List of All Articles with Tag 'ball'

Wales return to Euro 2024 qualifying action against Armenia in Cardiff on Friday. Rob Page’s side began the campaign in March with a 1-1 draw in Croatia and a 1-0 home victory over Latvia. Here, the PA news agency looks at the main talking points surrounding the Group D clash as Wales aim to build on that promising start. Brooks is back David Brooks would provide one of the most heart-warming stories of the season by returning to the international arena at the Cardiff City Stadium. Brooks was diagnosed with stage-two Hodgkin lymphoma while on international duty in October 2021 and has rejoined the Wales squad for the first time since announcing he was cancer-free in May last year. The 25-year-old attacker returned to action for Bournemouth in March and made his first start last month. Brooks has won 21 caps for Wales and played at Euro 2020 before his illness was diagnosed. Same again, please Duplicating March’s return of four points will do Wales just fine. Taking a point from World Cup semi-finalists Croatia courtesy of Nathan Broadhead’s stoppage-time strike was a bonus that few – if anyone – predicted. Beating Armenia and getting some reward against Turkey in Samsun on Monday would represent a huge step for Welsh ambitions of clinching a top-two spot and reaching the finals in Germany next summer. Johnson boost Wales’ March games were overshadowed by the absence of Brennan Johnson. Boss Rob Page suggested Johnson’s club Nottingham Forest had not done enough to get the forward fit for international duty, a claim which Reds boss Steve Cooper subsequently denied. Whatever the truth of that, Johnson had an impressive maiden top-flight campaign at the City Ground and his return to the Wales squad is a huge boost. Managing post-season break It will be nearly three weeks since the Premier League finished when Wales walk out to take on Armenia. The regular EFL season ended even earlier on May 8 and several members of Page’s squad have not played since. Page organised a Cardiff camp for his non top-flight players last month before taking the entire squad to Portugal to prepare for Armenia and Turkey, but it remains to be seen how match-fit they are heading into the two qualifiers. Painful memories Armenia and Wales have only met twice, in 2002 World Cup qualifying. Both games were drawn, with John Hartson scoring twice in a 2-2 draw at Yerevan’s Republican Stadium in March 2001 after Armenia had been reduced to 10 men. The return game the following September was Wales’ 500th match. But Wales failed to mark the occasion with a win as their World Cup qualification hopes disappeared with a goalless draw at the Millennium Stadium. Read More Charity boss speaks out over ‘traumatic’ encounter with royal aide Ukraine war’s heaviest fight rages in east - follow live Nick Hammond takes on short-term advisory role at Leeds Former London Irish back-row forward Tom Pearson joins Northampton We are treated as small men – Shaunagh Brown wants more done for female athletes

Leeds have appointed former Celtic head of football operations Nick Hammond as “interim football advisor on a short-term contract”. Hammond, 55, will help Leeds with their summer recruitment plans as they continue their search for a permanent director of football. The club said: “Leeds United are pleased to confirm the appointment of Nick Hammond as the club’s interim football advisor on a short-term contract. “Hammond will help support the club during the summer transfer window. “The experienced 55-year-old, former director of football at Reading and head of football operations at Celtic, worked in a similar consultancy role at Newcastle United. “The process for finding a new, permanent, director of football at Leeds United is under way and the club aim to complete this process by October, allowing the successful candidate to focus on the January transfer window.” Former Swindon and Reading goalkeeper Hammond spent 13 years as Reading’s first director of football from 2003 and was West Brom’s technical director before becoming Celtic’s head of football operations in 2019. Leeds parted company with former director of football Victor Orta by mutual consent last month, shortly before being relegated from the Premier League. They are also in the hunt for a new head coach after Sam Allardyce, appointed with four games remaining, left Elland Road earlier this month. Read More Charity boss speaks out over ‘traumatic’ encounter with royal aide Ukraine war’s heaviest fight rages in east - follow live

The Premier League 2023/24 fixtures have been released and TNT Sports will kick off a new era for the channel on 12 August. Following a Eurosport merger, BT Sport will change its name to TNT Sports. And the first match following the rebrand will see Arsenal host Nottingham Forest at Emirates Stadium. Premier League fixtures LIVE: Opening weekend, Christmas matches and full schedules for every club The game will kick off at 12:30pm and will be the second match of the season following Burnley vs champions Man City on Friday 11 August. Here is the opening round of fixtures for the 2023/24 Premier League season: Premier League festive period 2023/24 11/08/202320:00Burnley v Manchester City 12/08/202315:00A.F.C. Bournemouth v West Ham United 12/08/202312:30Arsenal v Nottingham Forest 12/08/202315:00Brighton v Luton Town 12/08/202315:00Everton v Fulham 12/08/202317:30Newcastle United v Aston Villa 12/08/202315:00Sheffield United v Crystal Palace 13/08/202314:00Brentford v Tottenham Hotspur 13/08/202316:30Chelsea v Liverpool 14/08/202320:00Manchester United v Wolverhampton Read More Premier League fixtures LIVE: Opening weekend, Christmas matches and full schedules for every club England’s future is about to be defined – and it’s out of Gareth Southgate’s control Why is BT Sport being rebranded to TNT Sports? Eurosport merger explained

Chelsea will begin the new Premier League season with the visit of Liverpool. It was a bruising first year in charge for new owner Todd Boehly and he will hope the appointment of Mauricio Pochettino brings stability and much-improved results. Chelsea are expected to embark on a clearout of fringe players to thin down a bloated squad. Fixtures for the 2023/24 campaign were released on Thursday, less than three weeks after the conclusion last season and only five days on from Manchester City securing that historic treble. Following two seasons disrupted by the Covid pandemic, the most recent campaign was longer than ever to make space for the first Fifa men’s World Cup and also saw fixtures shuffled around following the death of Queen Elizabeth II. The 2023/24 season is therefore expected to see a return to a relatively ‘normal’ schedule. However, City’s involvement in December’s Club World Cup in Saudi Arabia will force at least two of their games to be rescheduled. Chelsea’s 2023/24 fixtures 13/08/202316:30Chelsea v Liverpool 19/08/202315:00West Ham United v Chelsea 26/08/202315:00Chelsea v Luton Town 02/09/202315:00Chelsea v Nottingham Forest 16/09/202315:00A.F.C. Bournemouth v Chelsea 23/09/202315:00Chelsea v Aston Villa 30/09/202315:00Fulham v Chelsea 07/10/202315:00Burnley v Chelsea 21/10/202315:00Chelsea v Arsenal 28/10/202315:00Chelsea v Brentford 04/11/202315:00Tottenham Hotspur v Chelsea 11/11/202315:00Chelsea v Manchester City 25/11/202315:00Newcastle United v Chelsea 02/12/202315:00Chelsea v Brighton 06/12/202320:00Manchester United v Chelsea 09/12/202315:00Everton v Chelsea 16/12/202315:00Chelsea v Sheffield United 23/12/202315:00Wolverhampton v Chelsea 26/12/202315:00Chelsea v Crystal Palace 30/12/202315:00Luton Town v Chelsea 13/01/202415:00Chelsea v Fulham 31/01/202420:00Liverpool v Chelsea 03/02/202415:00Chelsea v Wolverhampton 10/02/202415:00Crystal Palace v Chelsea 17/02/202415:00Manchester City v Chelsea 24/02/202415:00Chelsea v Tottenham Hotspur 02/03/202415:00Brentford v Chelsea 09/03/202415:00Chelsea v Newcastle United 16/03/202415:00Arsenal v Chelsea 30/03/202415:00Chelsea v Burnley 03/04/202419:45Chelsea v Manchester United 06/04/202415:00Sheffield United v Chelsea 13/04/202415:00Chelsea v Everton 20/04/202415:00Brighton v Chelsea 27/04/202415:00Aston Villa v Chelsea 04/05/202415:00Chelsea v West Ham United 11/05/202415:00Nottingham Forest v Chelsea 19/05/202416:00Chelsea v A.F.C. Bournemouth Read More Premier League fixtures LIVE: Opening weekend, Christmas matches and full schedules for every club Burnley fixtures released for Premier League 2023/24 season Man City to begin Premier League title defence at Vincent Kompany’s Burnley 10 of the most memorable opening-round games in Premier League history

The Premier League fixtures announcement has thrown up some intriguing encounters in the opening round. Vincent Kompany’s promoted Burnley will host his former club and treble winners Manchester City, while fellow new boys Luton visit Brighton and Chelsea welcome Liverpool. Here, the PA news agency looks at some of the most memorable opening-round Premier League fixtures from previous years. 1992: Sheffield United 2 Manchester United 1 This game was not a classic like those below but it did feature the first Premier League goal. Brian Deane scored it, then won it for the hosts from the spot after Mark Hughes had levelled. Fortunes soon changed as Alex Ferguson’s side won the title and the Blades were relegated. 1994: Sheffield Wednesday 3 Tottenham 4 This launched what was meant to be a continental new era for Spurs, with Jurgen Klinsmann leading the line after a move from Monaco. He delivered too, scoring and then performing one of the Premier League’s most memorable celebrations – a dive to live up to his reputation. 1996: Middlesbrough 3 Liverpool 3 It was shirts-over-your-head time at the Riverside as Fabrizio Ravanelli marked his Boro debut with a hat-trick. The White Feather took on Liverpool’s Spice Boys and nearly came out on top but, at the end of the season, Boro went down despite the Italian’s 16 goals. 1996: Wimbledon 0 Manchester United 3 David Beckham’s majestic lob from his own half triggered one of the English game’s most celebrated and high-profile careers. Beckham was a well-established prospect before he caught Neil Sullivan napping – but this goal certainly helped him make a name for himself. 2016: Arsenal 3 Liverpool 4 The hosts took the lead through Theo Walcott, who recovered from seeing a penalty saved by Simon Mignolet to score just 69 seconds later. However, Jurgen Klopp’s side stormed back as Philippe Coutinho (2), Adam Lallana and Sadio Mane put them 4-1 ahead, before Alex Oxlade-Chamberlain and Calum Chambers set up an exciting finish to a thrilling game. 2017: Arsenal 4 Leicester 3 The night started perfectly for Arsenal as new signing Alexandre Lacazette marked his league debut with a goal after just 94 seconds, only for Shinji Okazaki to level three minutes later. Jamie Vardy then capitalised on poor defending to twice put the Foxes ahead either side of Danny Welbeck’s equaliser. However Aaron Ramsey levelled, then fellow substitute Olivier Giroud’s 85th-minute goal settled a breathless encounter in Arsenal’s favour. 2017: Watford 3 Liverpool 3 Stefano Okaka gave Watford an eighth-minute lead, with Abdoulaye Doucoure re-establishing their one-goal advantage shortly after Mane equalised. Roberto Firmino levelled from the penalty spot after debutant Mohamed Salah was fouled, with the Egypt international then poking Liverpool ahead – only for Miguel Britos to equalise and give Marco Silva a positive first outing as Watford boss. 2020: Liverpool 4 Leeds 3 Champions Liverpool were given a scare by a fired-up Leeds side playing their first top-flight match in 16 years but ultimately a Salah hat-trick proved decisive. Three times the Reds were pegged back after taking the lead with a Salah penalty, a Virgil van Dijk header and another Salah strike, with equalisers coming from Jack Harrison, Patrick Bamford and Mateusz Klich. Salah finally settled the contest with a second spot-kick two minutes from time. 2021: Brentford 2 Arsenal 0 Brentford announced their arrival in the Premier League in style as goals from Sergi Canos and Christian Norgaard secured a memorable 2-0 win over Arsenal. The Bees finally came full circle as their last match in the top flight, in May 1947, was a 1-0 home defeat against Arsenal. 2022: Manchester United 1-2 Brighton Erik ten Hag endured a chastening reminder of the size of the job he had taken on at Manchester United as his first game in charge ended in a 2-1 defeat to Brighton at Old Trafford. Starting with Cristiano Ronaldo on the bench, United were thoroughly outplayed in the first half as two Pascal Gross goals in the space of nine minutes gave the Seagulls a deserved lead. Ten Hag’s men did improve after the break once Ronaldo had come on, but only found the back of the net through an Alexis Mac Allister own goal and were unable to get a leveller.

Hundreds of security guards and marshals at the Qatar World Cup went unpaid for long working periods without days off, before being forced out of the country when the tournament ended, a new Amnesty International investigation has found. Some did not earn enough to pay off the loan required for recruitment costs. The human rights body state that research into Teyseer Security Services “shows pattern of abuses against migrant workers”. Steve Cockburn, Amnesty’s Head of Economic and Social Justice, has meanwhile accused Fifa of failing “to effectively investigate the issue or offer remedies”, demanding that the global governing body step in and “offer immediate and meaningful remediation for the human rights abuses suffered by workers”. The group spoke to 22 men from Nepal, Kenya and Ghana, who were among thousands of migrant workers employed on short-term contracts by Qatar-based Teyseer Security Services to work as marshals and security guards at World Cup sites in the build-up and during the tournament itself. Among the locations were Khalifa International Stadium, Fifa fan zones, the Corniche and the metro station in Souk Waqif. All of the workers interviewed said “false promises” were made by either Teyseer’s representatives or recruitment agents, among them the suggestions they could take up more senior roles to earn an extra £220 a month, or stay and work in the country beyond the three-month contract period. Once in Qatar, however, nothing materialised. Instead, a third of those interviewed – particularly those employed as marshals – said they had to work 12 hours every day for 28 consecutive days. That came without any day off or adequate pay to reflect this work, which breaches Qatari law. The work often involved standing for long hours without sitting down and dealing with large crowds without adequate training or support. “I had to take out a loan to pay for the expenses to travel to work in Qatar during the World Cup,” Marcus, his name changed at his request, told Amnesty. “I am still paying it, what I earned was not enough.” Richard, who has also requested his name be changed and worked at one of the team training grounds, found he would have earned more had he stayed in Ghana. “I lost because I paid almost £550 before going there. I only received about £1,200, so I only made £650. I would get more than that if I had stayed in Ghana. I lost my job as a result [of going] so I came back with little money and no job.” Kiran, a changed name for a worker from Nepal, found the nature of his work at the Souk Waqif metro intimidating and physically arduous. “It was a tough job because there was one metro [station] in the area and too much of a crowd. I had to stand for ten to 12 hours a day… just resting my back on the barricades. At times we felt scared because it was too busy, and people were pushing.” Cockburn puts the primary responsibility on Fifa and Qatar, stating the country’s existing mechanism for redress is “not fit for purpose”. He said: “The World Cup organisers were well aware of the issues but failed to put in place adequate measures to protect workers and prevent predictable labour abuses at World Cup sites, even after workers raised these issues directly. “It’s six months since the tournament concluded but Fifa and Qatar have yet to offer an effective and accessible scheme to enable abused workers to receive the justice and compensation they are owed. Qatar’s existing mechanism for redress is not fit for purpose and has left thousands of workers deprived of compensation for the abuses they suffered. “Fifa has a clear responsibility to ensure human rights are respected throughout the supply chain engaged in preparing and delivering its showcase competition. “Although six months have passed since the World Cup, Fifa has yet to effectively investigate the issue, or offer remedies. Workers have already waited too long for justice. Fifa must now step in and offer immediate and meaningful remediation for the human rights abuses suffered by workers.” The abuses led many of Teyseer’s workers to protest on multiple occasions while they were in Qatar. Some told Amnesty they reported their treatment on the World Cup Grievances Hotline but no action was taken. One said a manager threatened to fire him in relation for complaining and warned him not to report issues again. Hundreds of marshals eventually staged a protest demanding their dues days before their contracts expired in January, after which workers said representatives of both Teyseer and the government promised they would be compensated. That has not yet been honoured. Amnesty report that Teyseer representatives threatened “action” if the men failed to leave Qatar on flights arranged by the company. Hundreds had to leave Qatar without compensation. Teyseer denied the allegations to Amnesty, saying the company followed an “ethical recruitment process” while detailing various measures it had taken to protect workers’ rights. Fifa told Amnesty due diligence was conducted on the security firm but there were “different perceptions and views” on the experience of workers. The global governing body said it would seek further clarification on the issues raised but did not offer commitment to provide remedy. Qatar has introduced a grievance mechanism but workers must still be in the country to access the state’s labour courts and any compensation scheme. There is no way to complain remotely and, with workers inevitably forced to leave once their contracts are up, Amnesty state they have been “denied justice”. The Qatari government repeated the common line to Amnesty that measures had been taken in recent years to reform its labour system. Amnesty conclude by stating that the abuses endured are “part of a pattern suffered by migrant workers in Qatar” since the decision was taken to award the state the World Cup in 2010. In a statement to The Independent, Fifa said: “Fifa, in collaboration with its Qatari counterparts, implemented a far-reaching due diligence process with the aim to ensure that companies involved in Fifa World Cup-related construction and services abide by the Supreme Committee’s Workers’ Welfare Standards. We consider any non-compliance with these standards unacceptable and are actively following up when we learn about alleged breaches. “After receiving Amnesty International’s allegations concerning Teyseer’s workers on 19 April 2023, Fifa promptly followed up with the SC’s Worker Welfare Department (WWD) as well as with the Doha Office of the International Labour Organisation ILO. It is the primary responsibility of the respective companies as well as the Qatari authorities to rectify possible adverse impacts on workers. As Fifa, we work to use our leverage with the relevant entities to promote the provision of remedy when we become aware of such allegations, in line with our responsibilities under international standards. “We kindly refer you to the SC and the ILO for further information on this case. “More broadly, one should not lose track of the bigger picture: International experts and trade union representatives who have assessed and collaborated in the labour rights programme for Fifa World Cup workers have repeatedly recognised that it led to heightened protection and welfare for Fifa World Cup workers. “In addition, according to the International Labour Organisation, Qatar’s labour reforms have been significant and benefitted hundreds of thousands of workers with the World Cup being an important catalyst for these reforms. It is undeniable that significant progress has taken place, and it is equally clear that the enforcement of such transformative reforms takes time and that heightened efforts are needed to ensure the reforms benefit all workers in the country.” Read More This is the side of the World Cup that Qatar would prefer you ignore Everything wrong with the Qatar World Cup The man who was jailed after working on Qatar’s World Cup

It was last weekend when it really sank in for Callum Wilson that he and Newcastle United are bound for the Champions League. Not, as might seem logical, Saturday’s Champions League final, the sort of occasion that may have prompted thoughts of progressing that far, or at least welcoming Inter Milan to Tyneside, but Sunday’s Sam Fender gig at St James’ Park. Wilson had been on holiday, “totally switched off”, before the Newcastle-supporting rock star exposed him to his new reality. “I went to the concert with my wife at St James’ Park,” he said. “There was a sea of black and white. And before he came out, he actually played the Champions League song and everyone was cheering and I was like ‘this is absolutely real’. I could see how much it meant to everybody. Hearing the anthem in the stadium, without actually walking out to play, was surreal. This is going to happen next season and I cannot wait to get started.” Amid the broader picture of Newcastle’s rise and the reasons behind it are endearing stories of players who carried themselves further than most envisaged. In 14 years of professional football, Wilson has never played in Europe. He was part of a winless team when the club was taken over in 2021 and his former Bournemouth manager Eddie Howe was appointed. He was one of seven survivors from Steve Bruce’s reign to make at least 31 Premier League appearances last season when Newcastle came fourth. Like Fabian Schar, Sean Longstaff, Joe Willock, Joelinton, Jacob Murphy and Miguel Almiron, he exceeded expectations. Wilson’s 18 goals were a career-best total in the top flight and exceeded by only four others: Erling Haaland, Harry Kane, Ivan Toney and Mohamed Salah. Newcastle, who failed to win any of their first 14 league games last season, lost only five of 38 this year. “It’s an incredible achievement what has happened,” Wilson said. “Seven or eight of the players who started the games at the back end of the season were also the ones who were fighting relegation in the previous two seasons. That shows what a good job the manager has done with the current squad. But it also shows where the club has got to with a few new good players around us. Now it is only going to get better if we keep investing in the right way and become a top-four team more regularly.” If a challenge was posed to each, to raise his game, to ensure he was not cast aside to make way for reinforcements, it was particularly direct in Wilson’s case. Alexander Isak became Newcastle’s club record signing. There was a high-class alternative in attack. “We brought in a £60m striker last summer and that was one of our first big signings,” Wilson said. “You use it as competition, as fuel. You know, with the way that the club is going, that if you don’t perform then potentially it could be your time done at the club.” Especially when there was a point where Isak seemed to have displaced Wilson. A burst of goals earned him a World Cup spot but he entered April with a solitary strike in 18 appearances for club and country and as a substitute. “We went to Dubai for a mid-season training camp and we had five days there when we didn’t play football and I got to sit back and think ‘yes, it has been a fantastic start to the season but it has turned out into a bad season,’” he said. “I was out of the team so I had to basically pull my finger out and start scoring goals again.” Which he did, in impressive fashion. A run of 11 goals in 10 appearances powered Newcastle into the Champions League. If it was a dramatic intervention, Wilson is not alone in pulling his finger out. “That’s what everyone is doing,” he added. “Players like Sean Longstaff, who has come through the academy, and now the manager is getting the best out of him and he looks a top player week in, week out. We wouldn’t change him for anybody now. I think it’s a good place to be at.” Whether Wilson remains there remains to be seen. His form would suggest so, but he will soon enter the last year of his contract. “My time at Newcastle has been amazing so far and long may it continue,” he added. “My agent and the club will be speaking on my future at some point and hopefully it will be with Newcastle.” If the Champions League provides one reason to stay, the Premier League is another. Alan Shearer is an admirer, helping persuade him to join. Wilson wants to rank next to Newcastle’s record scorer. “In terms of Premier League goals, behind Shearer at Newcastle, there aren’t many in front of me now,” he said. He is sixth, but only nine goals behind Peter Beardsley, both the man nearest to Shearer and still far behind him. “I’m trying to get second – it’s a long way to catch Alan,” Wilson added. But he will become the first player since Shearer to wear Newcastle’s iconic No. 9 shirt in the Champions League. Read More The year that sportswashing won: A season that changed football forever Bellingham gone but who’s next? Midfield merry-go-round will define summer Liverpool’s must-add midfielder and Haaland 2.0 to Man Utd: Transfer targets for every Premier League club Callum Wilson tuned up to secure England recall after Newcastle disappointment England’s future is about to be defined – and it’s out of Gareth Southgate’s control Qatar World Cup workers suffered ‘human rights abuses’, new Amnesty report finds

The Premier League fixtures for the 2023/24 campaign are released this morning, just a few short weeks after the culmination of last term - and indeed while the last internationals are still ongoing. It’s always a day on the calendar to mark up and begin looking forward to the start of the new season, even though that date remains two months away yet. The usual weekends football fans quickly mark out - aside from the opening round of fixtures, of course - are the Boxing Day games, when they face their fiercest rivals and who they play across the season run-in and on the final day of the season. All those and more will be revealed at precisely 9am BST. Follow below on our live blog for the full fixture list.

What the papers say Manchester United have ended their interest in signing Harry Kane from Tottenham, The Guardian reports. The Spurs’ asking price for the 29-year-old was unrealistic, the Red Devils felt, despite Erik ten Hag making the England striker his primary summer target. Also in the Guardian is talk that Arsenal have emerged as strong contenders to sign Kai Havertz from Chelsea. The 24-year-old has also been identified as a target for Real Madrid. The forward’s contract expires in 2025 but he has told the club of his desire to leave this summer. Newcastle United are pushing hard to complete a deal to sign Inter Milan’s midfielder Nicolo Barella in a deal thought to be worth around £50 million, the Daily Telegraph says. The 26-year-old and Leicester City’s James Maddison are the Magpies’ two main targets. And the Mail writes that Manchester City will resist loan offers for midfielder James McAtee as Pep Guardiola wants him to be part of his treble-winning squad next season. The 20-year-old has been earmarked for the club’s senior side. Social media round-up Players to watch Dusan Vlahovic: Gazzetta dello Sport reports via Football Italia that Juventus want at least 80m euros (£68m) for the 23-year-old but Chelsea have told the Italians they can pick between five players in a swap deal for the Serbia striker. Kalidou Koulibaly: Italian outlet Corriere dello Sport says the 31-year-old Chelsea defender is also wanted by Inter Milan.

Texas Rep. Jasmine Crockett broke new ground Wednesday night as the first Black woman Democrat to play in the Congressional Baseball Game's 114-year history.

Tampa Bay Buccaneers quarterback Baker Mayfield still holds a grudge against a member of the Georgia team that beat Oklahoma in the 2018 Rose Bowl.The Tampa Bay Buccaneers are navigating their first season without Tom Brady as their quarterback because he retired after the 2022 campaign. This of...

Championship clubs’ spending on wages exceeded revenue for a fifth successive season in 2021-22, according to a new report. Deloitte’s Annual Review of Football Finance found second-tier teams’ combined wages-to-revenue ratio was an astonishing 108 per cent, as clubs continued to chase the dream of reaching the Premier League. Nottingham Forest, who ultimately succeeded in reaching the top flight at the end of the 2021-22 season via the play-offs, spent almost 200 per cent more on wages than they earned in revenue – £58.6million compared to £29.3m – in their promotion year, according to figures in the Deloitte report. Championship clubs’ total revenue was up 13 per cent in 2021-22 compared to the season before, reaching £676million. However, while wage costs fell for a second consecutive year, they remained higher than revenue for the fifth season in a row. Tim Bridge, lead partner in Deloitte’s Sports Business Group, said: “The glamour of Premier League promotion is spearheading the continual drive for investment in Championship clubs, often in an unsustainable manner, driving some clubs to overstretch financially. “It is critical that long-term decisions are now made by clubs’ owners and, with the introduction of the independent regulator, focus will turn to improving the distribution mechanism of revenues between the leagues and clubs. “This must be accompanied by appropriate governance and financial controls to ensure that any proposed solution is suitable and sustainable.” EFL chairman Rick Parry believes the disparity in revenue between the Premier League and the Championship has created a “cliff edge” between the leagues, and argues parachute payments are also fuelling inequality within the Championship. Deloitte’s report underlines the value to clubs of reaching the Premier League. Relative to the 2022-23 season, it says revenue from broadcasters is expected to provide a minimum uplift of more than £90m for Luton, approximately £84m for Sheffield United and £54m for Burnley, with both of those two clubs in receipt of parachute payments whilst participating in the Championship. The report said that should a club suffer immediate relegation, assuming they are not in receipt of parachute payments at that point, under existing arrangements the parachute payments from the Premier League will continue to provide an uplift over the following two seasons of at least £80m. For a Championship club not otherwise in receipt of parachute payments, the value of promotion will be at least £170m across the next three seasons and, if a club survives their first season in the Premier League, they will be entitled to three seasons of parachute payments and the incremental revenue will be over £290m across five years. Discussions over a new financial settlement between the two leagues are ongoing. The Government said in its White Paper on football governance that a new regulator will be given backstop powers to impose a settlement if one cannot be agreed, but it is unlikely the regulator will be up and running until 2024-25 at the earliest. Parry accepts that reform of the distribution package has to go hand in hand with cost control measures, which are also part of the ongoing ‘New Deal For Football’ talks between the EFL, the Premier League and the Football Association. What we really want to see in the English game is a variety and diversity of clubs coming through the league at different points in time Tim Bridge, lead partner in Deloitte’s Sports Business Group Bridge believes it is vital for the leagues to see the common ground they share to resolve the dispute on distribution. “The point I would make is that the longevity of the Premier League and the ability for clubs to move up and down between the Premier League and the Championship and to achieve variety in those clubs is a good thing for the overall brand and the marketing position of English football,” he said. “Part of the beauty of the Premier League is always that any team can beat any other team. And so at any one point in time, what we really want to see in the English game is a variety and diversity of clubs coming through the league at different points in time, bringing new storylines, bringing new faces to the league because frankly that keeps it fresh.” Wage spending in the Premier League in 2021-22 grew by £192m compared to the previous season, but this was outpaced by a £586m increase in revenue, meaning the top flight’s wages-to-revenue ratio fell for the second consecutive season from 71 per cent to 67 per cent. That is still a significantly higher ratio than the average of the three seasons pre-pandemic up to 2018-19 – 58 per cent. Across Europe’s ‘Big Five’ leagues as a whole however, revenue growth was outpaced by wages, which stood at 12.3 billion euros (£10.5bn). This comes at a time when the continent’s football governing body UEFA has introduced new financial sustainability regulations, including a cost control rule which by 2025-26 will limit a club’s spending on wages, transfer fees and other player and coach costs at 70 per cent of turnover. UEFA could go even further in the future, with president Aleksander Ceferin raising the possibility of a Europe-wide salary cap in an interview in April.