Lucas Paqueta spared fine amid mental health concerns following fixing probe October 31, 2025 Lucas Paqueta has avoided a fine despite being found guilty of not cooperating with an FA spot-fixing investigation in part because of concerns about the West Ham star’s mental health. An independent regulatory commission said that Paqueta, who was cleared of spot-fixing earlier this year, would typically have been fined but that “the truly exceptional [...]
Roll-on the World Cup! Spain’s young guns sign deal with Old Spice October 30, 2025 Not so long ago Old Spice was a punchline; a brand associated with a bygone era and reliant on an ageing – not to say, perishing – demographic. More recently it has tried to shake off this stuffy image, leaning into sports such as the NFL. This week made perhaps its most intriguing move yet: [...]
The questions facing Arsenal over Emirates Stadium expansion plans October 18, 2025 Arsenal have become the second Premier League giant this year to let it be known they are considering major moves to increase stadium capacity. To expand, clubs must consider whether they can increase capacity on their existing stands or move location altogether. This year, Liverpool finished adding 7,000 seats to Anfield whilst neighbours Everton moved [...]
Apple kits out WSL teams with latest MacBooks, iPads and iPhones October 16, 2025 Apple is giving Women’s Super League clubs a range of its latest MacBooks, iPads and iPhones worth thousands of pounds as part of a new partnership with the competition. Coaches and other performance staff will be able to use the MacBook Pros and iPads to perform and share video analysis of matches and training sessions. [...]
Fifa consider expanding Club World Cup despite player welfare fears October 1, 2025 Fifa’s Club World Cup could expand from 32 teams for future editions despite concerns about the toll on player welfare. Global player union Fifpro this week sounded the alarm over the impact of the revamped competition on its members, some of whom were left with less than a fortnight to prepare for the new season. [...]
Club World Cup left Chelsea with less than two weeks’ pre-season September 29, 2025 Winners Chelsea were among the teams hardest hit by participating in the Club World Cup, exposing their players to greater risk of injury, according to a report by footballers’ union Fifpro. Reaching the final of the revamped competition in the US this summer left Chelsea with just 13 days of pre-season preparations before beginning the [...]
Cold Palmer: What footballer’s wine row tells us about trade mark protection September 28, 2025 The recent “Cold Palmer” trade mark case, which saw Chelsea and England footballer Cole Palmer’s application challenged by a vineyard, is a reminder that, whatever walk of business you are in, trade mark registrations are an essential part of business planning. Being a sports personality does not grant you extra rights in your name, likeness [...]
2026 World Cup: San Francisco and Seattle could lose games, says Trump September 26, 2025 US President Donald Trump has floated the possibility of moving 2026 World Cup games away from San Francisco and Seattle if the host cities are deemed to be unsafe. The first 48-team World Cup is being co-hosted with Canada and Mexico but will be held mostly in the US, with San Francisco and Seattle currently [...]
New Balance Arena: Atalanta strike stadium naming rights deal September 25, 2025 Italian football club Atalanta have deepened their ties to the US by agreeing a stadium naming rights deal with sportswear brand New Balance. Boston-based New Balance became the Bergamo team’s kit supplier this season and has quickly doubled down by expanding the partnership. Atalanta are owned by US private equity boss and former Chelsea bidder [...]
Transfer guru and Emery ally Monchi set to leave Aston Villa September 23, 2025 Aston Villa transfer guru Monchi looks set to pay for the club’s dismal start to the season by leaving the club after little more than two years. The Spaniard, a close ally of current Villa boss Unai Emery from their time at Sevilla, is widely reported to be departing amid a troubled period for the [...]