EVERTON have, finally, been taken over by the Friedkin Group. It has been a painful journey for the club’s long suffering fans but the deal, which may eventually run to £ 500 million, has been finalised giving Friedkin a 99.5% stake in Everton. British-Iranian businessman Farhad Moshiri bought 49.9% of the club in 2016 and six years later, took his holding to 94.1%. Friedkin, who also own AS Roma, will look to reduce Everton’s debt to around £ 300 million and may turn some of its into equity. Everton have become the ninth Premier League club to come under American majority ownership.
ACCORDING to Swiss insurance company Zurich, 39 of the 92 Premier/EFL clubs face a high risk of climate hazards, including rainfall, drought, flooding and extreme winds. At present grassroots football in England is losing six weeks of gameplay each season due to soggy pitches. Some clubs are meeting the challenge, such as Forest Green Rovers of the National League, who have had their plans for a new stadium approved by their local authority. Eco Park will be 100% wood and sustainable and will be complemented by 1.8 kilometres of hedgerow planting to encourage biodiversity. The ground, which will have a capacity of 5,000 has been designed by Zaha Hadid Architects. The club, which has been described as the “greenest in the world” by FIFA, also uses kit made from recycled plastic and coffee grounds.
DUNDEE United’s 2023-24 financials have been published and reveal a pre-tax loss of £ 2.8 million loss. The club’s turnover totalled £ 6.35 million, a drop of 21% on 2022-23, reflecting Dundee United’s relegation to the Scottish Championship. However, the loss of £ 2.8 million was slightly less than the club’s deficit in 2022-23. Costs were cut by around 30% with wages down by 25% to £ 5.2 million, representing 81% of income. The club made £ 700,000 on player sales, a big drop on the £ 2.6 million generated a year earlier. Dundee United won promotion back to the Premiership at the first attempt, so their 2024-25 financials will look very different.
IF ALL goes to plan, Paris may have two teams in Ligue 1 in 2025-26. Paris FC, from the 13th arrondissement of the French capital, are riding high in Ligue 2. They are second in the table, just behind Lorient. Paris FC have some big backing, which includes the Arnault family. Bernard Arnault is the CEO of luxury goods company LVMH. Pierre Ferracci, who runs consultants Groupe Alpha, is president and Red Bull have an 11% stake in the club. Paris FC are ambitious and want to be seen as a local challenger to Paris Saint-Germain, but they have a strong emphasis on nurturing local talent. They also have a strong women’s section.
UEFA Women’s Champions League holders Barcelona trounced Manchester City 3-0 in front of 29,000 people, with goals from Clàudia Pina, Aitana Bonmati and Alexia Putellas. Chelsea came from a goal down to win 2-1 at Real Madrid, their two penalty goals coming from substitute Catarina Macário. Arsenal also staged a comeback to win 3-2 against Bayern Munich. They also needed a penalty to secure the victory, from Mariona Caldentey in the 86th minute. In a clash of past giants, Lyon beat Wolfsburg 1-0.
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