Motsepe backed to succeed Fifa’s Infantino by South African minister July 15, 2026 African football chief Patrice Motsepe has been backed to succeed Gianni Infantino as president of Fifa when the Swiss moves on from an anticipated third term in 2031. The South African minister for sport, Gayton McKenzie, said “I don’t know if there’s anybody that will disagree with his name” being in the hat to succeed [...]
Everton facing early termination of Stake sleeve deal as ban looms July 15, 2026 Everton face losing a major sponsorship deal after the UK Government stepped up plans to ban any advertising of unlicensed betting companies. The Department for Culture, Media and Sport has launched a consultation on preventing any betting brand that does not hold a Gambling Commission licence from promoting itself through sponsorship or advertising in any [...]
NBA Europe bosses using World Cup final to hold talks with football club chiefs July 15, 2026 NBA chiefs say they plan to hold further talks with bidders for franchises in its planned European league during the World Cup final weekend in New York. Spain – home to perhaps the two most important prospective NBA Europe franchise locations in Madrid and Barcelona – will be in town after they beat France in [...]
Football ‘muddling through’ in face of growing ‘tensions’, says Boston Consulting Group July 15, 2026 Football is in danger of eating itself unless the sport comes together to address growing inequalities, a consultancy hired by the Independent Football Regulator has warned. Boston Consulting Group, which has worked with the IFR to produce the State of the Game report that will shape the regulator’s approach to English football, has today published [...]
England v Argentina: Bellingham bounce attracts more bets than Messi to score July 14, 2026 Jude Bellingham’s emergence as England’s World Cup hero has seen him backed by more punters than Lionel Messi to score in Wednesday’s semi-final with Argentina. Data from Sportradar, which processes betting tickets for 250 gambling firms worldwide, reveals that Bellingham has accounted for more than half (52 per cent) of wagers in the goalscorer market. [...]
Politicians call for easing of private school stranglehold on elite rugby July 14, 2026 Politicians have called for an easing of the stranglehold private schools have on providing England with elite rugby players. Nearly two thirds of the matchday 23 that played Fiji at the weekend had some form of private or independent education, underlining concerns about the shortage of state-school pupils making it in the sport. Just last [...]
Aston Villa sign £20m a year Visit Rwanda shirt sponsor deal July 14, 2026 Visit Rwanda have kept their presence in the Premier League by agreeing to become the front-of-shirt partner to Aston Villa. The Paul Kagame-linked tourism board concluded a sleeve deal with Arsenal last season after mounting pressure from fans but have now signed a £20m-a-year deal with, according to The Athletic. Unai Emery’s Aston Villa will [...]
Wetherspoons and Young’s toast World Cup success as shares rocket July 14, 2026 Wetherspoon and other top London-listed pub groups have surged in value over the course of the World Cup as millions of revellers toasted the hot weather and the Three Lions’ success. Tim Martin’s budget pub chain, which is listed on the FTSE 250, has gained more than £75m in value since the start of the [...]
Atlanta set for major economic boost as England World Cup fans spend July 14, 2026 Atlanta is set to enjoy a major economic boost from England fans at the World Cup after Brits splashed the cash in Miami last week. Spending data from Revolut shows that UK customer spending in Miami was up 322 per cent on Saturday, when England beat Norway 2-1 to book a spot in tonight’s semi-final [...]
Infantino facing IOC probe after complaint lodged over Trump’s Balogun intervention July 14, 2026 Fifa boss Gianni Infantino is facing an International Olympic Committee investigation after an official complaint was filed following US President Donald Trump’s intervention to block Folarin Balogun’s ban. The decision to suspend Balogun’s ban – enabling the USA’s best player to continue playing in the World Cup after he was sent off against Bosnia and [...]