Man U post 39 pct rise in Q1 revenue
‘Chelsea won’t sack Mou’
LONDON, Nov 12, (RTRS): English soccer club Manchester United posted a 39 percent rise in first-quarter revenue due to its participation in the lucrative Champions League tournament this season which boosted broadcast and matchday income.
United, currently fourth in the English Premier League, failed to qualify for last season’s Champions League, Europe’s top club competition, but are in a much stronger position this season and look set to progress out of their group to the knockout stages.
The club, owned by the American Glazer family, said total revenue rose to 123.6 million pounds ($187.60 million) in the three months to Sept 30, from 88.7 million pounds a year earlier.
The company’s adjusted core earnings almost doubled to 41.6 million pounds.
United reiterated expectations for higher full-year adjusted core earnings of 165 million to 175 million pounds, up from 119.9 million pounds last year.
The club’s global appeal, which then say stretche to 659 million followers, continued to prove lucrative, with four sponsorship deals signed in the quarter.
United’s commercial arm has continued to strike deals around the world. Commercial revenue rose 25.4 per cent to 71.2 million pounds and now make up about 60 percent of total income. First quarter results were also boosted by thier new kit deal with Adidas, and the fact the kit is selling well.
Former Chelsea manager Carlo Ancelotti has declared that he would have “no problem” returning to Stamford Bridge, but he does not believe that the club will sack Jose Mourinho.
Mourinho is under pressure after a catastrophic start to the season and Ancelotti has been linked with a return to the club he led to a Premier League and FA Cup double in 2010 before being dismissed a year later.
The Italian is currently out of work following his departure from Real Madrid at the end of last season, but although he is open to the idea of a return to Chelsea, he does not believe there will be a vacancy any time soon.
“I would have no problem with Chelsea,” he told Thursday’s edition of the Daily Mail. “But Jose won’t be sacked. They already chose to keep him, and I think they made a good choice.”
Ancelotti dismissed reports that he had been approached by Liverpool prior to their appointment of Jurgen Klopp, but said that he would like to work in England again if the right opportunity arises.
“I would like to come back to work in England,” he said. “I love the football here, I still have a house in London and I would like to be with a team that is competitive in England and in Europe.