Billionaire Ross wins Champions League broadcast rights for U.S.

European soccer’s governing body has awarded U.S. broadcasting rights for its club competition to Relevent Sports Group, a company owned by billionaire developer and Miami Dolphins owner Stephen Ross. New York-based Relevent won the U.S. rights for the prized UEFA Champions League after the firm said it could guarantee at least $250 million for the contract from 2024 to 2027, according to a person familiar with the matter. A spokesman for Relevent declined to comment. UEFA didn’t immediately respond to a request for comment. The New York Times first reported the deals.

Ross, chairman of real estate developer Related Cos., has spent millions to establish a profitable soccer business in the U.S. Since 2013, Relevent has presented the International Champions Cup, a friendly preseason competition between top European soccer clubs played in U.S. stadiums. Ross recently denied allegations made by former Dolphins Brian Flores that the billionaire offered to pay him $100,000 for each game the team lost during the 2019 NFL season. Flores’s allegations were part of a lawsuit filed last week against the National Football League that claimed he was denied the head coaching job with the New York Giants because of racial discrimination. He named the Giants, Dolphins and Denver Broncos as co-defendants. Bloomberg Quint