1. Finances
When Sergio Aguero scored against QPR in the final game of last season he secured Manchester Citys first Premier League Championship. It was a moment that summed up everything that was thrilling about football. Yet when Sky cut back to the studio the pundits only spoke about how it was great for the product. For a moment with such emotion they couldnt have made it sound colder. It showed how much the Premier League was focused on money. Accounts released for 2010-11 show that the 20 Premier League teams managed to rack up a combined loss of £361 million, despite a record £2.3 billion income. It is often flaunted how the league is earning more money than ever and yet finances dont seem to reflect that. A new £3 billion TV deal will only benefit the clubs if they can control their spending. Eight of the twenty clubs made a profit while Manchester City - who were heavily financed in their bid to win the league - made the biggest loss in the history of football: £197 million. Their income of £153 million was dwarfed by the £174 million spent on wages. Even Aston Villa spent 90% of their income on wages. The newest information released by Deloitte shows that the Premier League teams are £2.4 billion in debt. The Bundesliga on the other hand made £1.6 billion in revenue and the teams made a collective profit of £154 million. A report from 2009 announced that 12 of the 18 clubs were in the black. The finances are more secure because the Bundesliga only pays an average of 50% of their revenue on player wages. 94% of the matches are also sold out which leads to impressive match day revenues; although they are lower compared to other leagues because of the cheaper tickets. Bayern Munich boasts players like Arjen Robben, Frank Ribery and Mario Gomez but their financial prudence leads to annual profits of around £1 million that is taking into account that they are paying off a large amount of their stadium debt. That may not seem like much but the German model isnt focused on making profits. Strict control costs mean that none of the Bundesliga clubs have faced the same worries as Portsmouth and although some teams have large debts, they are manageable. An individual can only control 49% of the club at most; the 51% percent will always be owned by the supporters. Only if a company has a stake in the team for 20 years can they buy the majority.