Ollie Phillips: My hopes for rugby over the next 12 months January 13, 2023 The next 12 months have the potential to be game-changing for rugby. It’s a World Cup year and domestic leagues are becoming ever more competitive, so here are my three hopes for the coming year. Nothing to lose My main hope for 2023 is to see England give the Six Nations and World Cup a [...]
Former Premier League footballer jailed for seven years over £15m Ponzi scheme January 12, 2023 Former Premier League footballer Richard Rufus has been jailed for running a £15m foreign currency exchange Ponzi scheme. The London-born 48-year-old was sentenced to seven and a half years in prison at Southwark Crown Court today. Rufus, who played 99 times in the Premier League for Charlton Athletic, tricked friends and family into giving him [...]
Six Nations and Netflix join forces for docu-series ahead of Championship January 12, 2023 The Six Nations and Netflix have entered a partnership to produce a series based on the 2023 Championship, which begins next month. The news, which was exclusively revealed by City A.M. in October, will see fans taken into the world of Six Nations rugby and cover behind-the-scenes moments. Netflix announced the project alongside a second [...]
DAZN: Sports broadcaster’s operating LOSSES pass £1bn despite revenue RISING January 12, 2023 Sports broadcaster DAZN suffered an operating loss of $1.3bn (£1.1bn) and record overall losses of $2.3bn (£1.9bn) in 2021 despite growing revenue by almost 80 per cent. The UK-headquartered streaming and subscription service, which is a major player in the US, Japan and Germany, saw income swell to $1.6bn (£1.3bn). But costs also increased by [...]
Kyrgios, Jabeur and Nadal: How Netflix’s Break Point looks to grow tennis January 12, 2023 Tomorrow morning the latest sports docu-series goes live on streaming giant Netflix as Break Point – the tennis version of Formula 1’s Drive to Survive – offers a peek behind the scenes of the sport. Here’s what we learned from the series. Tennis’ special Ks Break Point grips you instantly, using Nick Kyrgios and his [...]
Ed Warner: The row over sport banning Russian players will be even bigger in 2023 January 12, 2023 Wimbledon will be here before we know it. Expect the debate about banning Russian and Belorussian stars to start soon. The tug of war over the two bellicose nations’ participation at next year’s Paris Olympics and Paralympics has already begun. Schisms within sports and between their leaders and politicians are inevitable. Last year, backed (or [...]
Joao Felix: Chelsea pay eight-figure loan fee to make Portugal and Atletico Madrid star the 12th signing under Todd Boehly January 11, 2023 Chelsea have continued their recruitment drive by signing Portugal forward Joao Felix on loan from Atletico Madrid for the rest of the season. The 23-year-old is the 12th player to join since Todd Boehly’s consortium bought the Premier League club from Roman Abramovich for £2.5bn last summer. Chelsea are believed to have agreed to pay [...]
Why Manchester United sale could fetch the Glazer family even more than their £6bn asking price – despite Cristiano Ronaldo exit January 11, 2023 The Glazer family’s hopes of achieving a record valuation for the sale of Manchester United have increased after the football club’s share price reached a four-year high. Some analysts believe it could push the price of a takeover towards $10bn (£8.2bn), in excess of the American owners’ original $7bn (£5.8bn) asking price. United’s share price [...]
Football chiefs to meet tonight over future of WSL ownership January 11, 2023 A number of football’s top executives are due to hold talks this evening with hopes of hashing out a new structure of ownership for the WSL. The meeting will see those present look at funding proposals for the Women’s Super League. The chief of the Football Association, Mark Bullingham, is set to be at the [...]
Trevor Steven: VAR, handballs and concussion breaks – seven rules that English referees must resolve in football in 2023 January 10, 2023 While some readers will have New Year’s resolutions and supporters may have January wish lists for their clubs, I have my own hopes for football in 2023 and they revolve around rules and refereeing. Recent times have seen a conveyor belt of tweaks to officiating that I believe has only muddied the waters. The thinking [...]