Southampton owner Solak steps up £170m fight with London fund June 26, 2025 Billionaire Southampton FC owner Dragan Solak has escalated a legal battle with London-based private equity fund BC Partners, which he says owes him and his business partners £170m. Solak has asked Dutch authorities to investigate what he calls a “serious governance crisis” at United Group, the telecoms and media business he founded but which is [...]
Padel: 3,200 clubs built in 2024 as racket sport surges in popularity June 26, 2025 Over 3,000 padel clubs were built in 2024, according to a report that suggests padel is further surging in popularity. Around 3,200 clubs were constructed in 2024 along with over 7,000 courts added to the global padel surplus across the last 12 months, according to the Playtomic Global Padel Report 2025. That’s one club every [...]
FA accused of stalling brain damage lawsuit from former players June 26, 2025 Football chiefs have been accused of “deliberately stalling” a landmark lawsuit brought by former players who suffered “life-altering” brain damage as the legal battle resumes today. The Football Association, English Football League and FA of Wales are the defendants in a case brought by 30 former players and their families who say the game’s authorities [...]
CVC Capital Partners hire former EE boss to new sports arm June 26, 2025 CVC SportsCo, a new entity created by private equity giants CVC Capital Partners, has been bolstered by the hire of former mobile phone network EE boss Marc Allera. Allera will take a the role central to the firm’s sporting portfolio, which once owned Formula 1. The current CVC Capital Partners portfolio includes stakes in Premiership [...]
London Broncos rugby league team make name change admission June 26, 2025 London Broncos rugby league team have been forced to deny that they’ve made a final decision on a change of name. Former Leeds Rhinos chief executive Gary Hetherington is leading a revival of the London club which was relegated from the Super League last year. And part of that is a potential name change, with [...]
Laurie Canter on hopping fences to play golf, investing and Dryvebox June 26, 2025 English golfer Laurie Canter on the sport’s accessibility problem, his passion for business and investing in mobile golf simulator business Dryvebox. Laurie Canter took the first steps towards a career in professional golf by hopping the fence to the public course across the road from his childhood home in Bath. Twenty-odd years later he is [...]
Sports events must decide between purists and entertaining newbies June 26, 2025 With Britain in the height of its summer sporting season, Ed Warner debates how organisers must balance pleasing purists with enticing new fans. “Does anyone talk about The Season anymore? The social whirl of the Lord’s Test, Queen’s, Royal Ascot and then finally Wimbledon? I may have missed others…” I replied to this Sport inc. [...]
Mohammed Ben Sulayem rival Carlos Sainz Sr backs out of FIA race June 25, 2025 President of motorsport’s governing body Mohammed Ben Sulayem is almost certain to remain head of the FIA after potential rival Carlos Sainz Sr chose not to stand against the Emirati. The current president is currently unopposed for the position of president ahead of December’s election despite a number of controversies under his recent tenure. He [...]
Tony Bloom tips Hearts to break Old Firm after Brighton owner invests June 25, 2025 Brighton and Hove Albion owner Tony Bloom has vowed to loosen Celtic and Rangers’ grip on Scottish football after his £10m investment in Hearts was confirmed. Bloom has acquired a 29 per cent share in the Edinburgh club which confers no voting rights but comes with a non-executive director’s seat, which will be taken by [...]
Barcelona score financial boost with Camp Nou reopening date June 25, 2025 FC Barcelona have announced they will stage their first match at the rebuilt £1.25bn Camp Nou in August, in a significant boost to the financially constrained European giants. The reigning Spanish champions have had to play their home games at Barcelona’s former Olympic stadium for the last two seasons, heavily denting their ticketing income. But [...]