Sports
‘Premier League clubs lost £600m in season before virus’
Premier League clubs made a combined loss of £600 million in the 2018/19 season, even before suffering the financial pain of the coronavirus pandemic, a report revealed on yesterday.
Analysis from football finance experts Vysyble shows the 20 clubs in the English top-flight combined to post the huge loss despite record revenues of £5.15 billion ($6.6 billion)
The financial impact of COVID-19 is set to have a huge impact on the Premier League, even if plans to complete the current season behind closed doors go smoothly.
Premier League sides face paying a reported £330 million to broadcasters in rebates as matches could not be completed on schedule.
An estimated £126 million could also be lost in match-day income from gate receipts and hospitality.
“The COVID-19 virus is not the cause of football’s financial distress. It is merely the accelerant on what our data has very clearly and very correctly identified as a much longer-term problem,” said Vysyble director Roger Bell.
“The 2018/19 numbers are a disturbing and profoundly worrying financial outcome from England’s senior football divisions and is symptomatic of the deeper issues with the overall financial model.”
Wage costs for Premier League clubs have risen to £3.12 billion.
Everton posted alarming losses of £111 million, while Chelsea’s failure to qualify for the Champions League saw the Blues lose £96 million.
Yet the most worrying sign for the future financial health of the league may come from Tottenham.
Spurs posted a league-high profit of £68.6 million for the 2018/19 season on the back of a run to the Champions League final.
But the London club announced last week they had borrowed £175 million from the Bank of England.
They fear they could lose £200 million over the next year due to the loss of matchday income, cancellation of non-football events such as NFL matches and concerts and rebates owed to broadcasters.
“Our data has consistently demonstrated that football has been the master of its own misfortune with an over-reliance on TV revenues, staff cost-to-revenue ratios regularly in excess of safe operating limits (UEFA guidance recommends 70 per cent) and a failure to recognise key financial dynamics and trends,” added Bell.
The economic outlook for the Championship is also bleak.
Four Championship clubs have yet to release their full 2019 accounts, but the second tier of English football has so far combined for economic losses of £307 million.
The final economic loss total for all 24 EFL Championship clubs is expected to be at least £350 million. – worldfootball.net
Sports
Kurt E.S Okraku elected CAF Executive Committee member
The President of the Ghana Football Association (GFA), Kurt Edwin Simeon-Okraku, has been successfully elected as a member of the Executive Committee (EXCO) of the Confederation of African Football (CAF).
The four-year term runs from 2025-2029.
The President, who was elected uncontested, joins the 24-member committee of the powerful body of the continent’s governing body.
Kurt Okraku’s election to the CAF Executive Committee comes as recognition of his remarkable leadership at the Football Association, where he has worked to rejuvenate Ghanaian football since taking office in 2019.
His efforts to enhance transparency, promote grassroots football, women’s football and focus on youth development have been well noted within the African football community.
With Ghana’s strong footballing tradition and legacy, the presence of the GFA boss on the CAF EXCO is seen as an opportunity to advance the interests of the country and help promote football development across Africa.
Mr. Okraku’s role will give Ghana a stronger voice in the decision-making processes that shape the future of football on the continent.
President Simeon-Okraku becomes the sixth Ghanaian to serve on the CAF Executive Committee in a list that includes Ohene Djan, Kobina Hagan, Nana Fredua Mensah, Samuel Okyere, and Kwesi Nyantakyi.
Sports
GFA concludes training of Club Safety and Security Officers and Regional Sports Security Officers
The Ghana Football Association (GFA) has successfully concluded its training program for Club Safety and Security Officers (CSSOs) and Regional Sports Security Officers (RSSOs).
This comprehensive training, which took place from March 7 to March 10, 2025, aimed to throw more light on the enhance safety and security measures across Ghanaian football.
The training was conducted zonally, covering all 86 elite clubs and 16 regions. Participants were divided into three zones, with Zone 2 covering the Ashanti, Western, Western North, and Central Regions, and Zones 1 and 3 covering the remaining regions.
The training modules included:
Challenges of Safety and Security in Ghana: Identifying and addressing key safety and security concerns in Ghanaian football.
Roles of the Club Safety and Security Officer (CSSO) and collaboration with Regional Safety and Security Officers (RSSO): Defining the roles and responsibilities of CSSOs and RSSOs, and promoting effective collaboration between them.
Club Safety and Security Officer Checklist: Providing a comprehensive checklist for CSSOs to ensure that all safety and security protocols are in place.
Introduction to the Enhanced Safety and Security Protocols 2025: Introducing new safety and security protocols aimed at improving safety and security at match venues.
Practicum and scenario session: Providing hands-on training and scenario-based exercises to prepare participants for real-world safety and security challenges.
The training workshop was led by DCOP Lydia Donkor, Chairperson of the Security Committee. Others included Capt (Rtd) Nick Owusu, Vice Chairman of the Safety Committee, Julius Ben Emunah, Head of Competitions, John Ansah, Felix Bewu and Emmanuel Osei, members of the Safety and Security Committee.
This training is part of the GFA’s enhanced approach to ensuring improved safety and security at match venues across all competitions.
