Valencia's Champions League match against ManU on Tuesday ended in a scoreless draw.GETTY IMAGES
La Liga side Valencia traveled to Old Trafford on Tuesday for a Champions League match against ManU, "the world's richest club in terms of revenues," according to Murad Ahmed of the FINANCIAL TIMES. The match ended in a 0-0 draw. Valencia "wants to be one of Europe's top clubs, but to be among the elite it needs to play regularly in the Champions League," where it can earn more than €50M ($57.7M) through prize money and TV rights. Valencia President Anil Murthy said, "I think the Champions League is fundamental. Valencia has 100 years of history. It's always been a big European club. But if you look at the last 10 years, the football industry has evolved very quickly, and it's accelerating. If you look at the inflationary pressures [in acquiring and paying players] created by some clubs that have huge budgets, Valencia is not a club that can compete in this field." Valencia "almost went bankrupt" before being acquired by Singaporean billionaire Peter Lim in '14. Despite helping reduce heavy debts and investing an estimated €200M of his personal fortune, Lim has "proved a divisive figure due to perceived instability at the club." Last season represented a "recovery." A fourth-place finish in La Liga led to a return to the Champions League for the first time in three seasons. But Valencia's "glory years" seem "far away." Murthy: "There's a strong correlation between budgets and performance, it's absolutely right. What we have to do is punch above our weight" (FT, 10/1).
OPEN SEATS: In London, Jordan Seward reported ManU was "struggling" to sell out its match against Valencia and texted members to inform them that there were "still thousands of unsold tickets left." As of Tuesday morning, there were 34 blocks available in which to buy tickets, including six in the West stand, nine in the North, five in the East and 14 in the South. The prices varied from £13 ($16.87) for children under the age of 16 to £58 ($75.29) for non-members (DAILY MAIL, 10/2).
