Explained: Why replays are back in the 2022-23 FA Cup but face an uncertain future January 27, 2023 FA Cup replays were one of the casualties of the pandemic but they are back in football’s oldest knockout competition in 2022-23. The congested calendars caused by Covid-19 delays to English football’s normal schedule caused the Football Association to shelve replays in the last two seasons. Instead, all ties were decided on the day, going [...]
EP: 179 Cheltenham, Doncaster & Hong Kong January 27, 2023 There are 9-races at Cheltenham on Saturday after the Clarence House Chase was rescheduled from Ascot, whilst Doncaster is the venue for more graded jumps action on the same afternoon. In Hong Kong, California Spangle, Golden Sixty and Romantic Warrior all take each other on in the much anticipated Group 1 Stewards’ Cup at Sha [...]
January 28th – Punter Podcast Summary January 27, 2023 There are 9-races at Cheltenham on Saturday after the Clarence House Chase was rescheduled from Ascot, whilst Doncaster is the venue for more graded jumps action on the same afternoon. In Hong Kong, California Spangle, Golden Sixty and Romantic Warrior all take each other on in the much anticipated Group 1 Stewards’ Cup at Sha [...]
TV schedule: What sports are on the tele and where can I watch? January 27, 2023 This weekend sees blockbuster sports ties while Saturday is set to see an important movers day at the Dubai Desert Classic. Here’s what you need to look out for. FA Cup: Wrexham v Sheffield United, Sunday The magic of the FA Cup returns to television screens this weekend and though there are some blockbuster clashes [...]
Exodus of players to France is bad for the Premiership but the boys will thrive January 27, 2023 The amount of brilliant rugby players fleeing England for France and South Africa should be of extreme concern to those in charge of the domestic game here. But the reality is those players heading for pastures new – as I did when I joined Stade Français from Newcastle in 2009 – will have an incredible [...]
English football transfer spending tops £1.7bn in 2022 January 26, 2023 Clubs in England spent three times more than any other country on men’s international transfer business last year, Fifa data has revealed. A total of £1.78 was spent in transfers in 2022, over £1bn more than the second placed side Italy, who spent £543m. A total of 12.5 per cent of the total £5.24bn spent [...]
Oleksandr Zinchenko: Why Manchester City’s loss has been Arsenal’s gain January 26, 2023 When Oleksandr Zinchenko came off the bench at half-time in Manchester City’s final Premier League game of last season, he swung the title race decisively in their favour by helping them to win from two goals down against Aston Villa. It could be argued that he’s doing a similar thing this year at Arsenal, where [...]
‘Greta Thunberg of sport’ won’t fly to Australia over environment concerns January 26, 2023 British athlete Innes FitzGerald, dubbed the ‘Greta Thunberg of sport’, has refused to take part in a world championships event in Australia because of environmental concerns. FitzGerald, 16, has said the 10,000-mile flight fills her with “deep concern”. “The reality of the travel fills me with deep concern,” she said. “I would never be comfortable [...]
International Tennis Federation facing mounting questions over Davis Cup deal after Gerard Pique’s Kosmos group brings legal action January 26, 2023 Former footballer Gerard Pique’s Kosmos investment group has heaped more pressure on the embattled International Tennis Federation by launching legal action over the early termination of their $3bn Davis Cup deal. The ITF ripped up the 25-year agreement after less than five years earlier this month in response to Kosmos asking to renegotiate the $120m-a-year [...]
Sponsors departing the England crease opens up chance for a new wave of commercial interest while the Test team are on a high January 26, 2023 They say bad news comes in threes. For the England and Wales Cricket Board, the announcement last week that three of its major sponsors would not be renewing their deals looked on the surface like a significant challenge for its commercial team. Yet, for the nation’s second most popular sport, there are plenty of reasons [...]