Finance Notes: U.K. Retailer Sports Direct Buys 26% Stake In Game Digital

Sports Direct bought a 26% stake in Game Digital "two weeks after the ailing video game retailer announced a profit warning." Game said on Thursday that it had been informed by Sports Direct of its acquisition, which would have cost about £11M ($14.2M) "based on its closing share price on Wednesday." Game said that it wanted to "explore the clear opportunities that a constructive partnership and collaboration can deliver for all stakeholders in the gaming, live events and rapidly growing esports markets" (FINANCIAL TIMES, 7/13).

Ligue 1 side Monaco player Radamel Falcao, who played for Atlético Madrid from '11-13, paid €8.2M ($9.4M) to Spanish authorities to "settle a tax fraud case." The player agreed to pay €7.4M ($8.4M) and more than €790,000 ($901,000) in interest to reach an agreement on the fraud claims that dated back to '12 and '13 (REUTERS, 7/13).