London nets football cash capital title
MANCHESTER clubs might currently be bullying their southern rivals in the Premier League, but London has been pronounced the undisputed football finance capital of the world.
London boasts three teams – Arsenal, Chelsea and Tottenham – among Europe’s richest 11 clubs, with two more – West Ham and Fulham – inside the top 40, according to research published today by Deloitte.
The figures, based on last season, place the Gunners fifth, the Blues sixth and Spurs 11th in the continent-wide survey based on annual revenue. The Hammers were 29th and Fulham just outside the top 30.
Deloitte’s Dan Jones, who edited the Football Money League, told City A.M.: “You can’t argue with it: there’s no other city with more than two clubs in the list. That’s a product of London being the biggest city in the country with the biggest league in the world.”
Spanish superpowers Real Madrid (£433m) and Barcelona (£407m) continue to enjoy the strongest revenues, with Manchester United (£331.4m) third and Bavarian giants Bayern Munich (£290.3m) fourth.
Arsenal (£226.8m) and Chelsea (£225.6m) remain closely matched in a top six whose positions stayed static for a fourth consecutive year.
Tottenham’s run to the Champions League quarter-finals boosted revenue to £163.5m, leaving them well placed to return to the top 10 and further strengthen London’s position.
Overall the top 20’s income continued to grow, albeit it a slower rate, down from eight per cent to three per cent. That growth outstripped that of their countries’ economies, however, which rose by an average of 1.7 per cent in 2010 and 1.3 per cent in 2011.