The English Premier League "is discovering" its billions do not "necessarily bring victories," according to Danielle Rossingh of BLOOMBERG. Arsenal, which was eliminated by Monaco, and Man City, needing to overcome a 2-1 deficit to Barcelona, were "the last chances for England in the Champions League." There "may not be an English team in the last eight of Europe’s most lucrative and prestigious continential competition for the second time in three tournaments." Former Atlético Madrid and Brighton & Hove Albion player Maheta Molango said, "Money doesn’t buy success. Premier League players are surrounded by luxury, maybe they think they have arrived and lose their appetite" for winning. Last month, Sky and BT Group agreed to pay £5.14B ($7.6B) for the U.K. live broadcast rights to the top English division, "an increase of about 70 percent from the previous three-year deal." Sky paid £1.39B ($2B) a year for the rights, while BT spent £320M ($471M) a season. Molango, a former member of Switzerland’s national team, said that the money in English football "means players lose some drive." He said that Man City’s U21 team facilities "are better than many stadiums in La Liga" (BLOOMBERG, 3/16).
