Government ‘must not delay’ over Abramovich’s £2.5bn Chelsea funds, Tories say March 18, 2026 Shadow chancellor Mel Stride has insisted the government “must not delay taking further action” against Roman Abramovich to unlock £2.5bn held after his sale of Chelsea. The Russian was forced to offload the Premier League club in 2022 after Vladimir Putin’s invasion of Ukraine, with the proceeds of the sale to a consortium led by [...]
Chelsea punishment ‘extremely lenient’, says club’s former exec Purslow March 18, 2026 Former Chelsea executive Christian Purslow has labelled the club’s punishment from the Premier League for making undisclosed payments totalling £47.5m “extremely lenient and favourable”. Chelsea escaped with a £10.75m fine and suspended transfer ban after the club’s current owners self-reported offences they said they had discovered in an audit of the previous ownership of Roman [...]
Senegal to fight ‘iniquitous and unprecedented’ Afcon decision at CAS March 18, 2026 Senegal’s football association has vowed to launch a legal challenge at the Court of Arbitration for Sport against the decision to strip it of the Africa Cup of Nations (Afcon) and hand the title to Morocco. Two months after Senegal beat the hosts 1-0 in a controversial final, the Confederation of African Football (CAF) announced [...]
Nocturne: Why elite cycling is returning to City’s streets March 18, 2026 We are excited to be bringing cycling back to the Square Mile with The City of London Nocturne this June. Raising money for Great Ormond Street Hospital, this is a new event which takes inspiration from the original Smithfield Nocturne, which I was fortunate to organise for a decade, finishing in 2017. The return of [...]
‘Mario Kart’ Formula 1 cars need more time, says Williams March 18, 2026 Former Williams Racing boss Claire Williams believes Formula 1 should give drivers more time to adjust to new rules, but concedes that the sport’s chiefs often struggle to sit back and do nothing criticism. The most radical overhaul to regulations in F1 history ahead of this season has caused more overtaking during the opening two [...]
British summer of sport tipped to spark £400m spending spree March 18, 2026 A blockbuster British summer of sport, including the 2026 World Cup, could see up to £400m flow through the economy, according to new modelling. Deep runs in the tournament for home nations and successful medal hauls for GB’s athletics team at major championships are projected by Novuna to trigger an upturn in consumer confidence of [...]
Wolf and Watamu can Storm to victory March 17, 2026 AFTER the conclusion of four days of frenetic action at the Cheltenham Festival last week, this weekend is a far more low-key affair. However, there’s still a competitive card from Newbury, where we can dig out a few interesting ante-post propositions. The two-and-a-half-mile handicap chase (2.25pm) is a tight heat with the likes of last-start [...]
Story seems like a Stellar pick for the Grand National March 17, 2026 WITH Cheltenham now behind us, attention turns to Aintree and the Grand National from a long-range ante-post tipping perspective, with the market beginning to take shape. As is so often the case in the biggest jumps races, JP McManus holds a strong hand, with several leading contenders under his ownership. Previous winner I Am Maximus [...]
Master Size’s Champion looks ready for success March 17, 2026 TRAINER John Size is the man to follow when racing in Hong Kong gets underway with a nine-race programme at Happy Valley on Wednesday, featuring the £270,000 Class Two Daisy Handicap (1.45pm). At the top of the Trainers’ Championship, the Caspar Fownes stable is rightly taking all the plaudits at present. They landed another winning [...]
Newnham can fly back into winners’ circle with Eagle March 17, 2026 SUPPORTERS of the Mark Newnham stable will need no reminding their trainer is in desperate need of a change of fortune. The stable, who held a commanding lead over their rivals in the Trainers’ Championship race at the beginning of the year, have found winners hard to come by in the past month or so [...]