British basketball at war: Clubs split from federation over new league plan January 29, 2025 Civil war has broken out in British basketball after furious Super League Basketball clubs vowed to break away from the British Basketball Federation over plans to impose a new league on them. Super League Basketball (SLB) teams say they were not consulted by the British Basketball Federation (BBF) before it announced former Portland Trail Blazers [...]
Manchester set to become ‘global capital of football’, says Burnham January 29, 2025 Manchester will become “the global capital of football” following a major regeneration project centred around a new Manchester United stadium, says the city’s mayor Andy Burnham. The government and Trafford Council have pledged to support the wider revamp of the area, which is set for a transformation like that catalysed in Stratford by the London [...]
Apple eyes MLS sell-off as even Messi can’t save £2bn deal January 29, 2025 Apple TV is considering selling off some of its international rights to Major League Soccer (MLS) just two years into a 10-year deal. The streaming company is paying $250m (£200m) a year for global MLS rights in a bet that interest in the American domestic league would grow significantly on the back of Lionel Messi’s [...]
Formula 1 team owner sponsors MotoGP outfit in new deal January 28, 2025 One of the 10 Formula 1 teams set to compete in the 2025 season has agreed a sponsorship agreement with MotoGP team Pramac Racing. Alpine – whose F1 outfit boasts Pierre Gasly and Jack Doohan – will be a main sponsor of the Prima Pramac Yamaha MotoGP team. The French manufacturer – whose Formula 1 [...]
Leicester City crash ‘accident’ but family say helicopter ‘death trap’ January 28, 2025 The deaths of five people in a helicopter crash, including the former owner of Leicester City, were accidents, according to an inquest jury delivering their conclusion on Tuesday. Vichai Srivaddhanaprabha, referred to in court as Khun Vichai, died alongside pilot Eric Swaffer, co-pilot Izabela Lechowicz, Nusara Suknamai and Kaveporn Punpare when his private helicopter crashed [...]
Record numbers of UK Anti-Doping whistleblowers come forward January 28, 2025 Whistleblower numbers for suspected sports doping are at a record high in the United Kingdom, according to UK Anti-Doping (UKAD). According to its intelligence and investigations team, UKAD states that there were 211 reports of suspected doping misconduct across 30 sports in 2024. That represented an almost three-fold increase since 2020, when the service was [...]
Florida and Kalooki set to realise Dreams for Richards January 28, 2025 IF EVER there was a challenging weekend for ante-post punting this looks to be it. Leopardstown’s two-day Dublin Racing Festival will be its usual spectacle, with Willie Mullins set to unleash his battalion of stars one more time before they head across the water for the Festival in March. The problem is working out which [...]
Hunting for some value with Libberty in Champion Chase January 28, 2025 FOR MANY racing fans, this year’s Champion Chase is going to be all about Jonbon. Nicky Henderson’s star has been faultless this season, unbeaten in all three starts, including when dominating two-time Cheltenham hero Energumene in Ascot’s Clarence House last time out. Understandably, he’s a well-fancied favourite as a result, and while on all known [...]
Goodbye, Hilal: Saudi Pro League ends Neymar deal which cost £37m per game January 28, 2025 It will go down as one of the most expensive failed experiments in world football, with Neymar’s move to Al-Hilal reported to have cost the Saudi Pro League side more than £250m. But after 17 months, a meagre seven games and only one goal, the Brazil international, 32, looks bound for a return to his [...]
It’s D-Day for Champions League’s new format. So has it worked? January 28, 2025 When Uefa revealed its new format for the Champions League, it was with injecting more excitement and unpredictability in mind. Specifically, a stale group phase would be replaced with a ‘Swiss model’ league phase that promised more games between top teams and – crucially – a more competitive product. Notwithstanding the fact that Manchester City [...]