Parachute payments boost promotion chances by 4x and should be scrapped, study finds Sport Business Parachute payments make clubs four times more likely to achieve promotion to the Premier League and should be scrapped, according to a new study. The Leonard Curtis Football Finance Report 2026 found that over a 10-year period Championship clubs who received parachute payments had a 30 per cent chance of promotion, compared to just seven [...]
Spurs owners take 12-month investment to £300m with fresh £120m injection Sport Business Tottenham Hotspur’s majority owners will take their investment into the club to beyond £300m in the last year after agreeing to an additional £120m injection. The family of billionaire Joe Lewis – which owns 70 per cent of the controlling ENIC Sports Inc company – have pumped £120m into the north London club, who currently [...]
Manchester United’s new stadium could be delayed until 2035 as timeline slips Sport Business Manchester United’s new stadium may not open until 2035, according to official planning documentation. The timeline for the £2bn-plus project has repeatedly slipped ever since minority owner Sir Jim Ratcliffe announced in March 2025 that United would build a new stadium rather than renovate Old Trafford. At the time, the billionaire said it could be [...]
Former Chelsea star Juan Mata reveals bid to sway Fifa presidential election September 15, 2026 Former Chelsea and Manchester United star Juan Mata has launched a bid to influence next year’s Fifa presidential election. Mata has helped to create Unleash Football, a platform for fans and players to share how they want the sport to be run, and plans to present the findings to current Fifa boss Gianni Infantino and [...]
Fifpro demands Fifa Council probe amid Infantino World Cup sell-off row September 14, 2026 Global footballers’ union Fifpro has called for an independent review of the Fifa Council’s powers after it was apparently sidelined by Gianni Infantino’s World Cup sell-off plan. The call comes in a communique issued as it published new research showing that the vast majority of value created at this year’s World Cup derived from Europe. [...]
Serie A won’t catch the Premier League by selling its rights better September 12, 2026 Serie A was the creme de la creme in the nineties and noughties. Maldini, Totti and Gattuso were household names everywhere from the hills of Naples to the streets of Salford. But that global prestige has waned and our own data shows that Italian football has nowhere near the same pull for overseas football fans [...]
Crystal Palace agree deal with HSBC that paves way for new training ground September 11, 2026 Crystal Palace FC have agreed to buy the 27-acre HSBC Sports Ground in Beckenham, South London, in a move that will allow the club to significantly expand their training facilities. The HSBC grounds, which currently comprise cricket and football pitches as well as a pavilion, border Palace’s academy complex, which is itself across the road [...]
Manchester United deny financial motive behind nearly 700 season ticket bans September 11, 2026 Manchester United have banned 685 season ticket holders for reselling their seats but insist that the crackdown is not a cash-grab by the club. It follows an investigation by United chiefs that found “unusual activity” on the accounts of 1,617 members, who were asked to provide explanations. The operation caused outcry among some supporters, who [...]
Chelsea valuation doubles under BlueCo to £5bn as Boehly and Walter eye exit September 11, 2026 Todd Boehly and Mark Walter’s exit from Chelsea is set to see the business valued at around £5bn in another marked escalation of elite football club valuations. The valuation is double the £2.5bn price that saw the Boehly and Clearlake consortium beat off competition to buy the London club from Roman Abramovich in 2022. That [...]
Bath City tipped to be next Wrexham after non-league record £6m investment September 10, 2026 A consortium led by mobile gaming entrepreneur Andrew Stalbow has completed a takeover of Bath City FC in a £6m deal said to represent a record investment for non-league football. Stalbow, who helped create the Best Fiends and Angry Birds games franchises, heads an international group of investors which also includes executives from consultancy giant [...]