England's Premier League is by far the richest and most profitable soccer league in Europe, while Roman Abramovich's Chelsea paid some 170 million euros (US$209 million) in salaries, according to a survey of the 2003-'04 season released on Wednesday.
The 20 clubs in England's top division brought in total revenues of 1.97 billion euros, British accounting firm Deloitte & Touche said in its annual financial review of soccer.
That figure made the Premiership "the biggest football league in Europe by a record margin and represents 18 percent of the total 11 billion euro European football market," the report said.
The survey covered Chelsea's first full season under the ownership of Russian oil billionaire Roman Abramovich, and it showed. Chelsea's salary bill went up 110 percent and was "almost certainly" the highest in the world for a soccer club, the survey said.
Chelsea finished runner up in 2003-'04 and went on to win the title in the season just ended for the first time in 50 years.
The league's total wage bill came to 1.2 billion euros, with Manchester United second behind Chelsea at 115 million euros.
Excluding Chelsea, the total wage bill rise for other Premier League clubs narrowly dropped from the previous season for the first time.
The 7 percent hike was the lowest rise since 1992 and well below previous "astonishing" increases.
Total revenues for Premier League clubs climbed 6 percent to 1.97 billion euros.
Revenues were equivalent to almost 100 million euros per English club and over 50 percent higher than second-place Italy's Serie A.
Manchester United came in as the top revenue generator at 256 million euros, with Chelsea second at 215 million euros.
The Premier League beat European rivals in operating profits too, bringing in a record 222 million euros and topping its only profitable rival, the German Bundesliga.
Shohei Ohtani and Clayton Kershaw on Friday joined their Los Angeles Dodgers teammates in sticking their fists out to show off their glittering World Series rings at a ceremony. “There’s just a lot of excitement, probably more than I can ever recall with the Dodger fan base and our players,” manager Dave Roberts said before Los Angeles rallied to beat the Detroit Tigers 8-5 in 10 innings. “What a way to cap off the first two days of celebrations,” Roberts said afterward. “By far the best opening week I’ve ever experienced. I just couldn’t have scripted it any better.” A choir in the
The famously raucous Hong Kong Sevens are to start today in a big test for a shiny new stadium at the heart of a major US$3.85 billion sports park in the territory. Officials are keeping their fingers crossed that the premier event in Hong Kong’s sporting and social calendar goes off without a hitch at the 50,000-seat Kai Tak Stadium. They hope to entice major European soccer teams to visit in the next few months, with reports in December last year saying that Liverpool were in talks about a pre-season tour. Coldplay are to perform there next month, all part of Hong Kong’s
Shohei Ohtani, Teoscar Hernandez and Tommy Edman on Thursday smashed home runs to give the reigning World Series champions the Los Angeles Dodgers a 5-4 victory over Detroit on the MLB’s opening day in the US. The Dodgers, who won two season-opening games in Tokyo last week, raised their championship banner on a day when 28 clubs launched the season in the US. Dodgers manager Dave Roberts shuffled his batting lineup with all four leadoff hitters finally healthy as Ohtani was followed by Mookie Betts, then Hernandez and Freddie Freeman in the cleanup spot, switching places with Hernandez. “There’s a Teoscar tax to
Marcus Rashford’s first goals for Aston Villa on Sunday inspired a 3-0 win against Preston North End that sent his side into the FA Cup semi-finals for the first time in 10 years. Rashford struck twice in the second half at Deepdale to end Preston’s stubborn resistance before Jacob Ramsey wrapped up Villa’s long-awaited return to the last four. Villa are to face Crystal Palace — 3-0 winners at Fulham on Saturday — in the semi-finals at Wembley Stadium in London. Revitalized since joining Villa on loan from Manchester United during the January transfer window, Rashford is beginning to show the form that
RSS