English Premier League winners Manchester City have overtaken Barcelona and now have world football's second best brand value, according to a new study.
City were runners up behind Uefa Champions League and La Liga winners Real Madrid in Brand Finance's Football 50 2022 report.
The report said City's brand value had increased 19 per cent to just over €1.3 billion ($1.39bn), placing them just ahead of Barcelona, whose value was up 5 per cent to a little under €1.3bn.
Brand value refers to the present value of earnings specifically related to brand reputation.
"Brand Finance’s 2022 football fan research shows that the Manchester City brand has grown in perception and following, scoring highly in metrics such as ‘the club is ambitious’ and ‘the club has a global following’," the report said.
City were named the highest revenue-generating club in the Deloitte Money League for the first time in their history, and Brand Finance said the club's high revenue "can be credited to their continued on-field performance in the 2022 campaign ― winning the English Premier League and reaching the 2021 European Champions League Final and 2022 semi-final".
City chairman Khaldoon Al Mubarak said this week that the club have emerged from Covid-19 in a robust financial position and are now ready to go "from strength to strength".
Rivals Manchester United fell to fifth place in the rankings — their lowest yet, as they ended the season with their lowest Premier League points total, although their brand value did rise by 11 per cent.
"Despite failing to qualify for the European Champions’ League group stages as well as a long run of poor form on-field, Manchester United are still able to record growth in both brand value and brand strength, reverting a three-year decline in value," the report said.
"Following the announcement of the European Super League last year, United were one of the six English Premier League clubs who lost brand value as a result. This year’s brand valuation shows that United have substantially recovered their previous brand strength, and still remain strong among international audiences."
Real Madrid recovered from a 10 per cent slump last year amid Covid-19 uncertainties and weaker fan sentiment as a result of the floundering plan for a European Super League.
Its brand value rose 19 per cent in the past year to €1.5bn, driven by a combination of improved brand strength and a positive revenue trajectory.
"Real Madrid are now clearly the dominant brand in the global football business," said Hugo Hensley, head of sports services, Brand Finance.
"For four years, they have been the most valuable brand thanks largely to their business success off the field. However, their continued success on the field has delivered them the brand double, and they are now also the world’s strongest football brand. Even opponents recognise, respect and admire the reputation of Real Madrid."
Middle East investment and sponsorship is prominent among the top 10 teams.
Manchester City are owned by Abu Dhabi's City Football Group, while Paris Saint-Germain are owned by Qatar Sports Investments. Real Madrid and Arsenal meanwhile have sponsorship deals with Dubai's Emirates airline. Outside the top 10, Emirates also sponsors 17th-placed AC Milan, 35th-placed Olympique Lyonnais and 48th-placed Benfica.
The specs
- Engine: 3.9-litre twin-turbo V8
- Power: 640hp
- Torque: 760nm
- On sale: 2026
- Price: Not announced yet
New UK refugee system
- A new “core protection” for refugees moving from permanent to a more basic, temporary protection
- Shortened leave to remain - refugees will receive 30 months instead of five years
- A longer path to settlement with no indefinite settled status until a refugee has spent 20 years in Britain
- To encourage refugees to integrate the government will encourage them to out of the core protection route wherever possible.
- Under core protection there will be no automatic right to family reunion
- Refugees will have a reduced right to public funds
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THE SPECS
Engine: 2.0-litre 4-cylinder turbo
Power: 275hp at 6,600rpm
Torque: 353Nm from 1,450-4,700rpm
Transmission: 8-speed dual-clutch auto
Top speed: 250kph
Fuel consumption: 6.8L/100km
On sale: Now
Price: Dh146,999
Other acts on the Jazz Garden bill
Sharrie Williams
The American singer is hugely respected in blues circles due to her passionate vocals and songwriting. Born and raised in Michigan, Williams began recording and touring as a teenage gospel singer. Her career took off with the blues band The Wiseguys. Such was the acclaim of their live shows that they toured throughout Europe and in Africa. As a solo artist, Williams has also collaborated with the likes of the late Dizzy Gillespie, Van Morrison and Mavis Staples.
Lin Rountree
An accomplished smooth jazz artist who blends his chilled approach with R‘n’B. Trained at the Duke Ellington School of the Arts in Washington, DC, Rountree formed his own band in 2004. He has also recorded with the likes of Kem, Dwele and Conya Doss. He comes to Dubai on the back of his new single Pass The Groove, from his forthcoming 2018 album Stronger Still, which may follow his five previous solo albums in cracking the top 10 of the US jazz charts.
Anita Williams
Dubai-based singer Anita Williams will open the night with a set of covers and swing, jazz and blues standards that made her an in-demand singer across the emirate. The Irish singer has been performing in Dubai since 2008 at venues such as MusicHall and Voda Bar. Her Jazz Garden appearance is career highlight as she will use the event to perform the original song Big Blue Eyes, the single from her debut solo album, due for release soon.
Who's who in Yemen conflict
Houthis: Iran-backed rebels who occupy Sanaa and run unrecognised government
Yemeni government: Exiled government in Aden led by eight-member Presidential Leadership Council
Southern Transitional Council: Faction in Yemeni government that seeks autonomy for the south
Habrish 'rebels': Tribal-backed forces feuding with STC over control of oil in government territory
The Uefa Awards winners
Uefa Men's Player of the Year: Virgil van Dijk (Liverpool)
Uefa Women's Player of the Year: Lucy Bronze (Lyon)
Best players of the 2018/19 Uefa Champions League
Goalkeeper: Alisson (Liverpool)
Defender: Virgil van Dijk (Liverpool)
Midfielder: Frenkie de Jong (Ajax)
Forward: Lionel Messi (Barcelona)
Uefa President's Award: Eric Cantona
Heavily-sugared soft drinks slip through the tax net
Some popular drinks with high levels of sugar and caffeine have slipped through the fizz drink tax loophole, as they are not carbonated or classed as an energy drink.
Arizona Iced Tea with lemon is one of those beverages, with one 240 millilitre serving offering up 23 grams of sugar - about six teaspoons.
A 680ml can of Arizona Iced Tea costs just Dh6.
Most sports drinks sold in supermarkets were found to contain, on average, five teaspoons of sugar in a 500ml bottle.
Benefits of first-time home buyers' scheme
- Priority access to new homes from participating developers
- Discounts on sales price of off-plan units
- Flexible payment plans from developers
- Mortgages with better interest rates, faster approval times and reduced fees
- DLD registration fee can be paid through banks or credit cards at zero interest rates
Sholto Byrnes on Myanmar politics
Islamophobia definition
A widely accepted definition was made by the All Party Parliamentary Group on British Muslims in 2019: “Islamophobia is rooted in racism and is a type of racism that targets expressions of Muslimness or perceived Muslimness.” It further defines it as “inciting hatred or violence against Muslims”.
