English clubs top football’s money list

DUBLIN soccer club Shelbourne may be in line for a €1 million windfall after its success in the Champions League qualifier this week, but figures released yesterday show it has a long way to go before matching the other clubs in the shake-up for Europe’s top prize.

Financial consulting firm Deloitte’s annual review of soccer finance found European clubs and federations generated over €10.5 billion in income every season through ticket sales, sponsorship, merchandising and TV rights.

Deloitte said the combined income of the 20 clubs in England’s top flight Premiership stood at stg£1.2bn (€1.8bn) last year.