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Insight
HMAS Adelaide gracefully slips into new role
HMAS Adelaide, the Australian frigate which served in war,
rescued asylum seekers and saved solo round the world yachts-
men Tony Bullimore and Thierry Dubois – slipped gracefully under
the ocean to start a new role in life as an artificial dive reef.
The decommissioned ship sank in waters off Avoca Beach on the
Central Coast of Australia – one hour’s drive north of Sydney – at
11.50am on 13 April 2011.
The scuttling was delayed for more than 90 minutes to allow for
the departure of a pod of dolphins who had also came to watch.
The sinking finally came after
more than a year
of battles between the NSW government and environmentalists
over whether to turn it into a dive wreck. The No Ship Action
Group failed to halt the sinking over their environmental concerns
in the end of a battle that dates back to late 2009.
The wreck is destined to become a big tourist attraction for divers
who want to explore the wreck and the underwater inhabitants
that it will attract over time.
Thousands of spectators watched the event from the beach and
other vantage points close to the site.
Deloitte’s Football Money League has
Real Madrid perched in the top of the
ladder once again.
The Spanish giants, coached by Jose
Mourinho, sit second in La Liga but
are first when it comes to wealth.
Manchester United remains
the top English side, followed
by Arsenal, Chelsea and
Liverpool.
Bayern Munich occupies fourth
place and the Italian giants AC
Milan and Internazionale and Juventus round out the top ten.
The notable improver was Manchester City, fuelled by hundreds
of millions of petrodollars. They climbed from 20th to 11th.
The earning power of clubs will become even more important once
Uefa’s new financial fair play rules come into force. Clubs will only
be able to spend what they earn, which places high earning clubs
- such as Real - at a considerable advantage in the future.
In fact, Uefa is quoted as saying that more than one in eight top
European football clubs is facing an uncertain financial future with
many in danger of going out of business if current spending levels
continue.
If Chelsea’s transfer window layout of £75 million is anything to go
by, the clubs on this year’s list should be fine in the short term.
Football’s Rich List
The Cash Table
1.
Real Madrid
€438.6 million
2.
FC Barcelona
€398.1 million
3.
Manchester United
€349.8 million
4.
Bayern Munich
€323 million
5.
Arsenal
€274.1 million
6.
Chelsea
€255.9 million
7.
AC Milan
€235.8 million
8.
Liverpool
€225.3 million
9.
Internazionale
€224.8 million
10.
Juventus
€205 million
11.
Manchester City
€152.8 million
12.
Tottenham Hotspur
€146.3 million
13.
Hamburger SV
€146.2 million
14.
Olympique Lyonnais
€146.1 million
15.
Olympique de Marseille
€141.1 million
16.
Schalke
04
€139.8 million
17.
Atlético de Madrid
€124.5 million
18.
AS Roma
€122.7 million
19
VfB Stuttgart
€114.8 million
20.
Aston Villa
€109.4 million