@CWeatherspoon_

Football Finance Writer @TheAthleticFC | Will talk about money for football | Views not someone else's 𝗦𝗧𝗢𝗥𝗜𝗘𝗦/𝗧𝗜𝗣𝗦:📧 [email protected]

 North East, England
nytimes.com/athletic/author/chris-weatherspoon/
Joined February 2009
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1.9KMedia
FIFA's Forward scheme arrived with Gianni Infantino and has doled billions out to member nations, with more to come. Yet a wide-ranging investigation from @TheAthleticFC found a majority of members do not meet basic transparency requirements Read here: nytimes.com/athletic/7671672…

The BookKeeper investigates FIFA’s ‘Forward’ fund: How it’s managed and who gets what (Gift Article)

The Athletic found more than half of FIFA member nations appear to fail to meet its basic transparency requirements to receive funding

nytimes.com
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Forget Michael Carrick and all the rest of it. Manchester United, now and for a while, are a consequence of the disgraceful moment in May 2005 that should never have been allowed to occur. Took two decades but the chickens are very much home and roosting
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Sunderland bottom of the league but (still) two points better off than in equivalent fixtures from last season. Go figure. Greater intensity and looked more like a team today. Creativity remains a vice
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FIFA's Forward scheme arrived with Gianni Infantino and has doled billions out to member nations, with more to come. Yet a wide-ranging investigation from @TheAthleticFC found a majority of members do not meet basic transparency requirements Read here: nytimes.com/athletic/7671672…

The BookKeeper investigates FIFA’s ‘Forward’ fund: How it’s managed and who gets what (Gift Article)

The Athletic found more than half of FIFA member nations appear to fail to meet its basic transparency requirements to receive funding

nytimes.com
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Burnley walloped 4-1 at newly promoted Lincoln City today, an eminently better run club. Now winless at home in over a year, three league victories in that time and in Championship relegation zone. Fellow ALK club Espanyol have four wins in 2026 and are in La Liga's bottom three
Chris@CWeatherspoon_Feb 3
Since Burnley's Dec 2020 leveraged takeover, gone from solid if unremarkable PL club with no borrowings to a (bad) yo-yo side, £113m in debt, costing £10m+ annually at rates from 8.5% to 12.75% Over four years on, owners ALK Capital still not filed any UK parent company accounts
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And still, almost six years since Burnley were taken over, their parent company has yet to file a single set of accounts
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A reminder (Everton's request for a stay was denied)
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While you're looking at Scott Parker's departure, note Burnley's 2024-25 accounts, out yesterday, detailed £14m interest payments, principally on debt loaded onto club by 2020 takeover. Only Man Utd (Glazers), Spurs and Everton (new stadia) now spend more on interest in England
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The enemies of reading have never been stronger, but the reward for overcoming them has never been greater
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Okay, only 11 games in, but what an outstanding signing Will Lankshear already looks to have been
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Open Letter To Mayor @KiMcGuinness From RAWA & @nufctrust On The Bubble Arrangements If anyone is unable to see read the statement on here, we have it on our website: redandwhitearmy.co.uk/post/o…
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What the hell are we doing people
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IFR has unveiled levy proposal which would fund the body Would take effect in 2027-28, but each club's hypothetical 2026-27 levy: • £1.562m Arsenal, Man C, Man U, L'pool • £1.244m Chelsea, Spurs • £879k Villa • £693k B'mouth, Sunderland • £637k Brighton • £562k rest of PL
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(One caveat here: if Newcastle cleared £150m commercial revenue in 2025-26 (£120m in '24-25, so possible), they'd hypothetically be paying the same £1.244m as Chelsea and Spurs)
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Further down the chain: • £218k Burnley, West Ham, Wolves • £182k Southampton • £164k Leicester • £44k rest of Championship • £9k rest of League One • £6k all of League Two • £516 all of National League
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Amid news the Asian Football Confederation has u-turned and is now backing Infantino for re-election: Our investigation into FIFA's Forward fund (below), found only 13 of 46 AFC members have publicly disclosed recent financials. Two of the 13 relied on FIFA for >40% of revenue
Chris@CWeatherspoon_Oct 20
FIFA's Forward scheme arrived with Gianni Infantino and has doled billions out to member nations, with more to come. Yet a wide-ranging investigation from @TheAthleticFC found a majority of members do not meet basic transparency requirements Read here: nytimes.com/athletic/7671672…

The BookKeeper investigates FIFA’s ‘Forward’ fund: How it’s managed and who gets what (Gift Article)

The Athletic found more than half of FIFA member nations appear to fail to meet its basic transparency requirements to receive funding

nytimes.com
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This should be a huge story btw, it speaks to a massive problem in football (and, really, the world) xitter.cf/TheAthleticFC/status/2…
The Athletic | Football
@TheAthleticFCOct 23
The head of the Asian Football Confederation (AFC) has said his countries will support Gianni Infantino in his bid for re-election as FIFA president. The comments from Sheikh Salman bin Ebrahim al-Khalifa mark a U-turn by the AFC, who joined European governing body UEFA and CONCACAF (North and Central America and the Caribbean) in condemning Infantino in August. More from @Dan_KP ⬇️ nytimes.com/athletic/7716521…

Asian Football Confederation backs FIFA president Gianni Infantino for re-election in U-turn (Gift...

The AFC had joined UEFA and CONCACAF in condemning Infantino in August.

nytimes.com
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More private credit in football, where Aston Villa have taken out £150million across two loans to fund their North Stand refurb. Increased revenue from rebuilt end expected to exceed loan costs (£10m p/a until £90m bond repaid in 2032, then £4.5m) Detail w/ @J_Tanswell below
Jacob Tanswell
@J_TanswellOct 23
The estimated costs of shutting the North Stand this year is around £6m. The North Stand build is being funded by a combined £150m in ‘private placement’ loans (£90m+£60m). In theory, they can be repaid by the increased income from the revamped stadium. Explaining the latest construction progress on the North Stand & the development so far. Free to read - W/@CWeatherspoon_ on @TheAthleticFC #AVFC nytimes.com/athletic/7704548…

The Premier League stadium with three sides: What’s the latest with Villa’s North Stand? (Gift...

The famous old ground is being given an uplift and Villa are willing to take a short-term financial hit for longer-term gain

nytimes.com
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Just saying it out loud
FIFA Media
@fifamediaOct 23
Replying to @fifamedia
"We've been able, thanks to the decision of the FIFA Council last week, to increase, of course, the grants for every member association. “Before I started as FIFA President, each of you was receiving $1 million USD every four years. As of the 1st of January of next year, it will be $25 million USD... “For you to be able to invest in the future of our game, all together, all united.”
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A group funded by a British “tech leader” called Omar Mir & advised by ex-England defender Ryan Bertrand wants to invest £87m in Wimbledon. They’d get 90% of the economic value but 49.99% of the votes. The fans would keep a veto & they must back the deal. nytimes.com/athletic/7711739…

AFC Wimbledon owners to vote on £87m investment from consortium led by Ryan Bertrand (Gift Article)

The club is owned by the 6,265-strong Dons Trust, who would retain at least 50.01 per cent of the voting rights under the proposal. .

nytimes.com
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Chris retweeted
harry@_harrymcbethOct 21
Lost phone found in Poznan. Obviously a Sunderland fan. We’ve got it, please let us know.
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