Legal - Soccer Wiretap

Ivory Coast striker Elye Wahi was arrested by French police on May 29 on suspicion of spot-fixing, less than two weeks before the 2026 FIFA World Cup, The Athletic has revealed. The 23-year-old has since started for Ivory Coast at the tournament.

The Marseille public prosecutor's office confirmed the arrest in a statement to The Athletic.

"We can confirm that a 23-year-old football player, competing in France's Ligue 1, was arrested on May 29 as part of an investigation opened by the Marseille public prosecutor's office into allegations of organized fraud, organized sports corruption, handling of proceeds of crime and money laundering," a spokesperson said. "He was released after he was interviewed in police custody. The investigations remain ongoing."

The probe began after France's Ligue de Football Professionnel received notifications of unusual betting activity surrounding Nice's Ligue 1 fixture against Metz on May 17, specifically wagers placed on Wahi to receive a yellow card. Wahi was booked in the 35th minute of that match following a late challenge on a Metz defender.

The caution triggered an automatic one-match suspension, ruling Wahi out of Nice's relegation playoff first leg against Saint-Etienne. Three days later, he returned to score twice in a 4-1 victory and was named man of the match before anti-corruption specialists arrested him afterward.

Wahi has not been charged with any crime. He traveled to the United States and started Ivory Coast's 1-0 Group E victory over Ecuador in Philadelphia on Sunday, hitting the crossbar before being substituted in the 55th minute. Manchester United winger Amad Diallo scored the winning goal in the 90th minute.

FIFA did not respond to questions from The Athletic regarding whether it knew of Wahi's arrest before Sunday's match or whether his eligibility to participate could be affected. Ivory Coast faces Group E leaders Germany in Toronto on Saturday.

The United States men's national team's 4-1 World Cup opening win over Paraguay drew an average of 24.886 million viewers across Fox, Telemundo and their streaming platforms, according to preliminary overnight data from the networks and Nielsen.

Fox averaged 15.986 million viewers across its broadcast and Fox One and Tubi simulcasts, peaking at 18.86 million viewers between 10:45 p.m. and 11 p.m. ET. Telemundo averaged 8.9 million viewers across its linear network and streaming platforms, including Peacock.

The figures extend an early viewership trend for the tournament. The opening match between Mexico and South Africa drew an average of 6.31 million viewers on Fox, marking the largest U.S. English-language television audience ever for a World Cup opening match, according to Sports Media Watch.

For comparison, the United States' opening group-stage match at the 2022 World Cup, a 1-1 draw with Wales played on a Monday afternoon in Qatar, drew nearly 12 million viewers combined across Fox and Telemundo.

Telemundo has adjusted its broadcast approach for the new mid-half hydration breaks, extending live coverage through the stoppage with on-screen commercial branding rather than cutting to full commercial breaks like Fox.

The early viewership numbers benefit from Nielsen's revamped measurement systems, which have boosted audience figures across sports broadcasts generally. Viewership will remain a closely watched storyline throughout the tournament, particularly as the United States is considered statistically near-certain to advance to the round of 32 following Friday's victory.

Real Madrid and Adidas have extended their long-standing partnership through 2034, the two organizations announced Wednesday. The eight-year agreement is valued at roughly $1.1 billion, according to Sportico.

Spanish newspaper Diario AS reported the deal averages approximately $139 million per year. That figure edges out the extension Adidas signed with Manchester United in 2023, which guarantees a minimum of $121 million annually over 10 years.

Real Madrid president Florentino Perez called the agreement the "most important in the history of football." Adidas CEO Bjorn Gulden pledged to keep delivering lifestyle products for supporters to wear in "stadiums and on the streets."

The two organizations first joined forces in 1980, though the partnership was interrupted for 11 years beginning with the 1986-87 season. Adidas has served as Madrid's exclusive kit supplier since 1998, during which time the club has claimed eight Champions League titles in the brand's three-stripe jerseys. The new deal also covers Real Madrid's academy, women's, and basketball programs.

The announcement came one day after Madrid renewed its kit sponsorship with Emirates for five more years. The airline has backed the club since 2011 and held kit sponsor status since 2013, reportedly paying around $116 million per season.

Real Madrid topped Sportico's most recent ranking of the 50 most valuable soccer clubs at $7.7 billion, ahead of FC Barcelona at $6.65 billion. The club completed a five-year, $1.2 billion renovation of the Santiago Bernabeu Stadium in 2024. On the field, Madrid finished second in LaLiga behind Barcelona and was eliminated by Bayern Munich in the Champions League quarterfinals.

Manchester City are exploring legal action against Real Madrid presidential candidate Enrique Riquelme after he publicly claimed he would sign striker Erling Haaland if elected club president. City have called the statements false and unauthorized.

Riquelme, a 37-year-old renewable energy entrepreneur, appeared on Spanish television program El Hormiguero Wednesday, presenting a Madrid jersey bearing Haaland's name and number while challenging incumbent president Florentino Perez.

"Haaland has a release clause and wants to join Real Madrid," said Riquelme.

Riquelme added that he would reimburse membership fees for all 100,000 Real Madrid members next season if he failed to deliver the Norwegian forward, who signed a new contract in January keeping him at City through 2034.

Haaland's representatives swiftly dismissed the claims as entertaining but false. City then issued a formal response.

"The stories which have emerged from Spain regarding the future of Erling Haaland are untrue," said a club spokesperson. "There is no chance of this happening and there is no contractual clause to enable it.

"We are considering legal action for the use of our player image in this context."

Riquelme also pledged to sign City midfielder Rodri, whose contract at the Etihad Stadium expires at the end of next season. City have consistently maintained they will not sell the Spain international this summer.

Perez, 79, has served as Madrid president since 2000 and remains the strong favorite for re-election. On Wednesday, he confirmed Jose Mourinho as his managerial choice, along with free agent defender Ibrahima Konate and Inter Milan's Denzel Dumfries as anticipated arrivals.

Tottenham Hotspur, currently third-bottom in the Premier League with four matches remaining, face a devastating financial consequence if relegated, broadcast revenue alone would plummet from an estimated £200 million this season to roughly £55 million as a Championship club, according to The Athletic.

The figures underscore a broader crisis at the north London club, which recorded a club-record £120.6 million pre-tax loss in 2024-25 despite generating record revenues of £565.3 million. It was their sixth consecutive annual deficit.

Spurs' total losses since 2020 have reached approximately £450 million.

The revenue decline would extend well beyond television money. Matchday income, which topped £100 million annually for the past four seasons, ranking third in England, would erode sharply without Premier League and Champions League fixtures. The club's Nike kit deal, which generated £86 million last season and ranks seventh in European football, faces an uncertain contractual future in the second tier.

Their commercial income of £276.7 million last season dwarfed Leeds United's Championship record of £48 million set in 2022-23. Even with parachute payments of roughly £50 million, analysts estimate Tottenham's Championship revenue would still reach approximately £300 million, well beyond the division's current record of £137 million, but operating costs of £202 million would remain largely fixed.

The club already carries £875.2 million in debt, third highest in world football behind Barcelona and Real Madrid, with approximately £30 million in annual interest payments. Owner ENIC has injected £232.5 million over the past four years after providing just £24.6 million across the previous two decades.

Spurs would also set an unwanted record, the highest wage bill ever for a relegated Premier League club, with current salary commitments of £255.8 million far exceeding Leicester City's previous benchmark of approximately £190 million set in 2022-23.

A special committee of Major League Soccer owners convened earlier this month to assess the future of the Vancouver Whitecaps, including potential relocation. Las Vegas emerged as the primary destination under consideration, sources briefed on the discussions told The Athletic.

MLS has held talks with a Las Vegas investor group separate from the $10 billion Starr Vegas development, which includes a proposed 50,000-seat stadium on the Strip. Phoenix is also a leading relocation candidate. Indianapolis and Sacramento have investors with MLS interest as well.

"We are aware of today's reporting," the Whitecaps said in a public statement. "The club has faced well-documented structural challenges around stadium economics, venue access, and revenue limitations that have made it difficult to attract buyers committed to keeping the team in Vancouver. … If there is a local ownership group with the vision and resources to chart a path forward, we urge them to come forward."

The club's BC Place lease expires at year's end, and the Whitecaps remain up for sale. Since December 2024, ownership has pursued a buyer committed to keeping the team in Vancouver without success, the club confirmed.

MLS acknowledged the hurdles, noting that "stadium economics, scheduling restrictions, and a lack of government and corporate support" have complicated finding a viable path forward, while adding the league "will evaluate all options."

Any relocation requires owner approval, plus a purchase and relocation fee expected to exceed San Diego FC's $500 million expansion price.

A grassroots "Save The Caps" movement has emerged among supporters, echoing the successful Columbus Crew campaign of the late 2010s, the last time MLS came close to relocating a franchise.

The situation contrasts sharply with Vancouver's on-field success. The Whitecaps won four straight Canadian Championships, reached the 2025 MLS Cup final, and currently sit three points behind the Supporters' Shield lead through nine matches.

Real Madrid and FC Barcelona lead Sportico's 2026 rankings of the world's 50 most valuable soccer clubs, valued at $7.7 billion and $6.65 billion respectively, the only two clubs to surpass $1 billion in annual revenue. Despite posting the sport's worst financial results, Premier League clubs dominate the overall list.

The 20 EPL clubs collectively recorded $1.05 billion in combined pre-tax losses in 2024-25, with Chelsea posting a league-record $346 million deficit. Only four Premier League clubs finished the season in the black. Newcastle United's reported $58 million gain was aided by a $176 million stadium sale to a related entity of its Saudi ownership group.

Despite those losses, 16 Premier League clubs cracked the top 50, with six occupying the top 10. The league's domestic broadcast rights alone generate $2.3 billion annually, with international rights surpassing the other four major European leagues combined.

Manchester United ranks third globally at $6.47 billion, edging past Barcelona for the first time before being overtaken in this year's updated figures. Bayern Munich and Liverpool round out the top five at $5.78 billion and $5.74 billion respectively.

The combined value of the top 50 clubs reached $95.5 billion, an 11% increase and the largest single-year gain in Sportico's four years of soccer rankings. The minimum valuation to crack the top 50 climbed to $675 million, up from $610 million a year earlier.

Real Madrid is projecting record revenue of $1.48 billion in 2025-26, the first full season following completion of the $1.2 billion Santiago Bernabeu renovation. Club president Florentino Perez is exploring a minority stake sale of up to 10% to surface the club's value.

MLS placed 18 clubs in the rankings, led by Inter Miami at $1.45 billion. Despite modest revenues, MLS clubs benefit from cost controls, modern facilities, and no relegation threat, factors that support a valuation multiple of 9.2 times revenue, nearly double the 4.9 multiple applied to elite European clubs.

Tottenham Hotspur, currently 18th in the Premier League standings and facing potential relegation, was marked down 5% to $3.5 billion. Several bankers told Sportico a sale is expected in 2026 if the club avoids the drop, but relegation would derail any transaction and trigger steep revenue declines across matchday, broadcast, and commercial streams.

English Premier League clubs recorded combined operating losses of £1.65 billion ($2.24 billion) in 2024-25, a 43 percent increase in a single year, even as collective revenues reached a record £6.8 billion, according to analysis by The Athletic.

Expenditure across wages, transfer fee amortization and operating costs rose by £911 million, nearly double the £462 million revenue increase. The division has now posted losses for seven consecutive seasons, accumulating more than £4 billion in deficits over that stretch.

Pre-tax losses across the league hit £787 million last season, a figure surpassed only by the pandemic-affected 2019-20 campaign. That total would have exceeded £1 billion without £296 million in internal asset transactions by Newcastle United, Aston Villa and Everton, which generated paper profits by shifting properties and subsidiary clubs within their corporate structures.

Wage costs climbed nine percent to £4.4 billion, pushing the league's wages-to-revenue ratio to 65 percent. The split between the traditional Big Six and the remaining 14 clubs is pronounced as the latter group spent 76 percent of turnover on staff costs alone.

Operating expenses rose 22 percent to £1.9 billion, now representing 28 percent of league revenues. For clubs outside the elite, wages and operating costs alone consume their entire income before transfer spending is factored in.

Only Liverpool generated positive free cash flow last season. Across the other clubs, owners injected more than £1.3 billion to cover shortfalls — the third straight year that figure topped £1 billion. Chelsea's BlueCo consortium alone has pumped in over £1 billion across three seasons.

Liverpool, Bournemouth, Ipswich Town and Crystal Palace were the only four clubs that turned a profit last season without relying on internal asset sales.

Arsenal recorded £691 million in turnover in 2024-25, a club record and a 12 percent annual increase, yet the figures also reveal a seventh consecutive loss-making year alongside a sharp and unexplained rise in operating expenses.

The north London club ranked third in England and seventh globally for revenue, closing a gap of more than £200 million to Liverpool and Manchester City that existed just three seasons ago.

Commercial income has been a primary growth driver. Arsenal's commercial revenues rose 146 percent since 2017-18, reaching £263.2 million last season. Kit and merchandising income tied to their Adidas partnership hit £127 million, fifth-highest in Europe, surpassing even Premier League champions Liverpool.

Matchday revenues have climbed sharply as well. Emirates Stadium generated £153.9 million last season, third-highest in Europe per home match at £5.1 million, trailing only Real Madrid and PSG.

Despite those gains, operating costs rose £52.9 million to top £200 million, a 171 percent increase over three years. The club attributed the rise to staging costs, inflationary pressures and direct costs tied to revenue growth, but declined to provide further detail when contacted by The Athletic.

Owner Kroenke Sports and Entertainment has provided £335.5 million in funding since taking full control in 2018, helping finance a net £268 million transfer outlay last summer alone. The squad's assembly cost now exceeds £1 billion.

Arsenal's wage bill reached £346.8 million, fourth-highest in England, yet Manchester City's comparable figure was £121 million higher last season.

With limited player sales in 2025-26 and wages set to climb further, analysts project a potentially significant loss in the current financial year regardless of trophy success.

Major League Soccer has issued lifetime bans to former players Derrick Jones and Yaw Yeboah for betting on MLS matches, the league announced Monday. Both players were placed on administrative leave in October 2025 pending a league review. Jones was playing for the Columbus Crew at the time, while Yeboah most recently played for LAFC after previously suiting up for Columbus alongside Jones.

MLS retained law firm Patterson Belknap Webb & Tyler LLP to investigate after receiving suspicious betting alerts through integrity partners. The investigation found both players bet on soccer matches, including games involving their own teams, during the 2024 and 2025 seasons.

In one instance, both players wagered on Jones receiving a yellow card during an Oct. 19, 2024 match between Columbus and the New York Red Bulls. Jones was shown a yellow card in the 35th minute. The league determined the players likely shared confidential information with other bettors regarding their intent to draw cards.

MLS found no evidence that any betting activity affected match outcomes.

"Major League Soccer remains steadfast in its commitment to match integrity," commissioner Don Garber said in a statement, adding that the league would continue enforcing policies and advocating for the removal of yellow card wagering across all states.

The league has worked with 41 betting jurisdictions to eliminate card-based wagering. Thirty-three of those jurisdictions currently prohibit it, with 15 changing their rules following MLS outreach.

This is not the league's first gambling enforcement action. MLS suspended Sporting Kansas City's Felipe Hernandez in 2021 and terminated his contract in 2024 for betting on MLS matches. The NBA issued a lifetime ban to former Toronto Raptors center Jontay Porter in 2024 for gambling violations.

Yeboah, who won an MLS Cup and Leagues Cup with Columbus, has since signed with Qingdao Hainiu in China.