Sponsorship crackdown

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Head Start

FOOTBALL

Sponsorship Crackdown

Premier League clubs will face sanctions if they secure inflated sponsorship deals or transfer fees. The new rules mean that clubs are required to ensure all deals occur at fair market value to prevent attempts to overcome financial fair play rules. Any breach will lead to an uncapped sanction based on the severity of the offence. 

Interestingly, Manchester City and Newcastle voted against the new rule from being implemented. This is because the rules target deals that occur between connected companies. This is a retaliation to Premier League clubs that are taking advantage of the multi-club model.

Manchester City’s commercial income has grown 13.6 times more than they were at the time Sheikh Mansour took over the club. This led to La Liga making a complaint to UEFA in 2017 about their uncommonly high commercial revenue with several sponsors being directly controlled by the United Arab Emirates. 

The onus to prove a deal happened at fair market value now falls on clubs. They’re required to provide a declaration from the directors that they consider the deal happened at fair market value.

FOOTBALL

EFL’s Record TV Deal

The English Football League (EFL) has secured deals of at least £148 million for its international TV rights across a four-season period. The deals mean that the second, third and fourth tiers of English football are banking a 40 per cent increase from the previous agreements - with reports suggesting they could exceed the £148 million currently on the table.

The deal will include 155 Championship matches, 38 League One and Two matches, Play-Off matches, all Carabao Cup matches, and three EFL Trophy fixtures.

The EFL’s breakthrough in the US market is making a difference. Wrexham’s surge in popularity since Ryan Reynolds and Rob McElhenney completed a full takeover of the club has meant more eyes on the EFL across the pond. Wrexham even completed a sold-out tour of the US in pre-season. While it’s a good move for English football overall, fans are concerned that kick-off times will change to cater for an international audience.

GOLF

Golf’s Civil War Continues

LeBron James recently became the first player in NBA history to reach 40,000 career points. Now, one of the greatest basketball players of all time has set his sights on golf with a personal investment in the PGA Tour’s latest $3 billion fundraising round. James’ investment portfolio now includes ownership stakes in Liverpool, Boston Red Sox, Pittsburgh Penguins and AC Milan.

The PGA funding round, led by Fenway Sports Group, helps give players equity in the league as it fends off competition from the Saudi-backed LIV Golf. Many powerful people in sports, music and entertainment personally invested, including Drake. 

It’s a move that won’t encourage golf fans who dream of a united golf product. There have been calls for the PGA and LIV golf to merge and end golf’s civil war but some, like Rory McIlroy, worry that the sport will remain “fractured forever” unless the opportunity to create a more global game is embraced - and the PGA’s recent funding round is more a sign of competition than collaboration. Fans of the PGA will also be encouraged by LIV Golf’s failure to receive world ranking recognition from the Official World Golf Ranking, a blow to the Saudi-backed tour.

Across The Field

ALSO IN THE NEWS: Horner holds talks with Verstappen’s agent to resolve off-track tension before the Saudi Arabian Grand Prix (More) | Football Australia says it was blindsided by Sam Kerr’s UK harassment charge and court appearance (More)

PREMIER LEAGUE: Manchester United have been approached by representatives of several managers believing that Erik ten Hag could be removed from his post (More) | Aston Villa made £119.6million loss in 22-23 and £3.7billion since inception but have not breached financial fair play because of their £100million Jack Grealish sale and sufficient financial performances in the previous three years (More)

NETFLIX: The streaming platform impressed with a star-studded exhibition match between Rafael Nadal and Carlos Alcaraz. This is the second-ever live sporting event to air on Netflix and it proved to be an effective marketing ploy by the streaming service. Nadal wound up losing the match in a tie-break (More) | Netflix will also air a six-part documentary on Manchester City’s treble-winning season early next month, with the trailer being released next week.

BUSINESS: France’s top division, Ligue 1, will now be called Ligue 1 McDonald’s after the fast food franchise agreed to a 20 million euro per year deal (More) | Ford is considering dissolving their agreement as Red Bull’s technology partner because of the racing team's current drama (More) | UK Sport and UK Athletics are planning to bid to host the 2029 World Championships which could have an economic impact of up to £150 million (More)

Your Home Advantage

 LONG READ

→  Exclusive Route One interview with Head of Nutrition at Burnley F.C.

Elena Saunders gave Route One insight into a Premier League footballer’s diet and training routine.

1. Calorie intake varies depending on the day

Calorie requirements change on a day-by-day basis for a footballer. But the first step in calculating a player's caloric requirements is to work out their resting metabolic rate - the amount of energy a body needs to function while at rest. According to Elena, a footballer who weighs around 70kg (11 stone or 150 pounds) needs around 2000-2200 calories per day, which is their body weight in pounds times 15. This baseline is topped up depending on how much energy is required:

• On match days and conditioning days, players eat up to 4000 calories. 

• Medium energy days, defined as 90 minutes of on-the-field training plus a gym session in the afternoon, require between 3000-3500 calories. 

• Rest days or low exercise days, are defined as a single gym session. Players consume around 2600 calories on a rest day. 

Calories are topped up further if (1) a player is trying to build muscle or (2) a player feels they lack energy. 

2. Footballers have a high-protein goal 

According to Elena, all players must eat a minimum of 1.6-2 grams of protein per kilogram of body weight. This maintains muscle and adequately recovers from matches and training. Footballers get their protein intake in three even instalments throughout the day. 

Protein requirements increase to 2-3 grams of protein per kilogram of body weight for those recovering from an injury or trying to build muscle.

Elena encourages anyone who exercises 3-7 times a week to set similar protein goals. 

3. Vegan is now an option

Veganism is viable for professional athletes now given the high-quality meat-free alternatives available. Burnley’s vegan athletes perform the sam asthose on an omnivore diet in all measures of performance. 

4. Body fat is not all bad 

Burnley players are required to have a body fat percentage of between 7-12%. 

The large range is allowed due to the genetic differences between players. Elena reveals that some players' body fat requirements are higher than others because they get ill and injured more often if their fat levels fall below a certain threshold.

The club have chosen to move away from measuring body fat percentage directly and instead conduct a skin fold measurement on eight places on the body. The ideal skin fold range for a male footballer is between 40-56mm in total.

Extra Time

The Premier League projected final standings according to the spread markets. 

Sergio Garcia reveals his golfing secrets.

Eddie Hearn confronts Johnny Nelson over Anthony Joshua comments. 

Ole Gunnar Solskjaer is on today’s Stick to Football podcast.

UFC 299 released a breakdown and analysis of their main event coming up on Sunday.

X reacts to Lincoln City wishing Landon Donovan a happy birthday. 

Free invites to the 2024 Paris Olympics opening ceremony will be given to 222,000 spectators. 

Thierry Henry gives a tutorial on his secret to being a world-class finisher.

CLICKBAIT: Erling Haaland heaps fresh doubt on Man City future with "massive headline" claim. (Mirror)

On Today

FOOTBALL

Champions League RO16: Manchester City v FC Koehenhavn (20:00 GMT, TNT Sports 1)

Champions League RO16: Real Madrid v RB Leipzig (20:00 GMT, TNT Sports 1)

Championship: Multiple games (19:45 GMT, Sky Sports Football)

TENNIS 

Indian Wells: Round of 128 (18:30 GMT, Sky Sports Main Event)

CRICKET 

Test Series: India v England (04:00 GMT, TNT Sports 4)

BASKETBALL

NBA: L.A. Lakers v Sacramento Kings (03:30 GMT, TNT Sports 2)

HOCKEY

NHL: Toronto Maple Leafs v Buffalo Sabres - (00:00 GMT, Viaplay)

SNOOKER

World Snooker Tour: World Masters of Snooker Semi-Final (13:00 and 18:00 GMT, Discovery+)

CYCLING 

World Tour: Italy, stage 3 (12:05 GMT, Eurosport 2)

World Tour: Paris and Nice, stage 4 (14:45 GMT, Eurosport 2)

*EST -5. PST -8. CET +1. CST +8. JST +9.

“We can’t win at home. We can’t win on the road. As general manager, I just can’t figure out where else to play”

-Pat Williams, Orlando Magic GM, making light of his team’s 7-27 record in 1992