Legal Q&A: What uncertainty around the Ashes means for England, the players, contracts, sponsors and broadcasters September 21, 2021 Lawyer Jamie Horner examines the legal issues around this winter’s Ashes series between England and Australia, which remains in the balance due to Covid-19 restrictions Down Under. What are some of the key legal issues around this Ashes series? The key issue is the difference between Covid-19 restrictions in the UK and the more draconian [...]
Premier League NFTs: Sorare aiming to launch digital fantasy football trading cards collection following similar deal with Spain’s LaLiga September 21, 2021 French technology start-up Sorare is hoping to launch a range of NFTs comprising digital fantasy football trading cards with the Premier League. The company, which has raised £500m from investors including SoftBank, has emerged as a major player in sport’s growing blockchain economy and recently struck a deal with Spain’s LaLiga. “We have had conversations, [...]
Legal Q&A: How referees’ pay could be hit by a tax dispute with HMRC and why this could have wide-reaching effects on the gig economy September 21, 2021 Lawyer Kevin Barrow explores the implications of an ongoing case between referees and HMRC. What’s this case about? It’s about whether PGMOL (Professional Game Match Officials Limited) needs to deduct income tax and National Insurance Contributions (NICs) from payments it makes to referees whom it has engaged on a self-employed “gig worker” basis to officiate at [...]
Why boosting physical activity is key to speeding up London’s pandemic recovery, by Prof Kevin Fenton of Public Health England September 20, 2021 In this guest column, Professor Kevin Fenton, London regional director at Public Health England, calls on businesses to prioritise employee health ahead of London Sport’s Active London conference this week. As we emerge from Covid-19 and set out to repair its impact globally, the success of London’s post-pandemic recovery will ultimately depend on the physical [...]
Anti-doping chiefs WADA consider taking cannabis off prohibited list following Sha’Carri Richardson ban September 15, 2021 The World Anti Doping Agency (WADA) is to a review cannabis as a prohibited substance after criticism surrounding Sha’Carri Richardson’s Olympic ban. WADA says the scientific review will be used to determine whether cannabis should remain a banned substance. The discussion around cannabis gained momentum after US sprinter Richardson was forced to miss this year’s [...]
Scottish Premiership clubs Hibs, Hearts, Aberdeen, Dundee and Dundee United task Deloitte with finding ways to increase league revenues September 15, 2021 Scottish Premiership football clubs have commissioned Deloitte to conduct a review of the league with a view to unlocking new revenue. Aberdeen, Dundee, Dundee United, Heart of Midlothian and Hibernian say they would like to see annual distributions increase from £27m to at least £50m a year by 2026. The five clubs say they will [...]
US Open prize money 2021: Record sum to be shared at most lucrative tournament in tennis but winners’ share is down again September 10, 2021 The US Open continues to offer the biggest payday in tennis despite cutting the winners’ prize money again in 2021. Whoever triumphs in the women’s and men’s singles finals this weekend in New York will pocket $2.5m, $100,000 more than the champions of Wimbledon banked this summer. But as with all of the Grand Slam [...]
Exclusive: Coutinho, Ronaldo, Bale, Grealish and other mega transfers to push Premier League spending to £55bn by 2050 September 9, 2021 Premier League clubs’ spending sprees will amount somewhere close to £300m annually in the next 30 years, according to new research that was shared with City A.M. this afternoon. The average outlay per club is set to be £286,996,502 in 2050, an increase of 135.99 per cent, while the average fee paid by top-flight clubs [...]
Barcelona suffer another financial blow with Rakuten set to pull plug on €30m-a-year shirt sponsorship September 9, 2021 Japanese e-commerce giant Rakuten is to end its €30m-a-year sponsorship of Barcelona at the end of the season, according to reports. The development is another blow for the beleaguered titans of Spanish football, who are more than £1bn in debt and lost star player Lionel Messi this summer. Rakuten has been the main shirt sponsor [...]
Usain Bolt: I considered athletics comeback for Tokyo 2020 Olympics but my coach talked me out of it September 9, 2021 World’s fastest man Usain Bolt has revealed that he was talked out of making a comeback at the Tokyo 2020 Olympics. Bolt, who won the men’s 100m and 200m titles three Games in a row, bowed out from athletics after the 2017 World Championships in London. But the Jamaican says he had second thoughts in [...]