortium in August 2016, paying a figure north of £200m to buy former owner Jeremy Peace’s stake. Controlling shareholder Guochuan Lai’s ownership was fairly disastrous for the club, but his unloved tenure finally came to an end after Bilkul Football WBA, a company ultimately owned by Florida-based entrepreneur Shilen Patel and his father Dr Kiran Patel, acquired an 87.8% shareholding in West Bromwich Albion Group Limited, the parent company of West Bromwich Albion Football Club. This change in ownership was urgently required, due to the numerous financial problems facing West Brom, including growing high-interest debt and serious cash flow concerns, following years of no investment from the former owner. Indeed, West Brom’s auditors had already rung the alarm bell in the 2021/22 accounts when they cast doubt on the club’s ability to continue as a going concern without making player s...
1 comment
Read more

Spurs to sell minority stake

Tottenham Hotspur is in talks to sell a minority stake in a deal that could value it at up to £3.75 billion and pave the way for Joe Lewis and his family to sever ties with the Premier League football club. Tottenham chairman Daniel Levy is seeking an investment that values the club at between £3.5 billion and £3.75 billion, including debt. While the terms of any deal have not been finalised, City sources expect Spurs to sell about 10 per cent. The club is being advised by bankers from Rothschild on the sale. Tottenham wants to raise fresh capital for new player signings and to help fund the development of an academy for its women’s team, as well as a 30-storey hotel next to its north London stadium. The financier Amanda Staveley, who brokered the deal for Saudi Arabia’s Public Investment Fund to take over Newcastle United, is understood to be among the parties to have expressed an interest in Tottenham. Staveley’s fund, PCP Capital Partners, has raised about £500 million to ...
Post a Comment
Read more

Millwall punch above their weight

Millwall’s season was overshadowed by the tragic death of owner John Berylson following a car accident. The American had been an exemplary owner, beloved by the fans for his leadership, passion and generosity. Millwall’s finances had been pretty good during his tenure, which we shall explore by looking at the most recent accounts from the 2022/23 season, when the club narrowly missed out on a place in the play-offs after finishing 8th. Millwall’s pre-tax loss slightly reduced from £12.6m to £12.2m, as revenue rose £0.8m (4%) from £18.6m to a club record £19.4m and player sales improved from a £0.1m loss to £2.5m profit. However, other operating income dropped from by £1.1m from £1.3m to £0.2m, while operating expenses increased £1.7m (5%) from £31.6m to £33.3m. The main driver of the revenue increase was broadcasting, which rose £1.1m (12%) from £9.1m to £10.2m, though match day was also up £0.4m (7%) from £5.8m to £6.2m. In contrast, commercial fell £0.7m (19%) from £3.7m to £3....
Post a Comment
Read more