Another window of record spending in the
Premier League "will bring another
record windfall in rake-offs for agents," who have taken a "staggering" £1.5B ($1.2B) from the English game over the past six years. That "jaw-dropping figure" was calculated using official figures produced by the FA, the Premier League and the English Football League, and from "conservative estimates of agent commissions on player contracts." To put it into perspective, approximately 2,500 first-team footballers at the 92 clubs in England's top four divisions have earned around £10B ($7.9B) since '11. The agents collectively have earned 15% of that "just for moving those players around and getting them the best contracts possible" (
London DAILY MAIL, 8/26).
UEFA President Aleksander Čeferin gave the "strongest indication yet" that his organization was ready to "severely" punish clubs that violate financial fair play regulations. Čeferin said, "I am very serious, you will see. We will try to help [the clubs respect the rules]. We will try to advise them [on legal points related to FFP]. But [if they don't comply] we will punish. And we will punish severely." The issue has come to the fore during a summer that has seen Paris St. Germain sign Neymar in a deal worth €222M ($264.5M) (ESPN.com, 8/26).
Real Madrid's official Twitter account was hacked after a post "welcoming Lionel Messi to the club" appeared on its feed. Only days after Barcelona’s account was taken over by the hackers OurMine, the "group was at it again" (PA, 8/26).
Premier League side Watford has been fined £4.3M ($5.5M) by the English Football League "for the provision of a forged funding letter" during Owner Gino Pozzo’s takeover in '14. Watford, which gained promotion to the Premier League in '15, "pleaded guilty to the charge" (REUTERS, 8/25).
The French Professional Football League (LFP) announced a partnership between Ligue 1 and football gaming website Mon Petit Gazon. The partners will offer fans a “Fantasy Football” game allowing them to create their own team and compete against friends and other users. The first fantasy football game for Ligue 1 will offer fans with the best team a chance to win jerseys, balls and tickets to Ligue 1 and Coupe de la Ligue matches (LFP).
