Investors disappointed as shares of leading football clubs fall in stock markets

By Burhan Sansarlioglu

ISTANBUL (AA) - The shares of the world's leading football clubs fell in the stock markets in July, disappointing investors.

Although global markets followed a generally positive course in July, the world's leading football clubs saw a volatile course.

Central banks' monetary tightening steps, ongoing geopolitical risks, and inflation and recession concerns continue to have an impact on global markets.

Although the world's leading football clubs showed a successful performance in the first half of the year, they could not be successful in the stock market.

In July, Manchester United lost 9.1%, Borussia Dortmund 0.1%, Juventus 0.3%, Ajax 5.6% and Benfica 2.2%.

In this period, Porto, Sporting CP and Lazio gained 7.3%, 9.1% and 1%, respectively, while Celtic's share performance remained flat.

Manchester United have renewed their kit and apparel deal with Adidas for a 10-year period with improved terms.

In a brief statement from the football club, investors were told the new deal would run until June 2035, with a minimum cash guarantee of £900 million ($1.1 billion).

Manchester United's shares had risen significantly in the previous month following news that the club was sold to Qatari businessman Sheikh Jassim bin Hamad Al Thani for around $6.3 billion.

Although Manchester United renewed their deal with Adidas, there was depreciation in their shares.

Analysts noted that Porto have done well in the stock markets recently as they have increased their revenue at a reasonable pace.

Juventus' shares fell after UEFA expelled the Italian team from the European Conference League for violating a settlement agreement signed last year.

- Football clubs performed well in first 7-month

The world's leading football clubs performed well in the first seven months of the year, delighting their investors.

In this period, Porto, the owner of the Portuguese Cup, earned 33%; Borussia Dortmund, which ended 2nd in the Bundesliga, 16.4%; Celtic, which declared the championship in the Scottish League, 16.6%; Juventus 8.1%; Ajax 1.4%; Sporting CP 6.3%; and Lazio 2.9%.

In the stock markets in the first seven months of the year, Manchester United lost 5.1% and Benfica lost 10%.

*Writing by Gokhan Ergocun