Legal - Soccer Wiretap

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.

Liverpool, Chelsea and Manchester United are racing to secure Champions League spots for next season with their eye on financial survival as much as the prestige of the competition. Missing a single season carries severe economic consequences for even the sport's wealthiest clubs.

UEFA prize money alone illustrates the stakes. PSG earned £125.06 million for winning last season's title. Aston Villa, the smallest earner among last year's quarterfinalists, still collected £72.5 million.

United represent the starkest example of the cost of absence. The club is missing roughly £5 million per home match in matchday revenue, plus a £10 million penalty in their £90 million annual Adidas shirt deal triggered by non-participation. United currently owe £422 million in outstanding transfer fees, with £238 million due by next season's end.

Chelsea's situation is equally pressing. The club recorded a £355 million loss in 2024-25, more than double the next-highest figure across European football. Winning the UEFA Conference League last season generated just £19.06 million in UEFA distributions.

Even Liverpool, the reigning Premier League champions, are not immune. Despite earning £174.9 million in league prize money, the club posted a pre-tax profit of only £15.2 million. Liverpool's wage bill stands at £428 million annually, the Premier League's largest, before accounting for recent high-profile signings.

"It's very important for us as a team to be in the Champions League and it has shown how important it is for this club financially," Liverpool manager Arne Slot said.

Champions League qualification has shifted from a competitive achievement to an economic requirement for England's elite clubs.

Inter Miami owner Jorge Mas disclosed this week that Lionel Messi's total annual compensation, including his ownership stake in the club, amounts to between $70 million and $80 million per year.

"I pay Messi — worth every penny — but it's $70 million to $80 million a year," Mas said in quotes carried by Bloomberg. "Across everything."

The figures far exceed Messi's recorded MLS salary. According to the MLS Players' Association, Messi carries a $12 million base salary and $20.45 million in guaranteed compensation, making him the highest-paid player in the league ahead of LAFC's Son Heung-min ($11.15 million) and former Miami teammate Sergio Busquets ($8.75 million), who retired at season's end.

The gap between official figures and Mas's estimate reflects the value of Messi's ownership share. Inter Miami was valued at roughly $585 million in 2023 before Messi's arrival. Forbes now places the club at $1.35 billion, the highest valuation in MLS. Based on Mas's figures, Messi's stake appears worth at least $60 million annually.

Sources previously told The Athletic that Messi's overall deal was worth between $50 million and $70 million, depending on franchise valuation. As Miami's worth has climbed, so has the effective value of his contract.

Messi's ownership interest is set to activate upon his retirement, per sources familiar with the agreement. His contract with Inter Miami runs through the 2028-29 season.

Separate endorsement arrangements with Fanatics, Apple and Adidas are not included in the Inter Miami figures.

Retired Mexican star Carlos Vela is returning to LAFC as an owner. Vela headlines a group of three incoming limited partners who acquired a combined 6% stake in the club at a $1.25 billion valuation, according to multiple people familiar with the matter.

The transaction, agreed upon in 2025 and closed earlier this year, ranks among the highest prices ever paid in an MLS stake sale. Brooklyn Nets owner Joe Tsai and Fanatics Collectibles CEO Mike Mahan departed the ownership group as part of the deal.

The two additional incoming partners remain unnamed. Sportico reports one is a Korean American investor and the other is a prominent Mexican business figure.

Vela, 37, spent seven seasons with LAFC from 2018 to 2024, scoring 90 goals across all competitions before announcing his retirement last May. He transitions directly from player to stakeholder.

LAFC co-president Larry Freedman addressed the departing partners.

"The common theme is that you can't script life, and sometimes life re-sorts your priorities, and you can't be an active participant," Freedman said. "It's not that anybody was disappointed in the experience, unhappy with their partners, or not proud of everything that LAFC has accomplished."

The club generated $158 million in revenue in 2025 and is entering its first full season with South Korean star Son Heung-min, who arrived from Tottenham Hotspur on an MLS-record transfer fee of roughly $26 million.

LAFC currently carries an enterprise value of $1.4 billion, ranking second leaguewide behind Lionel Messi's Inter Miami at $1.45 billion.