Spotify Camp Nou: Streaming giant pens £250m sponsorship with Barcelona March 16, 2022 Spotify have agreed a four-year sponsorship deal with Barcelona worth £250m that will result in the club’s stadium being renamed “Spotify Camp Nou” from July. The streaming giant will feature on the front of the men’s and women’s team shirts for the next four seasons, replacing Japanese firm Rakuten as the main sponsor. It comes [...]
Women’s tennis chief ‘strongly’ opposed to bans for Russian and Belarusian players over Ukraine March 16, 2022 Steve Simon, the head of elite women’s tennis tour the WTA, says he “feels very strongly” that players from Russia and Belarus should not be prevented from playing because of the invasion of Ukraine. It comes after UK government ministers said assurances should be sought from Russian players that they do not support Vladimir Putin [...]
Chelsea: Club face off-field shake-up once Abramovich era ends March 15, 2022 Change is in the air at Stamford Bridge, where a new owner is likely to be installed before the end of the season after Roman Abramovich was forced to put Chelsea up for sale. US bank the Raine Group has told bidders to register their best offers by Friday, with interest reported from suitors in [...]
Chelsea ‘remove’ request for behind closed doors FA Cup tie March 15, 2022 Sanction-governed Premier League club Chelsea have ‘removed’ their request to have Saturday’s FA Cup quarter-final match against Middlesbrough played behind closed doors, according to an FA spokesperson. In a statement, the FA said: “After constructive talks between the FA and Chelsea, the club has agreed to remove their request for the FA Cup quarter-final tie [...]
FA to consider Chelsea appeal to play Middlesbrough cup tie behind closed doors March 15, 2022 The Football Association has said it will consider Chelsea’s request for Saturday’s FA Cup tie at Middlesbrough to be played behind closed doors. Chelsea appealed to the FA after being denied permission to sell further tickets to its travelling supporters under the terms of its special licence from the government. The Premier League club said [...]
Tennis No1 Medvedev should renounce Putin to play at Wimbledon, says sports minister March 15, 2022 Daniil Medvedev, the Russian current world No1 men’s tennis player, should be asked to renounce Vladimir Putin before being allowed to play at Wimbledon, sports minister Nigel Huddleston has said. Huddleston said international measures against Russian athletes should go beyond merely banning national teams and those individuals who compete under the Russian flag. “We need [...]
Australian Cameron Smith lands golf’s biggest 72-hole payout with £2.8m Players win March 15, 2022 Australian Cameron Smith claimed record prize money for an 72-hole golf event of $3.6m (£2.8m) with victory at a weather-delayed Players Championship in Florida. The payout at the PGA Tour’s flagship tournament is bigger than that on offer at any of the four men’s majors or the DP World Tour’s lucrative finale in Dubai. Smith [...]
‘Sports docs can transcend boundaries of traditional audiences’ March 15, 2022 “Great sport is just great theatre” is a phrase I would often hear my father say. It’s something he knew a bit about as a successful England and British and Irish Lions player, coach and manager. I’m not sure that I ever truly understood what he meant until I became a filmmaker. Yes, a great [...]
Houston Rockets owner latest to weigh Chelsea FC bid amid sale March 14, 2022 The owner of NBA team Houston Rockets, Tilman Fertitta, is said to have expressed interest in purchasing Chelsea Football Club. Fertitta, whose wealth is estimated to be north of £4.5bn, is among a group of potential buyers who have been given access to a data room relating to the sale of the Stamford Bridge club, [...]
Saudi Media Group makes £2.7bn bid for Chelsea March 14, 2022 The biggest media group in the Middle East Saudi Media Group has made a £2.7bn offer to scoop up Chelsea as the football club races to find a new benefactor following Roman Abramovich’s sanction by the UK government. The sanctions block any new money going into the Premier League club, effectively forcing Abramovich to offload Chelsea [...]