Real Madrid´s jersey sales and attendances fall

Real Madrid is selling fewer replica jerseys than Chelsea or Liverpool, and attendances at its home stadium the Santiago Bernabeu have fallen 7.8 per cent on last season.

And last night's Champions League exit at the hands of Lyon means it loses the chance to win up to $82 million in prize money, sponsorships and other revenue, according to Simon Chadwick, professor of sports business strategy and marketing at Coventry University Business School in England.

“Many people would have legitimate concerns the club will be unable to generate an acceptable return on their player- investment strategy,” Chadwick said, as reported by Bloomberg. It “would seriously undermine Real Madrid’s business model.”

According to SportBusiness, Real Madrid generated more revenue than any other European club in 2007-08, the latest season for which figures are available.

However the falling attendance figures show it is not immune to the effects of recession. Amid a 19.5 percent unemployment rate in Spain, during the country's worst recession in 60 years, average attendances at the Bernabeu have fallen to 67,461 this season, from 73,157 last season. Adidas said that the lower jersey sales at Real than at Chelsea and Liverpool are partly because there is a bigger culture of replica-jersey purchases among English fans than their Spanish counterparts