Gareth Bale: Former Wales footballer and golf lover set to play at PGA Tour event January 24, 2023 Record-breaking former Wales footballer and golf lover Gareth Bale is to make his PGA Tour debut at next month’s Pebble Beach Pro-Am. The 33-year-old hung up his boots earlier this month after a football career that saw him win five Champions League titles with Real Madrid and break the Wales men’s goalscoring and appearance records. [...]
Karen Khachanov: Russian tennis player sparks political row over disputed territory of Artsakh at Australian Open January 24, 2023 Australian Open semi-finalist Karen Khachanov is at the centre of a political row after using his matches to voice support for the breakaway region of Artsakh. Historically part of Armenia, Artsakh, or the Nagorno-Karabakh Republic, is internationally recognised as part of Azerbaijan and has been the source of two conflicts since 1990 as well as [...]
John Yems: Football Association appeals its own ban for former Crawley Town manager’s ‘unconscious racism’ January 23, 2023 The Football Association has appealed against the ban imposed on former Crawley Town manager John Yems for racism. An independent regulatory panel banned Yems until June 2024 after he admitted one charge and was found guilty of 11 others relating to comments that referenced either ethnic origin, colour, race, nationality, religion, belief or gender between [...]
We must see Australian Open tennis stars at their best, not at 4am January 22, 2023 Isn’t it beautiful being able to watch Australian Open tennis at 4:30pm in the United Kingdom? Well, actually it isn’t. While we in the UK can enjoy Andy Murray on a Thursday afternoon, or Victoria Azarenka yesterday at 2pm, those athletes are playing deep into the morning. That’s not right. Yes, the hours suit those [...]
‘We don’t live in Barbados’: Chelsea boss Emma Hayes fumes at FA chiefs after game is abandoned after NINE minutes January 22, 2023 Chelsea manager Emma Hayes blasted the Football Association after the Women’s Super League (WSL) champions’ match with Liverpool was abandoned after less than 10 minutes because of a frozen pitch. The game at Kingsmeadow was given the go-ahead after grounds staff used hot air blowers on the worst-affected areas but referee Neil Hair called it [...]
Chelsea, £400m of signings, long contracts and Financial Fair Play: Key questions answered January 21, 2023 Chelsea have raised eyebrows by spending close to £400m since Todd Boehly’s consortium bought the club last summer, including more than £100m in the January transfer window, but has it left the Premier League club in danger of breaking Financial Fair Play (FFP) rules? Why have they been signing players to unusually long contracts? And [...]
NFL UK home teams confirmed for 2023 London games January 19, 2023 The NFL have confirmed the home teams for their 2023 schedule, including the three games to be held in London. The Buffalo Bills and the Tennessee Titans will host matches at the Tottenham Hotspur Stadium – the only purpose-built NFL stadium outside of the USA. It’s a timely return for the two sides with the [...]
A stop-clock and 60-minute football matches? Why IFAB’s solution for time-wasting, borrowed from US sports, would be a waste of time January 19, 2023 Football lawmakers IFAB’s idea of tackling time-wasting with a stop-clock and 60-minute matches is misguided, writes Frank Dalleres. The headline news from this week’s meeting of football’s lawmakers was their decision to not to go ahead with a trial of temporary concussion substitutes. But also on the agenda at the annual business meeting of the [...]
BBC to show NBA matches for rest of the season January 19, 2023 NBA matches will be broadcast on the BBC for the rest of the 2022-23 season as the British broadcaster replaces its lost Super Bowl billing. Tonight’s fixture between the Chicago Bulls and the Detroit Pistons will be the first to be broadcast as part of the deal. The two NBA franchises will compete in the [...]
Ed Warner: Cricket has a membership dilemma January 19, 2023 English cricket is braced to be declared institutionally racist. The results of an independent inquiry are imminent. The England and Wales Cricket Board is corralling the boards of the 18 first-class counties to prepare their statements of contrition. Quite what the hundred thousand-plus members of said counties will think is another matter, though. All but [...]