Insights
Reviews of league deals and club financings, each linked to the original reporting. Not RMF transactions, just general football and sports transactions.
The financing record
Bars use approximate euro equivalents for comparison, and labels show amounts as reported. Abandoned proposals, rights income and deals with undisclosed prices are left out.
Deal reviews
A US private placement replaces cheaper notes a year before they fall due.
Original reportingManchester United press releaseSEC Form 6-K summarySEC Form 20-F, June 2026
Debt and preferred equity are now being raised against a portfolio of sports rights.
Private credit takes out the vendor financing from the club's 2022 sale.
Original reportingRedBird press releaseSportBusinessIl Sole 24 Ore
From 2026/27, squad spending is tied directly to revenue.
Original reportingPremier LeagueSky SportsESPN
A large alternative manager takes control of a LaLiga club, with existing investors staying in.
Original reportingESPNSporticoIberian LawyerFlashscore: completion
The top five tiers of the men's game in England now have an independent regulator.
Original reportingUK GovernmentMorgan LewisAddleshaw Goddard
Liberty Media adds a second motorsport series after a long regulatory review.
Original reportingLiberty MediaLiberty Media: clearanceBlackBook Motorsport
A five-year domestic deal ended after one season, and the league went direct to consumers.
Original reportingInside World FootballInsider Sport: exitInsider Sport: Ligue 1+
Long-term institutional notes replace short-term construction funding.
Original reportingInside World FootballSlaughter and MayThe Stadium Business
A lender with share security becomes the owner of an Italian champion.
Original reportingSportcalSporticoInside World Football
Clubs approved the process, then fan protests stopped it.
Original reportingSportBusinessBörsen-ZeitungSportcal
The largest sports media rights deal in UK history, and the income much of English football borrows against.
Original reportingSportBusinessSportcalInside World Football
One of the largest stadium financings in European sport, repaid from future revenue.
Original reportingFC Barcelona: financingFC Barcelona: April 2023FC Barcelona: June 2025Inside World FootballDLA Piper
The women's tennis tour separates its commercial rights from its regulation of the sport.
Original reportingSportBusinessBloombergYahoo News
Two sales to Sixth Street turn future broadcast income into cash today.
Original reportingFC BarcelonaInside World Football: 10%Inside World Football: 15%Máquina do Esporte: Santander
Capital and an operator come together around income that did not yet exist.
Original reportingESPNSporticoMalay Mail
French football follows Spain into league-level private capital.
Original reportingCVCFront Office SportsInside World FootballSportsPro
A 50-year agreement that set the template for what followed.
Original reportingSportBusinessSporticoESPN: legal action
A private equity investor joins six rugby unions as an equal shareholder.
Original reportingCVCSportBusinessCNBC
Unanimous approval in November, blocked by seven clubs three months later.
Original reportingSportBusiness: approvalInside World Football: blockInsider Sport