Sports

Real Madrid Remain Europe’s Most Valuable Club -Report

Published

3 years ago

May 26, 2022

Real Madrid remain Europe’s most valuable football club despite the ever-increasing dominance of the English Premier League, according to a report published Thursday by analysts Football Benchmark.

The report ranks Europe’s 32 most prominent clubs, calculating their value based on their annual financial statements and assessing squad values.

Real, who face Liverpool in Saturday’s Champions League final, came out on top for the fourth consecutive year of the report, with a valuation of 3.184 billion euros ($3.4 billion).

That is still short of their valuation in 2020, just before the pandemic, of nearly 3.5 billion euros, although the report points out that they were one of few clubs to register a net profit in both seasons impacted by the pandemic.

“Real Madrid have extended their lead at the top due to continuous sporting and commercial success,” says the report’s author, Andrea Sartori.

It said Real lost 84 million euros due to the absence of matchday revenues with supporters shut out due to the pandemic.

However, Real “made the made the most of the restrictions…accelerating works on the Bernabeu. It will be ready at the end of 2022 or the beginning of 2023 and will certainly give them a massive revenue boost and potentially a competitive advantage”.

Manchester United (2.9 billion euros) and Barcelona (2.8 billion euros) rounded out the podium, with Bayern Munich fourth and Liverpool fifth (2.556 billion euros).

Of the 32 most valuable clubs, only four (Ajax, Galatasaray, Porto and Benfica) are from outwith the big five European leagues of England, Spain, Germany, Italy and France.

Ten of the top 32 are English, at a time when Premier League sides are dominating in Europe.

“What is pushing English clubs towards increased continental glory is their success on the financial side,” the report acknowledges.

“The Premier League’s aggregate operating revenues of 5.1 billion euros put them comfortably at the top,” while “what really sets them apart are highly remunerative broadcasting agreements”.

Paris Saint-Germain boast the highest overall growth in value over the seven years since the first Football Benchmark report, up 153 percent to now more than two billion euros.

Above all, the report added, football is showing signs that the downturn caused by Covid is over.

“Last year’s financial results still bear the negative impacts of COVID-19, while the past several months reflect solid signs of football returning to normal, most notably with crowds back in stadia and with continued robust demand from sponsors and investors.”

AFP/PUNCH

Sports

FIFA rankings: Super Eagles Drop To 45th, Remain Sixth In Africa

Published

7 hours ago

September 18, 2025

Editor

Nigeria’s Super Eagles have slipped one place in the latest FIFA World Rankings, falling from 44th to 45th globally while maintaining sixth position on the African continent.

The new rankings, released via FIFA’s official X handle on Thursday, reflect the team’s continued struggles under Coach Eric Chelle amid a stuttering 2026 World Cup qualifying campaign.

This marks a second consecutive decline after the Nigerian side dropped from 43rd to 44th in August and also slipped out of the top five nations in Africa on the back of poor outings in recent international matches.

Despite Nigeria’s setback, several African teams made progress. Morocco remains the continent’s highest-ranked side, sitting 11th in the world after winning eight of their last nine matches. Senegal, Egypt, Algeria and Côte d’Ivoire complete Africa’s top five.

Lesotho slipped to 153rd place, while Benin Republic, Nigeria’s upcoming opponent, climbed to 93rd. South Africa’s Bafana Bafana, who held the Super Eagles to a 1-1 draw in June, rose to 55th, strengthening their bid for World Cup qualification.

Zimbabwe had the biggest slide down the ranking table, dropping nine places to 125th position in the world.

The rankings highlight Nigeria’s struggle to regain form on the global stage as key rivals continue to surge ahead.

Similarly, the Super Falcons of Nigeria remain 36th best in the world], while the Spanish female national team replaced the USA at the top of the women’s ranking.

Sports

Edo Sports Commission Liaises With Education Ministry To Support President Unity Cup, Other

Published

1 day ago

September 17, 2025

Editor

Edo State Sports Commission has expressed readiness to liaise with the state Ministry Education in giving the necessary backing to this year’s President Unity Cup and Chief of Naval Staff Tournament.

Executive Chairman of the commission, Hon. Amadin Desmond Enabulele, expressed the commission’s readiness on Wednesday when he played host to national leadership of the Youth Sports Federation of Nigeria (YSFON), led by its National Secretary, Mr. Patrick Okpavuerhe.

He expressed the commission’s readiness after the YSFON National Secretary requested Edo State to host this year’s President Unity Cup, scheduled for September 25 to October 1, 2025, or alternatively, the Chief of Naval Staff Tournament.

Represented by Executive Director representing Edo Central at the commission, Barr. Anthony Ikuenobe, Enabulele assured the YSFON members of the commission’s readiness to collaborate.

“The Commission will review past correspondences and liaise with the Ministry of Education to support these tournaments.

“Edo remains committed to youth and grassroots sports development,” Ikuenobe said.

Earlier, Okpavuerhe commended Hon. Enabulele for his remarkable strides in youth sports development, particularly Edo’s impressive record in grassroots football.

According to him, the decision of Edo to host any of the tournaments “was taken during our last Central Working Committee meeting in recognition of Edo’s outstanding contributions to grassroots sports.”

He explained that the President Unity Cup, first held in 1982 after former President Shehu Shagari donated the trophy, has become a platform to celebrate President Bola Tinubu’s Renewed Hope Agenda and Nigeria’s independence through sports, fostering national unity.

Founded in 1965, YSFON also highlighted its successful organisation of the Under-14 Boys and Under-17 Girls Chief of Naval Staff Tournament, which has been held since 1999 but never hosted in Edo State.

“We are requesting Edo’s support in providing logistics upon approval. Our plan is to host the Chief of Naval Staff Tournament in Benin City, using the President Unity Cup as a test run,” Okpavuerhe added.

Also speaking, Alhaji Ahmed Abdullah, YSFON’s National Welfare Officer and Acting National Organising Secretary, also praised Edo’s strong showing at the recently concluded National Youth Games in Asaba, describing the state as “one of Nigeria’s foremost promoters of grassroots sports development.”

Others present at the meeting included Mr. Kali Gwegwe (Vice President, YSFON South-South Zone), Mr. Osagiede Osamudiamen (Chairman, Edo State YSFON), Mr. Harrison Iyonmana (Secretary, Edo State YSFON), and Mr. Benmore Omoregieva (Welfare Officer, Edo State YSFON).

Sports

Edo Cricket Association Presents Indoor Facility Designs To Sports Commission Boss

Published

1 day ago

September 17, 2025

Editor

The Edo State Cricket Association on Wednesday formally presented the proposed structural and mechanical designs for an Indoor Cricket Facility in Edo State to the Executive Chairman of the Edo State Sports Commission, Hon. Amadin Desmond Enabulele.

The presentation marks a significant step in advancing cricket infrastructure in the state, aligning with Edo’s broader vision of strengthening grassroots sports development.

Those present at the presentation include: Theophilus A. Ibodeme (High Performance Coach and Manager), Osasu Agbonwanegbe (Senior Special Assistant to the President/Chairman, Nigerian Cricket Federation), Esosa Aghohowa (Technical Assistant/Coach) and Afari Abdulhamid (Coach/Field Officer).