Bath City tipped to be next Wrexham after non-league record £6m investment September 10, 2026 A consortium led by mobile gaming entrepreneur Andrew Stalbow has completed a takeover of Bath City FC in a £6m deal said to represent a record investment for non-league football. Stalbow, who helped create the Best Fiends and Angry Birds games franchises, heads an international group of investors which also includes executives from consultancy giant [...]
Panini sales tumble after sticker maker loses Premier League licence September 10, 2026 Collectable stickers maker Panini has seen its sales tumble in the UK following the loss of a major Premier League licence. The Italian company’s UK subsidiary recorded a more than 20 per cent drop in turnover to £43.3m in 2025, according to accounts seen by City AM. The 65-year-old firm, which has had a partnership [...]
Inter Milan owner Oaktree keen to copy Chelsea BlueCo multi-club model September 10, 2026 Oaktree Capital Management wants to copy Chelsea owner BlueCo’s strategy by acquiring a sister club for Inter Milan. The global investment manager has allocated a budget of €25m-€40m (£20m-£35m) to buy a team from either the top division in Belgium or Portugal or the second tier in Spain, according to multiple Italian media reports. It [...]
Crystal Palace owner Blitzer part of £1bn mega stadium redevelopment September 10, 2026 Co-owner of Premier League club Crystal Palace, David Blitzer, is part of a group spending around £1bn on a major new stadium that his team will share with another club. The American, who became the first investor to hold stakes in the big five North American leagues – MLS, MLB, NFL, NHL and NBA – [...]
AIG to acquire stake in Salford City Lionesses and expands partnership with Neville’s club September 10, 2026 Insurance giant AIG is set to become the first Fortune 500 company to invest in an English women’s football team after agreeing to acquire a stake in Salford City Lionesses. The move is part of an expansion of the partnership between AIG and Salford City, the club co-owned by former Manchester United stars Gary Neville [...]
Here’s to the quiet heroism of county cricket: Pride, jeopardy and extraordinary matches September 10, 2026 While the world’s white-ball franchise leagues flash past in a blur of sixes, jazzy uniforms and fireworks, England’s red-ball heartbeat, the County Championship, keeps thumping, writes Ed Warner. We painted the County Ground in Hove yellow on Tuesday to celebrate the bicentenary of the birth of John Wisden just under a mile away in Crown [...]
Royal Antwerp case shows European sport ought to copy US interventionist approach September 10, 2026 Football fans digesting doom-laden commentary on the Royal Antwerp FC case on the legality of Uefa’s homegrown player regulations may be forgiven for recalling Brenda from Bristol’s reaction to the calling of general elections: “What, another one?” In recent years, legal challenges before European and national courts have sought to strike down various football regulations, [...]
Royal Antwerp: ‘New Bosman’ set to torch Uefa rules and spark mega class action September 10, 2026 European football faces an imminent legal bombshell likened to the Bosman Ruling that could scrap quotas for homegrown players and leave Uefa facing a hugely costly class action. The Royal Antwerp ruling has major implications for Uefa nations, potentially including England, who require clubs to have a minimum number of nationally-trained players, as well as [...]
All Hundred owners expected to explore bids for Big Bash cricket franchises September 9, 2026 All eight Hundred owners are expected to explore bids for franchises in Australia’s Big Bash after teams in the T20 cricket competition were put on the market this week, City AM has learned. Cricket Australia this week announced that it would push ahead with a franchise sale, similar to the 2025 Hundred auction, despite some [...]
Messi to buy 100 per cent of Valencia football team September 9, 2026 Lionel Messi is set to acquire 100 per cent of a Valencia football team as the football superstar looks to expand his portfolio in Spain. The former Barcelona player is reportedly close to agreeing a complete takeover of CD Eldense, a second-tier Spanish football team based in the autonomous community of Valencia’s Elda. Spanish outlet [...]