Real Madrid top football rich list for 10th straight year

Spain's Real Madrid have emerged as the world's richest football club for the 10th straight year in the annual Football Money League published by accountants Deloitte, with a revenue of $639 million.

English team Manchester United moved up from fourth to second on the list, which is based on 2013-14 season revenues despite enduring its worst-ever league campaign. German champions Bayern Munich came in third, followed by Spain's FC Barcelona and French side Paris Saint-Germain.

English clubs Manchester City, Chelsea, Arsenal and Liverpool were placed sixth to ninth, all of them showing healthy rises in revenues.

The Deloitte football money league list:
1. Real Madrid: $639m ($602.7m)
2. Man Utd: $602.3m ($492.3m)
3. Bayern Munich: $566.8m ($500.1m)
4. Barcelona: $563.5m ($560.5m)
5. Paris Saint Germain: $551.5m ($463.2m)
6. Manchester City: $481.9m ($367.2m)
7. Chelsea: $451.1m ($352.4m)
8. Arsenal: $417.9m ($330.2m)
9. Liverpool: $355.8m ($279.5m)
10. Juventus: $325m ($316.4m)

Real Madrid's Pepe apologises for hand-stamp on Messi

MADRID Real Madrid defender Pepe Thursday apologised for stamping on Barcelona striker Lionel Messi's hand in their cup clash and said it was "unintentional", in comments published by his club.
"It was an unintentional act. All the same, if Messi was offended then I apologise to him," Pepe said in a statement published in Spanish on Real Madrid's website.
"All I mean to do is defend my team and my institution. I give myself to it body and soul. It never crossed my mind to hurt a fellow professional," Pepe added.
Real Madrid's Pepe was lashed as a "world disgrace" and a "public danger" by Spain's press on Thursday after he stamped on Barcelona superstar Lionel Messi's hand as his team headed to a 2-1 loss.
The sporting press splashed front-page pictures of Pepe's stamp on a prostrate Messi in the Spanish Cup quarter-final in the Santiago Bernabeu on Wednesday.
"Pepe, a public danger, was the biggest exponent of an impotent and deranged Madrid," blared the Barcelona-based sports daily Mundo Deportivo under a photograph of the incident in the 69th minute.
"Heroes," the Mundo Deportivo's front page said of Barca. "Villains", it said of Madrid.
Inside, the paper showed a picture-by-picture account of the stamping incident, under the headline "World disgrace".
Madrid daily Marca, the biggest sports daily, described Pepe as "disgraceful".
"Pepe again. The Portuguese again suffered a temporary mental derangement with a treacherous stamp on the left hand of Messi while the Argentine was on the ground," Marca said.
In an opinion piece, the paper said: "Pepe's behaviour was intolerable. Violent, overly aggressive, theatrical and far from what should be the attitude of a footballer in top-class competition."
In a post-match news conference, Madrid coach Jose Mourinho said he had not seen the incident but, if intentional, he agreed with a reporter that it would be "reprehensible".
Madrid's Ricardo Carvalho, asked about Pepe's behaviour after the match, in which he played for the first time in four months, said: "Pepe is tough, but he is clean and loyal."

Spanish club Malaga eyes soccer aficionados in Qatar

WITH a view to promote sporting activities and expand its reach in Qatar, Spain’s Malaga Club de Fútbol participated in the just-concluded Aspire4sport exhibition.

Bought recently by Sheikh Abdullah bin Nasser al Thani for €10.5million, the club currently plays in Spanish La Liga league.
Victor Varela Luiz, communications director of Malaga FC, said: “This is for the first time in the history of the club that we are having an investor from the Middle East region.

We want to consolidate the club in La Liga and aspire for greater heights.” The Spanish league is quite popular around the world with soccer giants like Barcelona and Real Madrid on its rolls.

Malaga officials are hoping to create a fan base in Qatar and in other parts of the region.

Lauding the efforts of Sheikh Abdullah al Thani at Malaga who has also inherited the club’s debt of €36 million, Varela said: “Since his arrival there has been a radical change in the sporting activities of the club.

Its budget has increased from €30m to €70m.” “Sheikh Abdullah al Thani has said that his goal would be to help Malaga FC consolidate its presence on the Primmera Division and fulfill the hopes of its teeming fans around the world with great professionalism and hard work,” said Luiz.

“A new beginning has been made by getting the services of former Real Madrid coach Manuel Pellegrini and with the recruitment of new players,” added Luiz.

Luiz said that the club had experienced a manifold jump in facilities with the arrival of Sheikh al Thani.

“A new turf of good quality has been laid and noted professionals have been hired to maintain it,” said Varela.

“All the facilities used by trainers and players have been refurbished.

The locker rooms of hosts as well as visitors have been renovated; gymnasium, video areas, anti-doping laboratory and trainers’ offices have all been enlarged and refurbished,” said communications director of Malaga FC.

He said that improvements had also been made in the infrastructure earmarked for fans with a special section dedicated for the disabled people.

“Besides, a new state-of-the-art public address system has been acquired from the Johannesburg stadium which will provide a good audio visual experience to the spectators,” he added.

Established in 1948, Malaga is currently ranked 16th on the points table in La Liga this season and is a modest club whose highest rank had been seventh.