Money in club football

This is how the club football teams rank in the English Premier League in terms of matches played, goal difference, and total points:

1 Liverpool 20 22 45
2 Chelsea 20 31 42
3 Man Utd 18 19 38
4 Aston Villa 20 11 38
5 Arsenal 20 10 35
6 Everton 20 2 32
7 Wigan 19 3 28
8 Hull City 20 -9 27
9 Fulham 19 4 26
10 West Ham 20 -4 25

If Aston Villa beat the 20th ranked West Bromwich Albion, on 10th January at Villa Park Birmingham, they will finish this season in the top four in the Premier League, with a place in next year's Champions League.

Meanwhile, they are still going strong in the Uefa Cup, and progressed to the last-32 of the FA Cup last week.

Luke Young of Aston Villa told Sporting Life, "the league table doesn't lie. We are fourth, having a real good go - and we are winning games."

The first place club in the Premier League earns over £50 million. And even the last team takes home £22 million! Teams that qualify to play in the Champions League fight for the top prize worth in excess of £80 million. By comparison the Football Association (FA) Cup gives a paltry winning prize of £2 million. This is one of the reasons that fan interest in this cup is waning and teams don't take the competition seriously. Read the complete article by Andrew Rogers in Soccer365.

However in one respect all club football championships in England are equal. Betting money on the outcome of all these matches is perfectly legal.