Why Fifa’s 2026 World Cup U-turn risks a fresh player welfare row March 14, 2023 Fifa is set to risk a new player welfare row by redesigning the format of the next men’s World Cup in the USA, Canada and Mexico, according to reports. Football’s world governing body had planned to divide the 48 teams at the expanded 2026 tournament into 16 groups of three, in order to allay fears [...]
UK government’s letter to Visa, Deloitte and Allianz prompts rebuke from Olympic chiefs March 14, 2023 Olympic chiefs have issued a rebuke to the UK government over its lobbying of sponsors including Visa, Deloitte and Allianz for Russia to remain banned from sport. The UK has been among the most vocal and active opponents of the International Olympic Committee’s plan to lift the suspension of Russia and its ally Belarus. Culture [...]
World Rugby wades into tackle height debate with new recommendations March 13, 2023 World Rugby has waded into the debate over tackle height by asking national unions to trial “belly tackles” at grass roots level in a bid to make the sport safer. England’s Rugby Football Union provoked a fierce backlash earlier this year when it announced plans to ban tackling above the waist in the community game [...]
Does the BBC’s Gary Lineker row show that the government has a problem with football? March 12, 2023 The weather forecast finished and then suddenly there it was: the BBC’s hurried replacement for Match of the Day following its spectacular bungling of the Gary Lineker row. Shorn of its theme tune, opening title, studio, presenter, pundits, commentators and about an hour of running time, this was bleak and surreal; a sort of post-apocalyptic [...]
UK culture sec urges Olympic partners like Coca-Cola and Visa to back Russia athlete ban March 11, 2023 The UK’s culture secretary has written to sponsors of the Olympics including Coca-Cola and Visa urging them to back a ban on Russian and Belorussian athletes. Lucy Frazer addressed the letter to the CEOs of the International Olympic Committee’s (IOC) Worldwide Partners, which include Coca-Cola, Intel, Samsung and Visa. The letter to CEOs comes after [...]
Survey reveals shocking impact on footballer injuries of Qatar World Cup March 9, 2023 More than half of footballers who took part in a major new study say they were exposed to increased risk of injury by the scheduling of last year’s World Cup in Qatar. Some 54 per cent of players surveyed by professional footballers’ union Fifpro in January reported an injury or felt more likely to suffer [...]
Women’s Tour of Britain at risk of cancellation over sponsor issue March 9, 2023 This year’s Women’s Tour is at risk of cancellation if fresh sponsorship cannot be found. Britain’s longest-running major international stage race, which counts Lizzie Deignan, Marianne Vos and Elisa Longo Borghini as former winners, is in peril after the loss of key partners has left a £500,000 shortfall in funding. Organisers Sweetspot announced the route [...]
Newcastle United’s Saudi takeover won’t be re-examined by Premier League, says lawyer March 9, 2023 The lawyer who represented Newcastle United in a battle with the Premier League over the club’s Saudi Arabian takeover expects top-flight chiefs to reject calls to re-examine the deal. A US legal case has raised questions about the influence wielded by the Saudi state over the Tyneside football club, leading to fresh pressure on the [...]
I’m glad sport has moved on from distasteful ‘Plastic Brit’ debate – Ed Warner March 9, 2023 Dazzled by Great Britain’s three golden moments at the European Athletics Indoor Championships in Istanbul last weekend, you’ll likely have missed the home nation’s unexpected victory in the women’s triple jump. Reeling from last month’s earthquake devastation, Turkey will have drawn some comfort from Tugba Danismaz’s winning leap. And she was only ranked ninth in [...]
Manchester City face wait until 2027 for punishment in Premier League dispute March 8, 2023 It may take as long as four years for Manchester City to receive punishment if found guilty of perpetrating the biggest financial scandal in Premier League history. City were charged last month with more than 100 alleged rule breaches dating back to 2009, including falsely reporting income and the salaries of players and managers, and [...]