Clubs want African players back after Togo attack
By The Isogon GroupHull boss Phil Brown has led calls for Premier League players at the Africa Cup of Nations to return to the UK after the Togo bus came under gunfire.
The coach driver was killed in Friday's attack in Angola, while two Togo players were also shot and injured.
Tottenham boss Harry Redknapp, who does not have any players at the tournament, said: "It's frightening. It's worth considering calling the whole thing off. We can't just sit around and wait for the next shooting."
Portsmouth have four players at the tournament and club spokesman Gary Double said they had sought reassurance from the English Football Association and world governing body Fifa about their players' security.
"Our players' safety is paramount and if that can't be guaranteed the players should be sent home," he said.
Professional Footballers' Association chief executive Gordon Taylor said Premier League clubs should not be able to dictate whether their players were sent home.
He told BBC Radio 5 live: "Bearing in mind what has happened, for English clubs to expect players to come home from any other team apart from Togo would be too far."
It's a decision to be taken by the clubs but that could be in conflict with the African Confederation and Fifa and that is the dilemma of the day, not just in sport, but in many other issues regarding terrorism. Do we try to continue life as normally as possible in order to win on the day?
We need to know the whole circumstances and have a proper inquiry, but you can understand clubs asking for players to come home after such an incident. Clubs release their players under Fifa regulations but they have every right to expect that the security issues and safety is going to be paramount and if that is not the case, they have a serious reason to withdraw them."
UEFA to come down on clubs reporting losses
By The Isogon GroupUEFA proposed regulations are a direct effect of the remarks made by Michel Platini in August about the financial plans of football clubs. He said, "If a club gets a lot of money or subsidies from a big backer and is still in deficit in two years then it is a problem and we don't want that." The European Club Association (ECA) has approved Platini's proposal and UEFA is basing its financial fair play rules of the same proposal. So, clubs who do not comply with this will not be allowed to participate in major competitions. "There needs to be a business model for breaking even within three and a half years. The deadline is what it is and we will stick to it; we have tremendous support from the clubs."
This will need some big changes in the clubs as Ron Gourlay of Chelsea has spoken of breaking even as an aspiration rather than having a specific deadline for it. UEFA is sounding enthusiastic about enforcing the rules although it will be tough to take action against big revenue-producing clubs such as Chelsea and Manchester City.
Manchester City owner Sheikh Mansour bin Zayed al-Nahyan's move of converting his interest-free loans to the club into equity in this last week may be significant in the face of these proposed regulations. His move has amounted to his writing off almost GBP 400 millon of the club's debts. The announcement yesterday that the club had net losses of GBP 92.6 million in the first year with Mansour was tempered by this announcement of his having turned loans into shares. It has been a strong statement of his commitment.
If the Abu Dhabi owner of Manchester City walks away from the club, the Eastlands organisations is not left responsible for vast sums although there is a GBP 40 million bank facility still in the accounts. But GBP 40 million is debt is likely to look a lot better than a GBP 440 million debt to commercial investors should the club need the investment.
According to the Telegraph, It is important to remember that the club is still very dependent on Mansour in that Manchester City's wage bill made their operating expenses exceed the GBP 87 million turn over last year and without the owner's help this gap could not have been bridged. While Manchester City's overall finances are probably in better place than the Glazer family-owned Manchester United, the latter is able to make wage payments from revenue even though the operating profit is going for loan interest payments. The Glazer family is looking to refinance the GBP 699 million debt through a bond issue.
Manchester City post massive loss
By The Isogon GroupThe figures reflect the large sums of money spent on top-class players by Sheikh Mansour since he bought the Eastlands club in September 2008.
They include the £32.5m signing of Brazilian star Robinho.
The figures do not take into account the further large outlay since May 2009 on players such as Carlos Tevez, Kolo Toure and Emmanuel Adebayor.
'Transformation'
"The financial results reflect a period of rapid change at the club, the result of long-term planning and investment by the board and our owners, to create a sustainable business in the future," said City's chief financial and administration officer, Graham Wallace.
"We have always said that this transformation will take a number of years and these figures reflect that."
Other players bought during the financial period included Craig Bellamy and Shay Given.
Away from player transfer costs, there were some positive signs in other aspects of the business.
Turnover was up 6% to £87m, while average attendances rose slightly, to 42,890 from 42,081 the year before.
A run to the latter stages of the UEFA Cup helped boost ticket revenues by £1.8m, and TV income was up by 12% to £48.3m, also boosted by the European run.
Premier League to pay TV money to Portsmouth's creditors
By The Isogon GroupThe move is allowed under Premier League rules protecting clubs that are owed money from player transfers. Chelsea, Tottenham Hotspur and Watford are in line for a share of the payment.
Portsmouth only managed to pay its non-playing staff their December wages yesterday, after securing a short-term bank loan. The players are expected to be paid their December wages this week.
Portsmouth remains under an embargo stopping it from signing any new players. Fans are planning protests against the club's owner, Saudi businessman Ali Al Faraj.
Man City biggest contributor to £70m EPL agents' bill
By The Isogon GroupManchester City paid nearly £13 million to agents in year to end-September 2009, the most out of the English Premier League clubs.
Man City topped the list of clubs, which was published by the Premier League yesterday, with £12,874,283. Next was Chelsea, with £9,562,223, followed by Liverpool (£6,657,305), Tottenham Hotspur (£6,066,935), and West Ham United (£5,527,548). Champions Manchester United were well down the list on £1,517,393.
The Daily Telegraph said the payments represented just over 10 per cent of the clubs' total spending on player purchases in the January and Summer 2009 transfer windows. The clubs spent £682.3 million in those windows.
The payments covered fees paid to agents by clubs on behalf of themselves, and on behalf of players, when acquiring players and renegotiating contracts with players; fees relating to previous transactions that were amortised over the length of a player’s contract; and fees to facilitate the outward transfer of players.
Reuters reports that the English FA welcomed the publication of the figures, a spokesman saying: "We are pleased that, through these new requirements, clubs are bringing greater transparency to the domestic transfer market."
"For the first time, there will be a game-wide picture of the level of spending on agents.
"The leagues and other key stakeholders have been fully supportive, following the example set by the Football League with its publication of agents' fees over the last few years."
Racehorse owners to face 'fit and proper person' test
By The Isogon GroupThe British Horseracing Authority (BHA), the regulatory authority for horseracing in Great Britain, will introduce a 'fit and proper persons' test for owners in the sport by the middle of next year, a move that follows the Premier League to put owners under tougher scrutiny.
According to the Guardian, the BHA is planning to approach the Racehorse Owners Association before Christmas to discuss the introduction of the new test. Under the new rules if information comes to light suggesting an existing owner does not meet the new standard, the BHA could also investigate and ban that owner.
"It's all about suitablity and 'fit and proper' is part of that. In order to be suitable, you need to be competent but you also need a certain standing of honesty, integrity and financial soundness," said Oliver Codrington, head of compliance and licensing at the BHA.
"The vast majority of owners want to know what there is to stop undesirables registering as owners. And trainers want to know what we're doing to protect them from owners who may not pay their bills. That is something that needs to be looked at."
Racing enthusiast Ramzan Kadyrov, the president of Chechnya, has been repeatedly accused of crimes against political opponents. He has had had three horses win in Britain this year including Mourilyan, who was third in the Melbourne Cup.
Top Authors
Subscribe
