European clubs' payroll expenses up 58.6% from 2007 to 2012

The cumulative payroll of clubs in European first divisions reached €9.2bn in 2011-12 (or 2012 for championships played in the calendar year), according to the Sixth Club Licensing Benchmarking Report, published by UEFA (Union of European Football Associations) on 17/04/2014. This figure represents an increase of 58.6% since 2006-07 (€5.8bn).

Payroll (including all wages, salaries, bonuses and social charges) was, on average, at 65% of European clubs' revenues, which reached €14.1bn for fiscal year 2012. This proportion has remained stable compared to 2011, when payrolls were €8.6bn and revenues were €13.2bn. Growth of payroll (+7%) was equal to (not surpassing) income from 2011 to 2012 "for the first time in many years," UEFA said in the report.

178 European clubs, or 25.6% of the sample studied by UEFA, had a payroll of more than 80% of their income in 2012, versus 167 in 2011; this meant a 6.6% increase. Five European leagues (Hungary, Poland, Israel, Montenegro and Bulgaria) had "payroll/income" average ratios between 80% and 100%, and two others (Serbia and Moldova) had…