Clock ticking on Roman Abramovich after he puts Chelsea up for sale March 2, 2022 Chelsea owner Roman Abramovich has put the Premier League club up for sale – but faces a race against time to find a buyer amid the continued threat of sanctions. Abramovich has hired US bank the Raine Group to advise on a deal and is believed to want £3bn for the reigning European champions, who [...]
Ukraine: Everton suspend arrangements with Russian linked billionaire March 2, 2022 Premier League side Everton have suspended their commercial sponsorship arrangements with all Alisher Usmanov owned companies. The Russian billionaire is on a list of people who have had their assets frozen by the European Union in response to Russia’s invasion of Ukraine. Usmanov owns USM Holdings, who sponsor Everton’s training ground and has Everton owner [...]
Swiss billionaire receives offer to buy Chelsea as Roman Abramovich is pushed to sell Stamford Bridge club quickly March 2, 2022 A Swiss billionaire has been approached to buy Chelsea football club, according to various reports this morning. 86-year-old Hansjorg Wyss reportedly confirmed he is interested in purchasing the Stamford Bridge club from Roman Abramovich, but only in a consortium. Russian-Israeli billionaire Abramovich is understood to want to retain his ownership of Chelsea but that could [...]
Russian athletes set for Winter Paralympics ban decision March 2, 2022 Winter Paralympics organisers will decide today whether to ban Russian athletes just 48 hours before the Games are set to begin in Beijing. All Russian competitors have already arrived in China but the International Paralympic Committee is under pressure to stop them taking part in response to the country’s invasion of Ukraine. The International Olympic [...]
Premier League takes slow road to first NFT deal March 1, 2022 Driven by the extraordinary early success of the NBA’s Top Shot digital collectibles, NFTs were the talk of the sports industry when the Premier League dipped its toe into the market last year. It launched a tender process, inviting bidders to submit proposals for a range of officially licensed Premier League NFTs, which was due [...]
Everton backer Usmanov has assets frozen by EU over Putin links March 1, 2022 Everton backer Alisher Usmanov has had his assets frozen by the European Union on the grounds that he is close to Russian president Vladimir Putin. Usmanov’s company USM Holdings sponsors Everton’s training ground and has bought the naming rights to the Premier League club’s yet-to-be constructed stadium. The billionaire is also a close associate of [...]
Sir Ben Ainslie on sailing, management and when he plans to stop racing March 1, 2022 The acronym GOAT often gets bandied around in sport, usually unwarranted, but when it comes to British sailors, British Olympians and British sportspeople, Sir Ben Ainslie truly is up there with the Greatest Of All Time. The most successful sailor in Olympic history, an America’s Cup winner and multiple competitor, and now the man in [...]
Uefa terminates £100m Gazprom sponsorship as sport shuts out Russia February 28, 2022 European football’s governing body Uefa has confirmed the termination of its long-standing sponsorship deal with Russian state energy company Gazprom. The move came as Uefa banned Russian teams from its international and club competition following the country’s invasion of Ukraine. “Uefa has today decided to end its partnership with Gazprom across all competitions,” it said. [...]
Fifa, Uefa and IOC heed calls to ban Russia from international sport February 28, 2022 Russia faces an indefinite period of exile from international sport after major bodies including the International Olympic Committee, Fifa and Uefa bowed to calls to ban the country. The IOC said Russian teams and athletes should not be allowed to compete in international competitions, even under a neutral flag, as a result of the country’s [...]
International Olympic Committee calls for Russia and Belarus ban February 28, 2022 The International Olympic Committee (IOC) have urged sporting federations and organisations to “not invite or allow the participation of Russian and Belarusian athletes and officials in international competitions”. As part of a list of recommendations released today, the IOC Executive Board (EB) have said their motives relate to the inability of Ukrainians to compete as [...]