"Money, money, money, must be funny, in a rich manâÂÂs world". Working at FourFourTwo, weâÂÂre in no position to confirm AbbaâÂÂs assertion that a large wedge leads to lifetime of hilarity.
But if the once-mighty Swedish popsters are to be believed, then life at Real Madrid, Manchester United and Barcelona must be a barrel of laughs. You see, itâÂÂs these three clubs, in that order, that top DeloitteâÂÂs latest Football Money League.
While the news that EuropeâÂÂs biggest clubs got a little bit richer during 2005/06 is about as shocking as seeing a WAG carrying a Luis Vuitton bag, the order of the top three is a bit of a surprise. As the richest club in the richest league, surely Manchester UnitedâÂÂs pile of money should see them sitting on top of this pile of moneyed.
Not so. While UnitedâÂÂs â¬315m (ã212.1m) revenue was enough to push BarcelonaâÂÂs measly â¬290.1m (ã195.3m) earnings into third, the moneymen at Old Trafford will need to sell a lot more shirts, tickets and prawn sandwiches if theyâÂÂre to topple Real MadridâÂÂs hefty â¬351m (ã236.2m) income. Or so it seems. ItâÂÂs not until you delve into how the figures were totted up that you realise that the explanation for this runners up spot for the Red Devils is in the detail.
Throwing aside all the guff about âÂÂrevenue basisâ and âÂÂstrategic clarityâ itâÂÂs seems Real MadridâÂÂs victory is down, in the main, to the difference in the way English and Spanish clubs agree TV rights.
In Spain, broadcasting rights are negotiated on a club-by-club basis. So while Real Madrid and Barcelona hammer out massive deals for themselves, La Liga minnows like Almeria and Getafe have to fend for themselves. Manchester United, on the other hand, due to the Premier LeagueâÂÂs collective bargaining policy, must share their power to draw an audience (which equates to money in TV land) with Wigan et al.
Yet, even with this obvious advantage, Real will do well to retain top spot for next year. The new â¬132.4 (89.1m) a year TV deal they signed in 2006/07 - the main reason they were able to out grow United - is set to be trumped. The 2007/08 Money League will include revenue from the overseas TV deal the Premier League secured last January. As Champions, this deal will add ã50m to the Old Trafford coffers - easily enough to see them over haul Madrid.
The suits at Old Trafford will be laughing all the way to the bank. Looks like Abba were right after all.
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