French Top 14 balances financial ambition with sensible watchdog September 5, 2025 The return of Prem Rugby may be another few weeks away but action in one of Europe’s big three leagues begins this weekend. The French Top 14 is back on our screens and is an example of just how brilliant domestic rugby can be. It leverages the love of rugby among its watching public with [...]
Premier League spending gap shows why rivals are plotting overseas games September 4, 2025 It’s more than 10 years since Bernard Caiazzo, then the co-president of French club Saint-Etienne, called on Uefa to take steps to curb the rampant financial power of the Premier League. Caiazzo’s warning came after the English top division had just announced its latest record-breaking media rights deal, which he said could see it become [...]
Independent Football Regulator launches consultation on plans September 4, 2025 The incoming Independent Football Regulator (IFR) plans to have access to banks and law enforcement, as well as the ability to force rogue owners to sell clubs as guidance is published. The IFR published plans for a new Owners, Directors and Senior Executives’ Test, which they say will “raise standards and give powers to take [...]
Squash riding Olympic wave as stars return to London for Classic September 4, 2025 The world’s best players are at Alexandra Palace this week as it stages the annual London Squash Classic. A packed house at the historic venue has been watching the sport’s leading names battle it out as squash is enjoying unprecedented momentum ahead of a long-awaited Olympic debut at the LA 2028 Games. London’s Georgina Kennedy, [...]
London Broncos set for takeover led by NRL legend Darren Lockyer September 4, 2025 Brisbane Broncos rugby league legend Darren Lockyer has emerged as the face of a consortium looking to take over Super League hopefuls London Broncos. Seen as one of the best rugby league players of all time, the NRL stalwart is set to lead a takeover of the Championship club in an investment boost for rugby [...]
How Michele Kang put WSL newcomers London City Lionesses on fast track September 4, 2025 If anyone needed any reminder, one incident this summer illustrated the depth of owner Michele Kang’s dedication to turning London City Lionesses from Women’s Super League anomalies into a European force. It was while the club were in the Netherlands last month for a pre-season training camp, during which they played local side FC Twente [...]
Chelsea’s transfer window and what net spend says about your club September 4, 2025 “Feel more confident about our transfer business than I have done since the fall of the Roman Empire,” wrote a Chelsea supporter friend of this column. Chelsea are of course a transfer outlier, churning a huge roster of players, deploying ultra-long contracts (and hence amortisation periods) and happy to break even in the market. How [...]
Former FA chief: I’d have hired Klopp as England boss in a heartbeat September 3, 2025 Former FA chief Alex Horne says he would have “hired Jurgen Klopp in a heartbeat” as the manager who did get the England job, Thomas Tuchel, looks to restore momentum to the World Cup qualifying campaign this weekend. Horne, who oversaw the hiring of Fabio Capello and Roy Hodgson as England managers, believes that former [...]
FA criticised for ‘obvious flaws’ in failed spot-fixing case against Paqueta September 3, 2025 The Football Association’s case against Lucas Paqueta has been criticised by the independent commission that cleared the West Ham United player of four charges of spot-fixing. The full written reasons, published today, said the FA’s decision to call its in-house betting investigator rather than an independent expert as chief witness was “an obvious flaw” in [...]
Salford Red Devils handed HMRC lifeline by tax authorities September 3, 2025 Super League side Salford Red Devils have had a winding-up petition issued by HMRC adjourned for a second time. City AM exclusively revealed in May that the troubled rugby league club had been hit with a winding-up petition by tax authorities after it was reported that the club owed HMRC £500,000. But the petition was [...]