Football bosses unhappy with Liverpool and Man United amid £37m controversy
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Man United and Liverpool are two of the biggest clubs in world football and their prestige has been illustrated by recent developments behind the scenes.
While the methodology used to arrive at the claim is somewhat dubious, Man United‘s marketing department claim to have 1billion fans worldwide.
Liverpool meanwhile have over 300 supporters clubs in over 100 countries worldwide and have sold out some of the world’s biggest stadiums on pre-season tours across the globe.
Converting this popularity into revenue is arguably the driving force behind everything the two clubs do at the corporate level.
United generated £302m in commercial income over the last financial year while Liverpool turned over £272m in the same period, so neither club is exactly lacking in that department.
But in order to justify the massive valuations placed on both clubs in recent years, tapping into and further monetising the overseas fanbases is absolutely essential.
The long-term aims of Sir Jim Ratcliffe, the Glazers and Fenway Sports Group are to flip their respective clubs for a profit, and their sky-high appraisals are based on their potential as global brands.
And the allure of both clubs to worldwide audiences has been demonstrated by the latest news from world football’s governing body, FIFA.
Man United and Liverpool cited as FIFA’s Club World Cup issues deepen
Both Liverpool and Man United have previously won the FIFA Club World Cup, which up until now has been an annual tournament between each confederation’s champions.
But from next year, the tournament will be greatly expanded to include 32 teams in total, with FIFA aiming to host the event on a quadrennial basis.
In 2025, Man City and Chelsea – as the two most recent English winners of the Champions League – are the Premier League’s representatives at the tournament.
The new-look Club World Cup is currently struggling to agree a TV deal, having previously promised participating clubs that they could expect £50m in prize money from the media rights.
It looks more likely that a sum of £34m will be the very maximum on offer – and that is a generous estimate being presented by most media outlets.
And The Independent have now reported that broadcasters are specifically unhappy about the absence of Man United and Liverpool from the tournament.
They believe that the two most successful clubs in English football would be a major drawer for viewers.
The true value of the Club World Cup – the next big earner for Liverpool and Man United?
While Liverpool and United will be absent for the 2025 Club World Cup, both teams are privately backing the tournament in the belief that it could be a big earner in the future.
It may be the case that FIFA – who are believed not to have had any fresh bids for TV rights since turning down a £750m offer from Apple earlier this year – may have to use their own cash reserves this time.
For a tournament in which the winning team will play a maximum of seven matches, clubs see it as easy money and an opportunity to further push their brands in the United States and beyond.
For context, United’s annual media income was £209m at the last count while Liverpool was £242m.
