English Football Stunned as Tom Brady Uncovers Unbelievable Opportunity

Throughout the week, tired players, managers and backroom staff from Europe’s top football clubs returned home after long summer tours.

Manchester United, Borussia Dortmund, Real Madrid and Juventus were among those who headed to the US, where the soccer world is doing everything it can to seduce Americans ahead of the 2026 World Cup. European soccer bosses are optimistic about the opportunity there – some even believe that football could be bigger than baseball in a decade.

A smaller group of top clubs went east. Manchester City, Bayern Munich and Paris Saint-Germain have played in Japan; City added a stop in South Korea to take on Atlético Madrid, while Bayern moved on to Singapore to take on Liverpool.

These tours serve two purposes: to build a global fan base (for the club, league and sport) and to generate money. Wary of North America’s growing gravitational pull, Asian developers are fighting back. According to L’Equipe, PSG abandoned plans for a US tour after being offered €20m to move to Japan instead.

This week we’re looking at two superstar moves: Tom Brady’s first foray into soccer and Tiger Woods’ elevation to the PGA Tour draw. Read on – Josh Noble, sports editor

Tom Brady, the hedge fund and the football dream

Most successful quarterback in NFL history this week team up with a New York hedge fund in an attempt to turn around a struggling English soccer team.

Tom Brady, who recently retired, will lead an advisory board which will help Birmingham City with health, nutrition and global business opportunities, after becoming a minority investor in the Blues. How much money he could put in is unclear.

Brady joins a rescue mission. Birmingham City were relegated from the Premier League over a decade ago and have gone from one problem to another ever since. In 2014, its then-owner Carson Yeung went to jail after being found guilty of money laundering by a Hong Kong court.

Supporters hope a new dawn has dawned. Last month Knighthead Capital bought a 46% stake in the club from two Asian investors and bought St Andrews Stadium, the club’s home ground. The vehicle used to make those acquisitions is Shelby Companies Ltd, a nod to the BBC drama Peaky Blinders set in the UK’s second largest city.

Although the US fund has not yet obtained an absolute majority of the shares, it has taken effective control of the club’s operations with co-founder Tom Warner becoming its president. One of his first moves was to install Garry Cook, a sports industry heavyweight, as CEO. “There’s unlimited potential here,” said Cook, a lifelong Birmingham City fan, on Fridays.

Knighthead’s investment catalog includes his bold (and highly successful) bet on Hertz, the then-bankrupt rental car company. That bet by Knighthead and fellow investor Certares Management turned out to be one of the best more profitable hedge fund operations of 2021.

The fund, which has approximately $9.5 billion in assets, describes itself as an expert in “event-driven, distressed and special situations credit opportunities.” It’s still unclear how that translates to the fickle world of football.

Brady, who has worked with Knighthead on other sporting projects before, said this week: “I’ve been on some fantastic teams in my time and I’m looking forward to applying my perspective to create the same success here in Birmingham. “

It’s easier said than done. Plenty of ambitious investors have spotted gold in the English second tier, only to find play tough once the whistle has blown. The average salary bill in the league has exceeded revenue for several years now as clubs chase the dream of promotion to Premier League riches.

Birmingham City have long been one of the weaker teams in the division. The team finished 17th last season and have not been able to reach the top half of the table since 2016.

As he proved last season, money alone doesn’t guarantee anything. The championship playoff final pitted Luton Town against Coventry City, both sides with much smaller playing budgets than many of their rivals.

The combination of Brady, Knighthead and Cook looks powerful. But there are many difficult meters ahead.

How Saudi Golf Deal Strengthens Tiger Woods

Tiger Woods was already the most influential golfer in the world, but this week his power has grown even more joined the PGA Tour Political Committee.

The move, the result of the PGA Tour’s secret deal with Saudi Arabia’s sovereign wealth fund and subsequent backlash, gives the players six seats on the board. There are five independent directors, including Chairman Ed Herlihy and Wall Street power broker Jimmy Dunne, the duo who negotiated the Saudi tie.

Officially, Woods earned $120 million on the PGA Tour, but Forbes considers him a billionaire through endorsements and investments. That kind of wealth grants influence, but serving on the board gives him power in the room where decisions are made.

Woods’ role is not cosmetic. He will play a key role as players work with the PGA Tour to rewrite government board documents to “make it clear that no major decisions can be made in the future without the prior involvement and approval of player directors.”

Woods revitalized golf in the late 20th and early 21st centuries, winning 15 majors, bringing him within three of Jack Nicklaus’ record. He also hosts the $20 million Genesis Invitational PGA Tour event in Los Angeles.

It’s also hard to imagine Jay Monahan continuing at the helm of the PGA Tour without the approval of Woods, who said he has “confidence” in the commissioner “moving forward with these changes.” Monahan came under intense pressure after it emerged he had withheld talks with the Saudis from the players despite him warning them not to join LIV.

Despite Woods’ injury struggles following a car crash more than two years ago, the Saudis were all too aware of his influence, even offering to hand him his team at their LIV Golf circuit to get his approval for their agreement with the PGA Tour.

The 47-year-old had long resisted the temptation to join the likes of Brooks Koepka, Phil Mickelson and Dustin Johnson in the LIV breakaway team competition, even turning down a nine-figure finance package.

Woods’ elevation to the board suggests the players will fight their corner as the Tour beats the terms of a deal with the Saudi $650 billion public investment fund.

Tiger and other player directors will have “the authority to approve – or refuse to approve – any potential changes to the Tour as part of the master agreement discussions.”

Which is why it’s now up to the PIF to convince Woods that it’s a good deal.

Highlights

• Manchester United Sealed a 10-year extension of the kit deal with Adidas, a partnership now expected to run until 2035 at the earliest. The contract is worth at least £90m a year to United, an increase on the current £75m a year deal.

• Chelsea FC’s US owners held talks with investors, including Ares Management, over the course of a potential fundraiser which could help finance stadium upgrades or the purchase of other clubs around the world.

• Saudi Arabia football club transfer fees have went up over €400m, putting the country ahead of all the big football markets except this summer’s English Premier League.

• Next season will see Bay FC join the professional women’s soccer league in the United States. Former US Women’s National Team player Aly Wagner explains how she got the project off the ground with the help of a new financing model.

• Wolverhampton Wanderers chairman Jeff Shi has tried to reassure fans that Fosun, the club’s Chinese owner, has no plans to walk out. “The club is a long-term and important project for Fosun,” he said an open letter. Questions about Wolves’ finances have swirled for months as the once spendthrift club tightened its belt to comply with spending rules.

• The Commonwealth Games took another hit after the Canadian province of Alberta he abandoned his offer for the 2030 event, citing cost pressures.

• USA gymnastics inked a five-year partnership agreement with Nike that will cover the Summer Olympic Games in Paris and Los Angeles.

Transfer market

• Ajax he named Alex Kroes as new CEO and President. Kroes, a former youth player at the club, succeeds Edwin van der Saar, who resigned after a disappointing season. Kroes has been with the Dutch Eredivisie since 2019, where he was previously a shareholder at Go Ahead Eagles and held a management position at AZ Alkmaar.

Final whistle

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The moment Morocco found out they had reached the round of 16! 🤲#FIFAWC #beINWWC23 #be inspired pic.twitter.com/3ahjakS2YZ

— beIN SPORTS (@beINSPORTS_EN) August 3, 2023

The Women’s World Cup is offering many shocks and surprises. Germany and Brazil both exited in the group stage, while pre-tournament favorites USA looked lackluster. The bookies now make injury-hit England the likeliest winners.

While the big teams have faltered, some unexpected winners have emerged. Three African teams made it to the round of 16, including Morocco’s Atlas Lionesses. Here you are the moment they found their 1-0 win over Colombia was enough to take them through to the next round.