Here are some of last week’s top stories from around the global soccer industry…
Socceroos tie up new naming rights (Soccerex)
Texan oil company Caltex has signed a four year naming-rights deal with Australian soccer’s governing body, the Football Federation Australia (FFA).
The Australian national soccer team will henceforth be known as the Caltex Socceroos for the next four years. The new partnership will see Caltex, Australia’s leading fuel supplier, not only sponsor the Socceroos but also create a broader partnership with the women’s national team – the Matildas – and invest in youth development.
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Manchester United, Arsenal Oppose European Soccer Breakaway Move (Bloomberg)
Arsenal and Manchester United — two of European soccer’s richest teams — are opposed to setting up a new continental competition to replace the Champions League amid media speculation that a U.S. marketing company was plotting a replacement for the region’s top club tournament.
Officials from Arsenal, United, Chelsea, Liverpool and Manchester City met in London with executives from Relevant Sports, the operator of an annual exhibition competition in the U.S. that attracts the world’s biggest teams. The Sun newspaper Wednesday published pictures of club executives outside the Dorchester hotel, and said they were involved in secret talks about a new European Super League.
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Leicester City Post Record Pre-Tax Profits (FC Business)
Leicester City’s fine run in the Premier League has been backed by a stellar performance off the pitch as the club posts record pre-tax profits of over £26m.
The Premier League’s table toppers, Leicester City have today announced its financial results posting a record pre-tax profit of £26.4m for the year ending 31 May 2015.
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Video trials, revised soccer laws approved by FIFA (Reuters)
Soccer’s law-makers gave the green light on Saturday to the use of video technology to aid referees in live matches starting no later than the 2017-18 season.
The International Football Association Board (IFAB), the games law-making body, approved a two-year trial period allowing technology to be used in four questionable cases: to determine if a goal has been scored, sendings off, penalties and mistaken identity.
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Barca vs. Arsenal to be the highest combined revenue game in UCL history (ESPN FC)
The Champions League clash between Barcelona and Arsenal features two clubs with combined revenues of almost one billion euros — the highest ever for a last-16 tie in the competition, according to new figures.
The Deloitte Football Money League, which profiles the highest-earning clubs in world football, puts the two clubs’ combined revenue from 2014-15 at €996.3 million (£769.9m). Barcelona’s revenue is €560.8m (£433.3m) and Arsenal’s €435.5m (£336.5m).
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Sunderland chief believed to have left UK over Adam Johnson case (the guardian)
Sunderland football club’s chief executive is believed to have left the country following mounting pressure over her conduct during the child abuse trial of disgraced footballer Adam Johnson.
Margaret Byrne, who was expected to appear as a defence witness for the winger but failed to take the stand, has not been seen in public since the conclusion of the case.
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Major League Soccer releases 2016 roster and competition rules (Major League Soccer)
Ahead of the kickoff of the league’s 21st season on Sunday, MLS released a detailed outline of the roster and competition rules that will apply to the 2016 campaign.
For the first time, the roster rules break down specific budget categories for each club’s 28-man roster, which is divided into senior roster spots (spots 1-20), reserve roster spots (spots 21-24) and supplemental roster spots (spots 25-28). The parameters for these roster spots have not changed from the 2015 Roster Rules; they have been given separate titles for clarity and ease of reference.
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Infantino: Expanded World Cup would not affect football calendar (Goal.com)
FIFA president Gianni Infantino does not believe an expanded World Cup would have an impact on the football calendar.
Infantino, who was elected as Sepp Blatter’s successor last Friday, has previously spoken of his desire to expand the World Cup from 32 to 40 teams.
His plans have been opposed by the European Club Association, which said: “We have reached a point where we cannot further burden players.”
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Time, Money, Ambition: Inside China’s Bid For Global Soccer Power (NPR)
In 2009, pro soccer player Lyle Martin was playing for the Vancouver White Caps, in a North American league below Major League Soccer, when he got talking with a teammate about his future. The teammate introduced him to an agent who floated the idea of playing in China.
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MLS soccer team sought by airport site developer (Indy Star)
The developers of a proposed medical complex and stadium near the former Indianapolis airport terminal site said they will try to bring a Major League Soccer expansion franchise to Indianapolis.
Craig Sanders, co-founder of Athletes Business Network, said he has been in talks with MLS to get a team for the planned 20,000-seat stadium near Washington Street and High School Road. He said he already has identified a management team to run the club if the MLS approves.
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This article originally appeared on Business of Soccer. To learn more about BOS you can follow them on Facebook or Twitter.
