INS AND OUTS
The bumper deal for the Premier League has had two clear effects — clubs in other European leagues now know that they can hold out for much larger transfer fees when English sides bid for their players, while moves between Premier League teams are becoming more and more expensive.
It is not just TV rights pumping money into football clubs, but sponsorship deals.
Car manufacturer Chevrolet pay €67 million annually to have their logo given pride of place on Manchester United’s shirt, while Nike will pay Barcelona at least €150 million a year for the privilege of making their jerseys.
Earlier this month, Bayern Munich announced that they had agreed a deal for Qatar’s Hamad International Airport to become their first-ever ‘sleeve sponsor’.
Deals of that nature hasten the globalisation of football and indirectly push up transfer fees.
Football players are becoming bigger stars than they were in the 20th century, partly because of the impact of the internet and social media on the accessibility of the big leagues around the world.
PSG president Al-Khelaifi claimed after signing Neymar that the Brazilian superstar would be worth €450 million “soon.”
Fans flocked to the PSG superstore on the Champs-Elysees in Paris the day after his signing to buy shirts with Neymar’s name on the back for up to 160 euros each.
Despite a new, more collective La Liga rights deal, Real Madrid and Barcelona still receive between €140 million to €150 million a year each.
The clubs that finish higher understandably win more prize money, meaning rich owners will pile cash into football’s giants, safe in the knowledge that plenty of it will be repaid.
Footballers union FIFPro claimed the current window showed how the sport has become “the domain of a select group of rich, mostly Europeanbased clubs.”
But the fact is, Europe’s giants will continue to pour money into signing new players, as long as there are clear benefits.
Even when forgetting sponsorship deals and domestic TV rights, there is plenty of cash to be made, as shown by the fact UEFA paid more than €1.34 billion in prize money for the 20152016 Champions League. AFP