Capitulation clearing Russia and Putin’s path to LA 2028 Olympics October 2, 2025 Vladimir Putin’s path to Los Angeles 2028 is being cleared, his war on Ukraine becoming normalised in the minds of the world’s sports administrators. Last week’s votes by the International Paralympic Committee to readmit Russia and Belarus are, to my mind, a shameful capitulation and represent a triumph for the warmonger. All eyes now on [...]
Birmingham owner Wagner breaks ranks over Premier League redistributions October 1, 2025 Birmingham City owner Tom Wagner has broken ranks with his EFL rivals over their attempts to extract more money from the Premier League. The thorny issue is among the top priorities for the incoming Independent Football Regulator after years of talks between the Premier League and the EFL ended in deadlock. Top flight teams currently [...]
Revolut chair Gilbert backs R360 rebel rugby league October 1, 2025 City grandee and Revolut chairman Martin Gilbert has emerged as an investor in the rebel R360 rugby union league. Gilbert, formerly of Aberdeen Asset Management, is named on Companies House as a director of AOTG Sport Ltd alongside former Bath Rugby captain Stuart Hooper and former agent Mark Spoors, who are founders of the R360 [...]
Gallagher sponsor Super Bowl clash between Ireland and All Blacks October 1, 2025 Insurance giant Gallagher will sponsor the Chicago rematch between the All Blacks and Ireland next month, described by many as rugby’s 2025 Super Bowl. The two rugby powerhouses famously clashed at Soldier Field in 2016, where Ireland beat New Zealand for the first time in over a century of trying, and will face off there [...]
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. [...]
Surrey close £60m Oval Invincibles deal with Reliance after eight months October 1, 2025 Surrey have finally exchanged contracts with Reliance Industries over the shareholders’ agreement governing their new partnership in the Oval-based Hundred team after almost eight months of negotiations. The Mumbai Indians owners agreed to pay £60m for 49 per cent of the franchise in February, but talks over the finer details of the deal have been [...]
Exclusive: Channel 4 poach Boat Race rights from BBC October 1, 2025 The iconic Boat Race between Oxford and Cambridge Universities will leave BBC television after signing a deal with Channel 4, City AM can reveal. The rival public service broadcaster will show the men’s and women’s races on the Thames for the next five years, marking a shift away from BBC TV – which showed an [...]
Ronnie O’Sullivan and Thomas the Tank Engine director launch snooker TV channel September 30, 2025 Ronnie O’Sullivan has teamed up with a former director of Thomas the Tank Engine to launch the world’s first dedicated snooker TV channel. Pluto Snooker 900, which launches next week, promises to show a combination of live action, classic matches and O’Sullivan’s coaching series, The Rocket Method. It is the brainchild of Jason Francis, a [...]
Saracens: Love to hate, rugby values and mulled name change September 30, 2025 Saracens considered changing their name as part of a recent brand overhaul that they hope will pin them as the “Original Club of North London”. The three-time European champions have given themselves a glow-up, aiming to attract younger audiences to their 10,500-capacity StoneX Stadium in north London and increase the number of sold out matches [...]
Europe’s Ryder Cup drama draws 5m UK viewers on Sky Sports September 29, 2025 Europe’s nail-biting Ryder Cup triumph at Bethpage Black pulled in 5m UK viewers across three days of coverage on Sky Sports, the broadcaster said. Average viewing was up 45 per cent on the last Ryder Cup in Rome two years ago, while the audience for Sunday’s final session peaked at 24 per cent higher than [...]