NEWCASTLE United has risen up the ranks of the world's richest football clubs, according to a report.

The Deloitte Rich List places the Tyneside plc at number nine, up four places on last year, with a total turnover of 138.9m euros (£92.4m).

It makes the club the fourth richest British team, though it still lags far behind the world's top earner, Manchester United, which netted 251.4m euros (£167.2m) last year.

But the credibility of the Deloitte Rich List was undermined by the presence of financially-stricken Leeds United at number 16 in the rankings.

The Yorkshire side took £92m last year, but is struggling to stave off liquidation as its £70m debt mountain threatens to sink the club.

The financial clout of football's elite eclipsed even North American sports teams.

Baseball team The New York Yankees topped the US financial league with 243.8m euros, followed by American football side the Washington Redskins, which had a turnover of 197.7m euros.

Another American football team, The Tampa Bay Buccaneers, owned by the Glazer family who also hold a growing stake in Manchester United, generated income of 146m euros (£97m) - making it about 60 per cent as lucrative as Manchester United.

Dan Jones, director of the Sports Business Group at Deloitte, said: "The top clubs in the world's number one sport are generating more income than ever before.

"Broadcast income is the largest single source for most of the clubs, and despite the widespread speculation of a collapse in media values, we think this is unlikely.

"At the same time, many of football's leading clubs have a great, and as yet underused, opportunity to significantly develop other income streams, particularly from their stadia."

The global top 20 is made up by European clubs, with English and Italian clubs occupying 12 of these positions.

The remaining positions are filled by three clubs from each of the German Bundes-liga and Spanish Primera Liga, and one each from the top divisions in France and Scotland.

Vinay Bedi, football analyst at Wise Speke stockbrokers, said: "Newcastle United's position of ninth is a status that once again highlights the benefits of having a large stadium capacity, but also strongly reflects the need to be earning those lucrative Champions League revenues.

"Unfortunately, Newcastle will undoubtedly drop down the table next year due to a poor performance in that competition this season."