FC Barcelona lose £76m after investors default on payments October 1, 2024 Barcelona suffered a £76m loss last year after investors defaulted on payments due for shares in the club’s media spin-off Barca Vision. The Spanish club was forced to write off £117m in the accounts for 2023-24 as a result of the dispute with investors including German fund Libero. Barcelona also lost out on an estimated [...]
Olympic chiefs lose another sponsor as Bridgestone makes tracks October 1, 2024 Tyre maker Bridgestone has become the latest key sponsor to cut ties with the International Olympic Committee. Bridgestone said it would not be renewing its contract as a TOP partner, estimated to be worth £255m, when the deal expires at the end of the year. It follows fellow Japanese brands Toyota and Panasonic in exiting [...]
Quadrant: McLaren F1 star Lando Norris’ gaming brand in the red October 1, 2024 It has been revealed that Quadrant, the entertainment and gaming brand founded by McLaren F1 star Lando Norris, has slumped into the red. The London-based business has reported negative total equity of £405,221 for 2023, its latest financial year. The total, revealed in newly-filed accounts with Companies House, comes after Quadrant posted a positive total [...]
Alpine looks to Mercedes as Renault halt F1 engine operations September 30, 2024 Renault will stop making Formula 1 engines from 2026, leaving Alpine on the hunt for a new provider. The French organisation, which first entered Formula 1 in 1977, will close its works engine programme at Viry-Chatillon. It means their sole engine user, Alpine – whose shareholders include Ryan Reynolds, Michael B Jordan, Anthony Joshua and [...]
Hampshire sell up but insist Southern Brave won’t be thrown in for free September 30, 2024 Hampshire Cricket insist GMR is not getting a Hundred franchise on the cheap after agreeing a deal to become the first Indian-owned county in the English game. GMR, which owns Indian Premier League side the Delhi Capitals, has signed a deal worth around £120m to acquire Hampshire and the Utilita Bowl, and pay down debt. [...]
Premiership rugby stays on free-to-air TV in new two-year deal September 30, 2024 Premiership rugby will remain available to terrestrial TV viewers after the league extended its deal with ITV to show seven live matches per season. The two-year agreement ensures the Premiership Final will be shown live on ITV, which will also continue to broadcast a weekly highlights programme. “Premiership Rugby is thrilled to extend our relationship [...]
Indian Premier League owners agree deal to buy Hampshire Cricket September 30, 2024 Hampshire Cricket has confirmed it has agreed a sale to GMR Global Pte Ltd (GGPL), the owners of Indian Premier League side the Delhi Capitals. The deal, believed to be worth £120m, will see GGPL acquire Hampshire Cricket and the Utilita Bowl but it remains unclear if it will also include a 51 per cent [...]
Architect of Premier League calls for it to be cut to 18 teams September 29, 2024 The Premier League should be trimmed to just 18 teams in order to tackle the player workload row dividing the game, says former chief David Dein. Europe’s 20-team domestic leagues are coming under increasing pressure to slim down as clubs juggle additional European games and the imminent expanded Club World Cup. France’s Ligue 1 joined [...]
Controversial Wimbledon expansion plans get green light September 27, 2024 Wimbledon’s controversial expansion plans have been given the green light by the Greater London Authority. The decision taken by Jules Pipe, London’s deputy mayor for planning, means the All England Club’s proposal to build 39 new courts, including an 8,000-seat show court, on the adjacent former Wimbledon Park Golf Club and nearly triple the size [...]
Cricket in focus: England, India, the IPL and Hundred September 27, 2024 As England and India forge their own paths with white-ball cricket competitions the Hundred and T20, is the future one of cooperation? When the bumper England versus India Test series rolls around in the summer of 2025 – a year where the hosts also head Down Under to face Australia in the Ashes – the [...]