Basketball: How BBL finals show there’s appetite for Britain’s ‘NBA’ May 11, 2023 Tickets are sold out and have long been difficult to find but on Sunday the hottest event in British basketball takes place at the O2. The iconic venue is set to host the men’s and women’s finals of the British Basketball League (BBL), where the London Lions will be looking to become the first side [...]
Ed Warner: Taking part is all well and good, but compelling sport is about winning May 11, 2023 “The important thing in the Olympic Games is not winning but taking part.” Really, Baron? That’s so 19th century! I’d love to hear the thoughts of a time-travelling Pierre de Coubertin in the Stade de France at Paris 2024, or perhaps in the stands at a Premier League football match, or ringside at a heavyweight [...]
Back-to-back Jacksonville Jaguars games pave way for London NFL franchise May 10, 2023 The NFL is stepping up preparations for a possible London franchise by handing the Jacksonville Jaguars a historic double-header in the capital later this year. The Jags, who have staged a game in London every year since 2013, will become the first NFL team to play two fixtures in consecutive weeks outside the United States. [...]
Qatari bidder Sheikh Jassim rules out Manchester United move for Lionel Messi May 10, 2023 Manchester United will not make any attempt to sign Lionel Messi on a free transfer this summer if Sheikh Jassim Bin Hamad Al Thani buys the club. Messi, 35, is due to leave Paris Saint-Germain next month when his contract with the Qatar-owned French champions expires. His availability has sparked a €1bn scramble for his [...]
English rugby bans high-ranking official from Twickenham for using N-word May 10, 2023 A former Rugby Football Union council member has been banned from Twickenham after admitting making racist comments at a Six Nations match last year. Alex Murphy said to an unnamed volunteer as they walked to the council box at the England v Wales game in 2022, “You realise they don’t let n****** in the Royal [...]
Premiership enjoys attendance bounce, but figures little for rugby to cheer about May 9, 2023 Premiership rugby’s average match attendance is close to returning to pre-pandemic levels as the sport shows signs of recovery following a turbulent period. Average attendance in the Premiership this season was 12,569, up by more than 1,000 on last year and almost back to pre-Covid-19 levels, according to data crunched by City A.M. The figures [...]
Worcester fan group: We don’t want ‘cuckoo club’ Wasps May 9, 2023 A new fan group representing recently purchased rugby team Worcester Warriors have called on the sport’s governing body to block a proposition that would see fellow strugglers Wasps move to their stadium. Following the completion of a deal between the Atlas consortium and administrators Begbies Traynor for Worcester Warriors, it emerged that Wasps owner Chris [...]
Meet the man who quit the City to reinvent the film industry, one documentary at a time May 9, 2023 City banker Julian Bird set up Lorton Entertainment to show that investing in films could be profitable, and documentaries on Diego Maradona, Oasis and Wayne Rooney have proven him spectacularly right. “I’m not really a massive film fan,” says City banker-turned-unlikely movie mogul Julian Bird. It’s perhaps a surprising statement from someone who has been [...]
Everton hold talks about new investment, reports May 4, 2023 Premier League strugglers Everton have reportedly held discussions with 777 Partners and MSP Sports Capital. The discussions, reported by BBC Sport, would appear to back up comments made by 777 Partners to City A.M. in relation to the Toffees. “We are looking for interesting assets,” a senior figure at the firm told City A.M. last month [...]
DCMS chair reiterates need for sanctions on Russians amid ex-F1 driver Mazepin’s case May 4, 2023 The acting chair of a key parliamentary committee has reiterated the need for sanctions on Russian sportspeople amid news former F1 driver Nikita Mazepin is challenging the UK Foreign Secretary to overturn his. Mazepin and his father Dmitry were sanctioned by the UK, European Union and Canada as part of wide-reaching measures taken after Russian [...]