Revenue generated by European football reached 29.5 billion euros in the 2021-22 season, an increase of 7% compared to 2020-21, according to a report by research firm Deloitte published on Thursday. In this annual report, Deloitte emphasizes that this growth is driven by ticketing and commercial revenue after the lifting of restrictions linked to Covid-19.
The five major European championships (England, Germany, Italy, Spain and France) recorded an increase of 10% over the period to reach 17.2 billion euros and thus exceed the level before the pandemic (17 billion euros). euros in 2018-19). In this “Big 5”, wage costs increased by 15% compared to 2018-19 to reach 12.3 billion in 2021-22, notes the study. Consequently, this increase in wages has an impact on the operating accounts, which have gone from a profit of 1.8 billion in 2018-19 to a loss of 324 million in 2021-22.
Unsurprisingly, it is the English Premier League which remains the championship generating the most revenue: 6.4 billion in 2021-22 (12% over one year), followed by the Spanish Liga (3.3 billion, 5%) . But English club wage costs have exceeded revenue for the fifth consecutive year with a wage-to-revenue ratio of 108%. “These figures show that European football has emerged with resilience from the most difficult period in its history,” summarizes Tim Bridge, head of the Sports Business division at Deloitte. “However, with operating profits down by 1.8 billion since 2018-19, it is clear that this global recovery must always be confirmed”, he continues.
