Champions League 'richest ever'

27 May 2011 Last updated at 10:14 GMT Lifting the Champions League trophy can provide another type of silverware for clubs Winning the Uefa Champions League will be worth a record 126m euros (?109m; $178m) to the triumphant club, one of the competition's sponsors suggests.

Either Manchester United or Barcelona will net that sum by winning Saturday's final, according to Mastercard.

It comes as another sponsor, Heineken, has announced it has extended its contract with Uefa to sponsor the competition for a further three years.

It means its current deal will extend until the end of the 2014-15 season.

Economic boost

The Mastercard report, by Professor Simon Chadwick of the sport business unit at Coventry University, says that the losing club in the final is still set to gain 73m euros.

The final match alone is now worth an estimated 369m euros, a rise of 17.5m euros on last year and an increase of 59m euros compared with the last time Manchester United and Barcelona met in the 2009 final.

London, which is hosting the game at Wembley, is expected to benefit to the tune of 52m euros as fans spend money at the stadium, on accommodation, and on food and drink.

Continue reading the main story Winning club: 126m eurosRunner up: 73m eurosLondon as host city expected to scoop 52m eurosCity of winning club expected to gain 18m eurosExpected boost to European economy: 100m eurosTotal economic impact: 369m euros

Source: Mastercard

The report says the estimation that this year's final will break all economic records was in large part down to the two finalists.

"While the UEFA Champions League is a strong brand in its own right, the nature and strength of the brand is clearly heavily influenced by its constituent parts - the participating clubs," said Professor Chadwick.

"This year's UEFA Champions League final has the perfect ingredients to drive economic activity - Europe's two biggest clubs playing in a city such as London."

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Champions League boosts Schalke

13 May 2011 Last updated at 13:19 GMT The club had a successful run in the Champions League Champions League semi-finalist Schalke 04 has reported a profit of 1.2m euros ($1.7m; ?1.5m) for 2010, after a 16.8m euros loss in 2009.

Turnover increased from 119m euros in 2009 to a record 169m, primarily due to its Champions League participation.

However, the German club's debts have risen from 20m euros to 155m euros after it strengthened its squad.

"We have invested a lot in the team in order to be competitive in the Champions League," it said.

As a result "personnel expenses", including players, increased from 63.3m euros in 2009 to 78.1m euros in 2010.

In April, coach Felix Magath was sacked amidst claims he had hit the Gelsenkirchen-based club's finances by backing expensive transfers and salaries for players.

The club knocked out Champions League holders Inter Milan in a shock run to the last four of the Champions League this season, where they lost to Manchester United.

"The resulting success on the pitch generated income from the Champions League, the majority of which, however, will not find its way onto the balance sheet until 2011," the club said.

Schalke currently sit in mid-table of the Bundesliga.

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