Ed Warner: Soft power and sport – why do they do that? December 9, 2021 To the Guildhall for the launch of EY’s study of soft power and major sporting events, commissioned by the City of London and UK Sport. The publication was timely, coinciding with the findings of the inquiry into the chaos at the Euro 2020 final at Wembley which tarnished Britain’s hosting credentials, as well as the [...]
Eight Premier League stars in KPMG top 10 most valuable players list December 8, 2021 KPMG has underlined the financial supremacy of English football by naming eight Premier League stars among its top 10 most valuable players. Erling Haaland of Borussia Dortmund, valued at €142m (£121m), and Paris Saint-Germain’s Kylian Mbappe, valued at €128m (£109m) occupy the top two places. But the remainder of KPMG’s top 10 is comprised of [...]
Australia joins US in boycott of Beijing Winter Olympics as China hits back: ‘They violate Olympic spirit’ December 8, 2021 Australia’s prime minister said this morning the country will join the US in a diplomatic boycott of the Beijing Winter Olympics over human rights concerns. Scott Morrison said it should come as no surprise that Australian officials would boycott the event after the nation’s relationship with China had broken down in recent years. He added [...]
Rob Lee: Newcastle United owners should hire Alan Shearer as top advisor December 7, 2021 Newcastle United’s new owners can bring the good times back to St James’ Park by hiring an icon of the club’s most recent glory days, Alan Shearer, to oversee football matters, says Rob Lee. Fellow Newcastle great Lee played alongside Shearer for six seasons as they challenged Manchester United’s domestic supremacy and enjoyed their first [...]
Yorkshire appoint Darren Gough interim director of cricket following Rafiq fallout December 6, 2021 Former England bowler Darren Gough has returned to Yorkshire to take up the role of interim director of cricket. Gough, who spent 15 years at the club, replaces Martyn Moxon, who was among 16 staff to leave the club last week as the fallout from the Azeem Rafiq racism scandal continued. “Like many, I have [...]
Tom Brady, Max Verstappen and Novak Djokovic among Sports Personality of the year nominees December 6, 2021 The BBC announced its Sports Personality of the Year’s World Sport Star of the Year nominees this morning, with its public vote starting now.
Davis Cup: Novak Djokovic fails to steer Serbia into final as Croatia progress December 4, 2021 Novak Djokovic failed to steer Serbia into the Davis Cup final as world number one pair Nikola Mektic and Mate Pavic clinched the decisive doubles rubber to seal victory for Croatia in Madrid. Djokovic had given his side hope of reaching the final after winning the second singles rubber against Marin Cilic 6-4 6-2. World [...]
Academics find fairer format for penalty shootouts, but will football accept it? December 2, 2021 Football took a chance on the ABBA format in the hope of minimising the inherent unfairness of penalty shootouts, but that experiment swiftly met its Waterloo. Now, though, economists at Durham University have devised a new way of ordering penalty kicks that they believe could change the name of the game. They tested a score-dependent [...]
Ed Warner: Crouch review recommendations could drive Premier League away December 2, 2021 I really wanted to embrace the “fan-led” Tracey Crouch review of football governance in England. But with each turn of its 162 pages my heart sank further at the unmistakable sight of the heavy hand of Whitehall. The Crouch review’s recommendations revolve around the creation of an independent regulator for the sport. This displays a [...]
Manchester United owner Avram Glazer buys cricket team in new UAE T20 league December 1, 2021 Manchester United owner Avram Glazer has succeeded in buying a cricket franchise at the second attempt after snapping up a team in the new United Arab Emirates Twenty20 league. Glazer, through his private equity company Lancer Capital, was outbid in an auction for two new franchises in the Indian Premier League, the world’s leading T20 [...]