Premier League clubs have posted a combined pre-tax profit for the first time in 15 years, according to a report released on Thursday.
The figures for the 2013-14 season show clubs made a profit of £190million, dwarfing the previous record of £49m set in 1997-98 and in stark contrast to the £2.6billion of pre-tax losses accumulated over the past decade.
In terms of operating profit, which excludes player trading, net interest charges and the amortisation of player contracts, clubs raked in £620m three times the previous record of £185m, seven-and-a-half times the £82m achieved in 2012-13 and more than the previous six seasons combined.
The report was compiled by financial experts Deloitte, with Sports Business Group partner Dan Jones explaining: Last se…
A football manager has been hit with a lengthy ban after being found guilty of betting against his own teams.
Nick Bunyard, now in charge of Southen League Premier Division side Frome Town, is banned until July 2019 following a Football Association ruling announced on Wednesday.
Bunyard, who must also pay a fine of £3,000, was found to have backed the opponents of his side on 45 occasions, including while in charge of Paulton Rovers.
He placed a total of 97 bets between September 2014 and April this year. FA rules introduced two years ago implemented a blanket ban for all those involved in the game .
Frome suspended Bunyard when they were notified of the FA s investigation into their manager.
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Harry Kane was withdrawn with a knock after netting twice in a 2-0 home win to put Tottenham in command of their Europa League last-16 tie with Dinamo Zagreb.
A first leg of few chances threatened to cause Spurs some problems, although Kane s breakthrough strike after 25 minutes settled the nerves.
Jose Mourinho s side were still kept on their toes approaching the final 20 minutes, but Kane added another and the hosts protected a vital clean sheet ahead of the second leg.
Before then they face Arsenal, though, and the late substitution of Kane, nursing his right knee, caused Mourinho concern.
The one moment of genuine quality in an energetic first half provided the opener as Erik Lamela shrugged off Lovro Majer s challenge on the edge of the Dinamo box b…
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Fiorentina and AC Milan will lock horns with each other in Serie A this weekend. The match at Stadio Artemio Franchi in Florence is slated to kick off at 5pm UK time on Sunday and promises to be an exciting game of football.
Fiorentina
Fiorentina are 13th in the Serie A table at the moment with 29 points from 27 matches. Cesare Prandelli’s side are having a bad season and are only seven points above the relegation zone. It is very unlikely that Fiorentina will go down to Serie B at the end of the campaign, but whatever happens in the final weeks, it is not going to be considered a good season.
La Viola will head into the match against Milan on Sunday on the back of a 4-1 victory over …
David Carney has ended his football hiatus and signed for New York Red Bulls, joining compatriot Tim Cahill at the Major League Soccer outfit.
The deal comes as something of a surprise, with Carney having fallen off the radar since ending an unhappy eight-month stay at Uzbek club Bunyodkor in September 2012.
The 29-year-old Australian has been without a club since then, after trials in recent months at English Premier League side West Ham United and former team Blackpool came to nothing.
Carney had been a Socceroos regular under Pim Verbeek and early in Holger Osieck s reign but his stock with the Australian football public fell after his error in the 2011 Asian Cup final against Japan allowed Tadanari Lee to score the winner in extra-time.
And the last of his 46…
In-form striker Youssef El Arabi scored twice as Lekhwiya cruised to a 3-0 victory over Al Jazira to kick off their AFC Champions League campaign in style.
The Morocco international has scored 21 goals in 16 league games for the Qatari side this season and followed up that form with a decisive double against their opponents from the United Arab Emirates.
El Arabi scored the opener after 11 minutes, heading in a cross from Youssef Msakni, with the visitors struggling to make much of an impression going forward.
But the match remained in the balance until the 80th minute when Msakni scored himself, finding the bottom corner after Nam Tae-hee s pass, before El Arabi tapped in Ali Afif s square pass from close range in the last minute.
AL AHLI WIN THRILLE…
Until recent months, Iceland’s national football team enjoyed an unprecedented period of success. Not only did the Nordic nation qualify for Euro 2016, they recorded a famous 2-1 win over England to make the quarter-finals of the competition. The tournament was the first in which they had qualified for in the senior game.
It got even better for the tiny nation when they qualified for the summer’s World Cup by winning their group. They were in dreamland. Just like buses the nation had waited so for so long for qualification for a major tournament, then two came along at once.
Massive achievement for a minnow
In terms of population, Iceland at an estimated 250,000 people is the smallest nation to ever participate at a World Cup. To put that in context, Salford in Gre…
Manchester City are in the final of the Champions League and of the FA Cup, and they re favourites to win the Premier League this season.
Though the historic treble seems close for his team, manager Pep Guardiola says these trophies need to be won before they re spoken about.
“First you have to win it, then after ask me the question. We are three games away, a win in each competition to win it.”
Pep Guardiola on if he wins the treble will he feel like his job at Manchester City is done.
— Football Daily (@footballdaily)
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Manchester City are celebrating another Premier League title but their season is far from done as they also target FA Cup and Champions League success.
Here, the PA news agency looks at their plans for their coming weeks.
How will Pep Guardiola approach their final two Premier League games?
With the Premier League title race over, City can afford to ease up for their two remaining league games – away to Brighton and Brentford – before switching attention to their two finals.
The line-up for Sunday’s dead rubber against Chelsea, when manager Guardiola named most of his big guns on the bench, showed he intends to lighten his star names’ load. Yet there is also a need to keep players sharp and prevent rustiness.
There may be a clue to his thinking i…
Robbie Keane has signalled his intention to see out his career in the MLS by signing a new multi-year contract with LA Galaxy, .
The Republic of Ireland international, who was absent from the squad that lost to Serbia last night, moved to Southern California in the summer of 2011, and has scored 34 goals and made 21 assists in just 55 appearances for the club so far.
The 33 year old has also been included in the MLS’s Top XI in each of the past two years.
The Galaxy also handed a new contract to Landon Donovan last year, while their third designated player, defender Omar Gonzalez, is committed to the club for the next three campaigns.
The new MLS season commences this weekend, with LA Galaxy taking on Real Salt Lake at the Stubhub Center .
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