Man Utd Cuts Financial Forecast After Early Champions League Exit

Football - Champions League - Group A - Manchester United v Bayern Munich - Old Trafford, Manchester, Britain - December 12, 2023 General view of a corner flag inside the stadium before the match. (Reuters)
Football - Champions League - Group A - Manchester United v Bayern Munich - Old Trafford, Manchester, Britain - December 12, 2023 General view of a corner flag inside the stadium before the match. (Reuters)
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Man Utd Cuts Financial Forecast After Early Champions League Exit

Football - Champions League - Group A - Manchester United v Bayern Munich - Old Trafford, Manchester, Britain - December 12, 2023 General view of a corner flag inside the stadium before the match. (Reuters)
Football - Champions League - Group A - Manchester United v Bayern Munich - Old Trafford, Manchester, Britain - December 12, 2023 General view of a corner flag inside the stadium before the match. (Reuters)

Manchester United lowered its full-year revenue and profit forecasts on Wednesday, after the English Premier League club was knocked out of this season's European Champions League football tournament.

The cut comes as a blow to British billionaire Jim Ratcliffe, who struck a long-awaited deal last month to buy a 25% stake in the club to try to revive its fortunes.

The English club reported a smaller net loss of 25.8 million pounds ($32.7 million) for the first quarter ended Sept. 30, compared with 26.5 million pounds a year earlier.

The 20-times English champions now expects full-year revenue of 635-665 million pounds, less from its previous forecast of 650-680 million pounds.

It expects adjusted core profit of 125-150 million pounds, compared with 140-165 million pounds earlier.



FIFA Suspends Argentina Goalkeeper for 2 Matches in World Cup Qualifying

Argentina's goalkeeper Emiliano Martinez holds a ball while warming up prior to a qualifying soccer match against Colombia for the FIFA World Cup 2026 at the Metropolitano Roberto Melendez stadium in Barranquilla, Colombia, Tuesday, Sept. 10, 2024. (AP Photo/Fernando Vergara)
Argentina's goalkeeper Emiliano Martinez holds a ball while warming up prior to a qualifying soccer match against Colombia for the FIFA World Cup 2026 at the Metropolitano Roberto Melendez stadium in Barranquilla, Colombia, Tuesday, Sept. 10, 2024. (AP Photo/Fernando Vergara)
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FIFA Suspends Argentina Goalkeeper for 2 Matches in World Cup Qualifying

Argentina's goalkeeper Emiliano Martinez holds a ball while warming up prior to a qualifying soccer match against Colombia for the FIFA World Cup 2026 at the Metropolitano Roberto Melendez stadium in Barranquilla, Colombia, Tuesday, Sept. 10, 2024. (AP Photo/Fernando Vergara)
Argentina's goalkeeper Emiliano Martinez holds a ball while warming up prior to a qualifying soccer match against Colombia for the FIFA World Cup 2026 at the Metropolitano Roberto Melendez stadium in Barranquilla, Colombia, Tuesday, Sept. 10, 2024. (AP Photo/Fernando Vergara)

Argentina's soccer association (AFA) said on Friday that FIFA suspended goalkeeper Emiliano Martínez for two matches of South American World Cup qualifying in October.
The decision rules out the 32-year-old from official games in the round-robin competition against Venezuela and Bolivia on Oct. 10 and 15.
AFA said in a statement that FIFA's disciplinary commission sanctioned Martínez due to incidents in two World Cup qualifying matches against Chile and Colombia earlier this month. The soccer body did not describe which incidents led to the punishment, The Associated Press reported.
Martínez made an obscene gesture after his team's 3-0 win against Chile by holding the Copa America trophy close to his genitals, as he did after the South American team lifted the World Cup title in Qatar in the end of 2022.
Later, he slapped a local cameraman after Argentina's 2-1 defeat against Colombia in Barranquilla.
Argentina's soccer body said it “absolutely disagrees” with FIFA's decision.
Argentina leads South American World Cup qualifying with 18 points after eight games, followed by Colombia (16) and Uruguay (15).